Nevada Insurance Claims
Insurance decides how much of a claim can actually be paid. Here is whose policy pays in Nevada, how much the law requires, and what your own policy can add.
The short answer
In Nevada the at-fault driver's insurer is generally the one that pays, up to that driver's limits. The legal minimum is $25,000 per person, $50,000 per crash and $20,000 for property. Where that is not enough, your own underinsured motorist coverage, if you have it, pays on top.
Whose insurer pays
Nevada is an at-fault state, so the at-fault driver's liability insurer is generally the one that pays other people's losses, up to that driver's limits. Your own policy may add to that, depending on what you bought.
The legal minimum is a floor
Every Nevada driver must carry at least $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 for all injuries in one crash, and $20,000 for property damage. Those minimums were raised from 15/30/10 on 1 July 2018.
For a serious injury, $25,000 can be used up quickly. Many drivers carry more, but you will not know until the other driver's insurer confirms the limits.
Drivers with no insurance
An industry estimate puts the share of uninsured Nevada motorists at 8.8 per cent in 2022, against a national figure of 14.0 per cent. It is a model rather than a count, but it suggests roughly one driver in eleven may have no insurance to claim against.
Nevada insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage at limits equal to your liability limits, but you are allowed to decline it, and once declined it does not have to be offered again at renewal. The only way to know whether you have it is to check your declarations page.
Underinsured coverage pays on top
In Nevada, underinsured motorist coverage is excess coverage. It pays up to your own limit to the extent your losses exceed the at-fault driver's liability limits.
An example: your losses are $150,000, the other driver carries $25,000, and you have $100,000 of underinsured coverage. Your losses exceed their limit by $125,000, so your own coverage can pay up to its full $100,000. It is measured against their limits, not against what their insurer actually paid.
Medical payments coverage
Nevada insurers must offer at least $1,000 of medical payments coverage, which pays reasonable and necessary medical expenses from a crash regardless of who was at fault. It is optional, and $1,000 is the minimum that must be offered rather than a sensible amount; one emergency visit can use it up.
Rideshare crashes
Uber and Lyft drivers are covered by different minimum amounts depending on what the app was doing at the time. Our rideshare guide sets out the periods.
What usually happens, in order
- Notice. The claim is reported to the at-fault driver's insurer, and usually to your own.
- Contact from an adjuster. They will ask for an account of what happened, often as a recorded statement.
- A position on fault. The insurer decides what it accepts, which is an opening position rather than a ruling.
- Documents. Medical records, bills, proof of lost income and repair estimates.
- Offer and negotiation. Usually once treatment has settled enough for the losses to be known.
Nevada regulations set deadlines for insurers to respond to claims, but we could not verify that they protect someone claiming against another driver's insurer rather than their own, so we do not publish them here.
At a glance
Each row links to the law it comes from. Deadlines depend on your specific circumstances.
| Situation | Deadline | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum liability insurance NRS 485.185 | $25,000 / $50,000 / $20,000 | Nevada drivers must carry at least $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 for injuries in one crash, and $20,000 for property damage. Raised from 15/30/10 on 1 July 2018. These are a legal floor, not a realistic figure for a serious injury. |
| Uninsured motorist coverage NRS 687B.145(2) | Must be offered, may be declined | Insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage at limits equal to the policy's liability limits, on a form approved by the Commissioner. Carrying it is not compulsory in Nevada. Once declined the insurer need not offer it again at renewal, though it can be bought later by written request. |
| How underinsured coverage pays NRS 687B.145(2) | Excess, on top of the other limits | Nevada underinsured motorist coverage pays up to your own limits to the extent your damages exceed the at-fault driver's liability limits. It is measured against the other driver's limits rather than subtracted from what they actually paid. Where more than one policy applies the statute permits proration, capped at the higher limit. |
| Medical payments coverage NRS 687B.145(3) | Optional, offered from $1,000 | Insurers must offer at least $1,000 of coverage for reasonable and necessary medical expenses resulting from a crash, payable regardless of who was at fault. $1,000 is the floor on what must be offered, not a recommended amount. One emergency department visit can exhaust it. |
| Drivers without insurance Insurance Research Council, via Insurance Information Institute | 8.8% | Estimated share of Nevada motorists who were uninsured in 2022, ranking Nevada 41st among the states. An insurance industry model derived from the ratio of uninsured motorist claims to bodily injury claim frequencies, not a government count. The national figure for the same year was 14.0 per cent. |
Deadlines depend on the specific facts of your situation and there are exceptions to every rule listed here. This is general information, not legal advice about your case.
Questions people ask
You can ask for time before giving one. Anything you say is recorded and can be quoted back later, so it is worth being factual and brief, and not guessing about speeds, distances or the extent of your injuries.
Ask their insurer in writing. The answer decides whether your own underinsured coverage comes into play, so it is worth having early.
Yes. Under Nevada law it can be bought later by written request to your insurer.
Not sure how this applies to you?
Answer a few questions about what happened and see the guidance that matches your situation.
NevadaAccidentHelp is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Submitting information does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Sources
Every statement on this page traces to one of the following. Where a source is not the issuing body itself, that is noted.
- Insurance Information Institute, no-fault background. Insurance Information Institute Secondary source Checked 14 September 2026.
- NRS 485.185. Nevada DMV Official source Checked 14 September 2026.
- NRS 687B.145(2). Nevada Legislature Official source Checked 14 September 2026.
- NRS 687B.145(2). Nevada Legislature Official source Checked 14 September 2026.
- NRS 687B.145(3). Nevada Legislature Official source Checked 14 September 2026.
- Insurance Research Council, via Insurance Information Institute. Insurance Information Institute Secondary source Data year 2022, Nevada. estimate (modelled) Checked 14 September 2026.
- NRS 690B.470. Nevada Legislature Official source Checked 14 September 2026.
Some statutory text above was read from an established legal database rather than the Nevada Legislature's own site, because that page could not be retrieved in full. The wording was cross-checked across multiple independent databases. If you are relying on the exact text, read it on the Legislature's official site.