It will depend upon your state's laws however yes, in most states an auto insurance company can sell uninsured motorist bodily injury (UM or UMBI) without including uninsured motorist property damage (UMPD).

Uninsured motorist property damage is in fact not even available in all states. There are states that have it included with UMBI and in other states where it is available it is as a separate coverage.

When most people refer to uninsured motorist coverage they are referring to UM for bodily injury, thus your medical bills that are incurred from an uninsured motorist causing you injuries. In many states UMBI is required to be offered and placed on your auto insurance policy unless you reject this coverage in writing. This is not normally true for UMPD coverages. This is due to the fact that costs for medical injuries can be very expensive if you are severely injured and most states want to make sure you are covered for these costs if an uninsured person hits you.

UMPD is not normally required because car owners have the choice of purchasing physical damage coverages of collision and comprehensive to cover damages that their own vehicle sustain in an accident no matter who is at fault. So if you were in an accident with an uninsured motorist without having UMPD then you could place a claim through your collision coverage.

Just for general information - if you did carry uninsured motorist property damage coverage then it would be up to the terms of your policy but in general it only pays up to a certain amount for repairs to the insured car (some states have limits at $3500, some are lower and some are higher). If you have Collision coverage, Uninsured Motorist Property Damage coverage only pays your Collision deductible (in some states).

Many people assume that uninsured motorist is for property damage when the majority of the time it is for bodily injury only. This is why it is important to read through the terms of your policy and if you have questions about the coverages you have to ask your agent and add any other coverages that you may need for your particular situation.

To find out what coverages your state requires car insurance companies to offer contact your state's insurance regulator for consumer advice. If you do not have collision coverage to make a claim with your own insurer for the damages to your vehicle caused by the uninsured motorist then you may have to take the at-fault party to court and seek a judgment for the cost of the repairs.

To learn more about UMPD, UMBI and other insurance coverages read through our insurance coverage definition section of our learning center.