What to know first. For policies that took effect on or after January 1, 2025, Virginia’s required liability coverage is written 50/100/25. That’s a $50,000 ceiling per hurt person, $100,000 for a whole crash and $25,000 toward damaged property.
The new floor
Section 46.2-472(B) set those limits for owner’s policies effective on or after January 1, 2025. For policies that took effect on or after January 1, 2022, but before January 1, 2025, the same section set lower required limits of $30,000 for a single injured person, $60,000 when more than one person is injured in the same wreck, and $20,000 for property damage. An older policy that has not yet renewed onto a 2025 or later term may still show the lower numbers. Look at the effective date on the declarations page, not at the year the crash happened, when you are trying to read the other driver’s limits.
Those figures are minimums, not averages and not a cap on what your injuries are worth. A serious injury, a surgery or a long stretch of missed work can exceed $50,000 quickly. That is why your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage matters as much as the other driver’s policy.
Uninsured and underinsured coverage
Section 38.2-2206 requires a Virginia auto liability policy to include uninsured motorist coverage, in limits not less than the requirements of section 46.2-472. The UM limits must equal the liability limits of the policy, unless a named insured rejects the additional UM coverage in the way the statute describes. The same section also requires underinsured motorist coverage in limits equal to the UM limits. As a default, UIM is paid without a credit for the at-fault driver’s liability coverage, unless a named insured has elected a reduction in the way the statute allows. Those elections are binding on everyone insured under the policy, so it is worth reading the forms that were signed when the policy was issued, not only the declarations page.
After a serious crash, your own UM or UIM often makes the difference, especially when the other motorist carries only the floor limits, has no insurance, or flees. A hit-and-run is a classic UM situation, described in the hit-and-run guide. You still have to be able to show that the other person was at fault, and contributory negligence can still be raised. UM is not automatic payment just because your policy exists.
Military households and out-of-state policies
Hampton Roads has many service members whose cars are registered or insured in another state. An out-of-state policy may follow different rules on UM, UIM and medical payments. Read the declarations page, and ask the insurer in writing which state’s law it believes applies. Do not assume a Virginia minimum or a Virginia UM rule controls a policy that was issued somewhere else. If you have both a Virginia policy and an out-of-state policy in the household, both may need to be looked at.
Stacking, med pay and other pieces
Whether limits on more than one vehicle may be added together is a question of policy language. Ask your insurer for a complete copy of the policy, including endorsements, not just the declarations page. Virginia does not have PIP. Optional medical payments coverage, described in the med pay guide, is the usual first-party medical coverage on a Virginia auto policy.
If the crash involved a rideshare vehicle, a commercial truck or a public body, other coverage rules may sit alongside these minimums. See the guides on those topics rather than assuming 50/100/25 is the whole story.
What to do with the other driver’s card
Photograph the insurance card, the declarations page if you are shown one, and the driver’s license at the scene. Then report the claim to that insurer and to your own. When the other insurer writes back with policy limits, compare those figures to your medical picture and to your own UM and UIM limits. If the other driver has only 50/100/25, or an older 30/60/20 policy, and your bills are already climbing, your UIM coverage may be the important policy in the case.
Do not sign a release of the other driver until you understand whether a UIM claim will still be available afterward. A release that is too broad can create problems for a later claim on your own policy. Ask before you sign, especially in a serious injury case.
Questions people ask
Does Virginia have PIP? No. Virginia uses fault-based claims, with optional medical payments coverage.
Will my rates go up if I use UM? Ask your insurer. A not-at-fault UM claim is often treated differently than a crash you caused, but the policy and the company’s practices control.
Should I carry only the minimum? The law allows it. A serious injury to you or to someone else can exceed those figures quickly, which is the practical reason many people buy higher liability limits and matching UM and UIM.
When should I tell my insurer? Promptly after the crash, and specifically ask about med pay, UM and UIM, not only about repairing the car.
If several people were hurt in one crash, the $100,000 per-crash figure can be shared among them. That is another way a “full limits” policy can still leave a serious injury underpaid, and another reason to know your own UIM limit.
A declarations page is a start, not the whole contract. Endorsements can change UM, UIM and med pay, including any rejection of higher UM limits or any election that changes how UIM is paid. If a serious claim is in prospect, ask for the full policy and the signed forms, and keep them with the crash report.
Keep reading with medical payments and liens and the first week.