Reviewed and approved by Samuel Corso, licensed Texas insurance agent.

Does car insurance cover a hit-and-run in Texas?

Sometimes. It depends on which coverages are on your policy — and the driver who hit you is not the deciding factor.

That's the part most people get wrong. When someone hits your car and drives off, the natural instinct is to think about them: will they be found, do they have insurance, who pays. But if the other driver is gone, the money comes from your own policy or it doesn't come at all. So the real question is which coverages you bought before it happened.

Here's what we'll cover: the two coverages that repair your car, the police-report condition that can stop a claim cold, what uninsured motorist coverage pays beyond the repair, the $250 deductible, who pays for injuries, what happens when you're hit while parked, what to do in the first hour, and how to check in two minutes whether you're covered.

The short answer: two coverages do the work

The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) is direct about which parts of an auto policy respond to a hit-and-run:

"To get your car repaired, you'll need a car insurance policy with collision coverage or uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) property damage coverage. Both pay for car repairs after a hit-and-run accident."

And the coverage everyone does have — liability — is not one of them. TDI: "Liability insurance only pays to repair the other person's car if you're at fault in an accident."

That's the whole problem in one sentence. TDI's auto guide describes the state minimum this way: "Texas law requires you to have at least $30,000 of coverage for injuries per person, up to a total of $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 of coverage for property damage." All of that pays other people. None of it repairs your car.

So a driver carrying only the minimum, hit by someone who leaves the scene, has no coverage for their own repair. Our guide on what car insurance is required in Texas covers what the minimum does and doesn't include.

The condition that can stop the claim: call the police

This is the most important sentence on this page, and it comes straight from TDI's auto insurance guide:

"Your uninsured motorist coverage won't pay for a hit-and-run accident if you didn't report it to police."

TDI's instruction is just as plain: "Call the police if you were hit by a driver who left the scene." And afterwards: "Get a copy of the police report for your insurance company."

Read those together and the sequence is simple. Police first, insurer second, report to the insurer. A hit-and-run where nobody called the police is a hit-and-run your UM coverage may not pay for — no matter how obvious the damage is.

It's worth knowing this before it happens, because the moment it does happen is the moment people are least inclined to wait around for an officer. A scraped bumper in a parking lot feels too small to report. Under TDI's description of how the coverage works, that decision is the difference between a paid claim and an unpaid one.

What UM/UIM pays, beyond the repair

Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage exists precisely for the driver who can't pay — including the one who can't be found. TDI:

"Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage pays if you're in a hit-and-run accident and the other driver can't be found to pay for damage."

What it covers is broader than the bodywork. TDI: "The coverage pays your car repair and medical bills." And in more detail, it "also pays to replace the property in your car, a rental car if you need it, your medical bills, and pain and suffering costs."

TDI's after-a-wreck guidance says the same thing in plainer terms: "If you have uninsured/underinsured coverage in your auto policy, it will pay for your car repairs, a rental car, and pain and suffering."

Two things follow from that. The laptop in the back seat may be covered under the same claim. And you may not need separate rental reimbursement coverage to get a car while yours is in the shop — though if you want that coverage generally, TDI describes it as paying "for you to rent a car if yours is stolen or being repaired after an accident. Some policies also pay for taxis or ride-hailing services."

Our guide on uninsured motorist coverage in Texas goes through the coverage in full.

The $250 deductible — and why the choice between coverages matters

If both collision and UM/UIM property damage can repair your car, which one should the claim go under? The deductible usually answers it.

TDI states the UM figure directly: "The deductible for uninsured/underinsured coverage is $250." Elsewhere it puts the comparison plainly: "UM/UIM coverage usually has a lower deductible than collision coverage and may pay for a rental car if you need it."

A $500 or $1,000 collision deductible is common. Against a fixed $250 on the UM side, the difference is real money on a repair you didn't cause. When you report the claim, it's a fair question to ask your adjuster which coverage they're applying and why. Our guide on how to file a car insurance claim in Texas covers the process end to end.

One more detail worth knowing: TDI says "Insurance companies must offer uninsured motorist coverage when you buy auto insurance. If you don't want it, you have to turn it down in writing." So if it isn't on your policy, at some point someone signed it away. And adding it is granular — TDI: "You can usually add uninsured/underinsured coverage in $5,000 increments. A rule of thumb is to add at least enough property damage coverage to replace your vehicle."

Who pays for injuries

If anyone was hurt, a different set of coverages responds, and two of them may already be on your policy.

Personal injury protection (PIP). TDI: "Personal injury protection (PIP) coverage is similar to medical payments coverage. It pays your and your passengers' medical bills. But it also pays for things like lost wages and other nonmedical costs. All auto policies in Texas include PIP coverage." Because PIP doesn't ask who caused the crash, a vanished driver doesn't stop it. TDI adds that if you don't want PIP, "you must tell the company in writing" — so it's worth checking your declarations page to see whether yours is still there.

Medical payments coverage. TDI: "Medical payments coverage pays your and your passengers' medical bills. It also pays if you're hurt while riding in someone else's car or while walking or biking." That last part matters in a hit-and-run where the person hit was on foot or on a bike.

UM/UIM bodily injury. This is the one that reaches past medical bills, to the "pain and suffering costs" TDI describes — the part no one else is left to pay when the at-fault driver is gone.

Hit while parked

A large share of hit-and-runs happen to cars with nobody in them: a parking garage, a street space, a work lot. The coverage logic doesn't change. There's still no other driver to bill, so it's still your collision or UM/UIM property damage coverage doing the work — and TDI's police-report point still applies, because a note under the wiper isn't a report.

Comprehensive coverage is a different thing and a common mix-up. TDI: "Comprehensive (other than collision) coverage pays if your car is stolen or damaged by fire, flood, vandalism or something other than a collision." A car struck by another vehicle is a collision, even a stationary one — which is why the answer usually sits with collision or UM/UIM.

If you're not sure which of these you carry, they're listed on your declarations page. Pull it up before you need it.

The first hour: what TDI says to do

TDI's guidance for the scene of a wreck applies directly:

1. Call the police. TDI: "If someone was injured or the other driver drove away, call the police." This is the step the coverage depends on.
2. Photograph everything. TDI: "Take pictures. Get pictures of the other cars involved, including license plates and damages. Also get pictures of street signs and road angles." In a hit-and-run the scene itself is the evidence — position, paint transfer, debris, nearby cameras.
3. Find witnesses. TDI: "Talk to witnesses. Ask for names and phone numbers." The auto guide adds: "Get the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of any witnesses to the accident." And why it matters: "Independent witnesses can help prove fault if you were in an accident caused by another driver."
4. Report it to your own company. TDI: "Send the company copies of the police accident report."
5. Choose your own repair shop. TDI: "Some companies might give you a list of preferred repair shops, but they can't require you to use a shop on its list."

Our guide on what to do after a car accident in Texas walks through the full sequence.

After you file: timing, and your deductible

TDI's auto guide sets out the claim-handling clock: the company should tell you it got your claim "within 15 days of getting notice", then "accept or reject your claim within 15 business days of getting all the information it needs from you" — noting that "a company that needs more time can take 45 days to decide whether to pay your claim" — and then "send you a check within five business days after it agrees to pay your claim."

There's also a chance of getting your deductible back. TDI: "Your insurance company will try to recover the money, including your deductible, from the other driver's insurance and give your deductible back." In a hit-and-run that only happens if the driver is later identified and turns out to be insured — which does sometimes follow from a police report and a plate number. Another reason to make the report.

And if the repair estimate approaches what the car is worth, TDI describes what comes next: "If the cost to repair your car is close to its current value, the company might decide to total it," in which case "it will pay your car's value minus depreciation."

Will it raise your premium?

A reasonable worry when the crash wasn't your doing. TDI's answer to the general question is honest rather than reassuring: "It depends on the type of claim and how many you file. But, yes, your home and auto premiums can go up if you file claims." On the auto side specifically, TDI says "Auto companies can raise your premium if you've had accidents or gotten traffic tickets."

Claims are also recorded outside your own insurer's files. TDI: "Most insurance companies get a report from the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE) to learn your claims history." Our guide on how your claims history affects car insurance in Texas covers what shows up there.

If the damage is small, it's worth comparing the repair estimate against your deductible before you file — though note that the police report is a separate decision, and one worth making regardless.

Key facts

• Liability alone won't repair your car. TDI: "Liability insurance only pays to repair the other person's car if you're at fault in an accident."
• Two coverages do. TDI: "To get your car repaired, you'll need a car insurance policy with collision coverage or uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) property damage coverage."
• The police report is a condition, not a formality. TDI: "Your uninsured motorist coverage won't pay for a hit-and-run accident if you didn't report it to police."
• UM covers the missing driver. TDI: it "pays if you're in a hit-and-run accident and the other driver can't be found to pay for damage."
• The UM deductible is fixed. TDI: "The deductible for uninsured/underinsured coverage is $250."
• UM reaches beyond the bodywork. TDI: it "also pays to replace the property in your car, a rental car if you need it, your medical bills, and pain and suffering costs."
• PIP is already on Texas policies unless it was declined. TDI: "All auto policies in Texas include PIP coverage."
• A preferred-shop list is a suggestion. TDI: "Some companies might give you a list of preferred repair shops, but they can't require you to use a shop on its list."
• TDI's Help Line is 800-252-3439.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance — Auto insurance guide (CB020), Will your auto insurance pay after a hit-and-run crash?, What is uninsured motorist coverage, and do I really need it?, Protect against other drivers with uninsured motorist coverage, Were you in a wreck? Tips for auto insurance claims, Accident not your fault? Here's how to deal with the other driver's insurance, Will my premium go up if I file a claim?. TDI's Help Line is 800-252-3439, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Coverages, limits, deductibles and claim terms vary by company and by policy; your own declarations page and policy wording govern. This page is general information, not legal advice. For a question about your own policy, read the policy, ask your agent, or contact the Texas Department of Insurance.

Take the next step

Do this while nothing has happened. One: open your declarations page and look for two lines — collision coverage, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, both bodily injury and property damage. If UM isn't there, someone declined it in writing at some point, and TDI says you can usually add it back in $5,000 increments. Two: note your collision deductible and compare it to the $250 TDI cites on the UM side, so you know which claim you'd rather be making. Three: decide now that you'll call the police for any hit-and-run, including the small parking-lot ones — because under TDI's description of the coverage, that call is what keeps the claim alive.

If your policy turns out to be liability-only, you're carrying every hit-and-run yourself. That's worth knowing before the next one.

Credify is a licensed insurance agency in Texas. We compare quotes from multiple licensed Texas carriers in one short form, with no obligation. Each insurer is solely responsible for its own products. If you're reviewing your auto coverage, our guides on how to get car insurance in Texas and comparing auto insurance in Texas are a good place to start. 📞 Talk to Credify 24/7.