West Virginia Car Insurance: Mandatory UM and Additional Offers

Separate West Virginia’s required liability and UM from higher UM and UIM offers, with actual elections kept visible.

Read liability and UM independently

OIC shows $25,000 injury per person/$50,000 per accident and $25,000 property damage for liability and UM. A UM line is not an extra copy of liability to others; ask how the actual uninsured-driver protection works.

An offer is not a selected protection

The page describes higher optional UM limits and the option to buy UIM. Obtain the actual offer and completed selection. Do not claim UIM purchase is mandatory merely because an insurer must offer it.

Ask for the actual policy explanation

Describe driver facts, vehicle use and relevant loss. Ask which provision applies and what conditions remain. Keep the response with the declarations and elections rather than relying on a broad full-coverage label.

Read West Virginia’s required UM separately from offered UIM

The OIC summary lists liability and UM at 25/50/25, then discusses higher UM offers and UIM options. Keep the actual offer and completed selection. A required offer is different from a requirement that you buy every offered protection.

Do not assume the uninsured-driver property line and collision have identical deductibles, eligibility or claim procedures. Ask which provision applies to the actual loss before comparing payment amounts.

Use a two-proposal exercise before accepting

Fictional comparison: Both offers cover the same six-month term and show the same liability limits. Offer A is $900 with selected UIM; Offer B is $840 without it. The $60 difference reflects at least one protection change, so it is not a price comparison for identical coverage. Request a matched version before deciding. Neither figure is a West Virginia quote or average.

For a separate hypothetical collision repair, assume an accepted covered amount of $4,400 and a $1,000 deductible. Payment would be $3,400 before adjustments. That formula does not determine what UM or UIM owes for a different loss.

Keep the offer history useful

Retain the offer, selected amounts, completed forms and issued schedule for each policy term. If a liability limit or driver changes, request confirmation of related injury selections. For a borrowed or business-used vehicle, disclose the actual arrangement rather than assuming the old application still fits.

When seeking assistance, identify the disputed offer, form, benefit or calculation. Supply the insurer’s written response and the applicable policy record. Current Section 33-6-31 forms and exceptions still require review before publication; no document label is treated as a substitute for that legal check.

Sources and review scope

West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner: Auto Mandatory Limits. Source access/inspection: October 12, 2026. The coverage needs checklist can organize the policy discussion; it does not establish legal compliance.