What does Nevada's 25/50/20 minimum insurance pay, and what if my injuries cost more?

Last updated October 7, 2026.

Nevada's minimum policy pays up to $25,000 for one injured person, up to $50,000 for everyone injured in one crash, and up to $20,000 for property damage. Those limits pay other people when the insured driver is at fault; they do not pay the insured driver's own injuries. When your losses cost more, the usual next sources are your own underinsured motorist coverage, your medical payments coverage, and any other person who shares the blame for your Las Vegas car accident claim.

Many drivers in the Las Vegas Valley carry only the minimum. After a serious injury, hospital care and time away from work can pass $25,000 sooner than most people expect. This page explains what each number really means, how several injured people split the limits, and what you can do when the at-fault driver's policy runs out.

How does a claim against a minimum policy work in Las Vegas?

Here is the usual order of events when the other driver was at fault and carries the Nevada minimum.

Get the other driver's insurance details at the scene. Every Nevada-registered vehicle must carry a Nevada policy, and the driver must carry evidence of it in the vehicle or on a phone, according to the Nevada DMV. Take a photo of the card.
Make sure the crash is on record. If an officer investigated, get the report. If not, you may owe the DMV an SR-1 report within 10 days; see when the SR-1 crash report is required.
Open a claim with the at-fault driver's insurer. Nevada regulations require insurers to acknowledge a claim within 20 working days (NAC 686A.665) and to try to complete their investigation within 30 days (NAC 686A.670).
Ask for the policy limits in writing. You need to know whether the at-fault policy is the $25,000 minimum or something higher before you can plan anything else.
Notify your own insurer at the same time. If your losses may pass the at-fault limit, your underinsured motorist coverage and medical payments coverage come from your own policy, and your policy sets its own notice rules.
Add up your losses. Medical bills, future care, lost wages, the car, and pain and suffering. Our article on how car accident settlements work explains the categories.
Watch the deadlines. In Nevada you generally have 2 years to sue for an injury (NRS 11.190(4)(e)) and 3 years for damage to a car or other personal property (NRS 11.190(3)(c)). Insurance talks do not pause either clock.

What do the three numbers pay?

The figures come from NRS 485.185 and match the Nevada DMV's insurance page. The middle number is "subject to the limit for one person," which is the part most people miss.

Limit	What it pays	What it does not pay
$25,000 bodily injury, one person	The most the policy pays for one injured or killed person in one crash	Anything above $25,000 for that person; the insured driver's own injuries
$50,000 bodily injury, one crash	The most the policy pays for all injured people in one crash combined, with no one person above $25,000	A second $50,000 for a second injured person; it is one shared pool
$20,000 property damage, one crash	Damage to other people's vehicles and property in one crash, combined	The insured driver's own car; damage above $20,000 for everyone together

An owner's policy also covers other people who drive the car with the owner's express or implied permission, up to the same limits (NRS 485.3091(1)(b)). The limits are counted without interest and costs, which the statute puts outside them.

Where can the money come from when injuries cost more?

When the at-fault limit is not enough, these are the places a Nevada claim usually looks next. Each has its own rules.

Source	When it can help	Rule
Your underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage	Your damages are more than the at-fault driver's bodily injury limit	Pays the excess up to your own UIM limit (NRS 687B.145(2))
Your uninsured motorist (UM) coverage	The other vehicle had no insurance, or less than the Nevada minimum, or the driver fled after contact and the crash was reported to police in time	Included in Nevada policies unless rejected in writing (NRS 690B.020(1), (3))
Your medical payments coverage	You bought it; it pays reasonable and necessary medical expenses from a crash	Insurers must offer at least $1,000 (NRS 687B.145(3))
Other people who share fault	A second driver or another party helped cause the crash	Each defendant pays its own percentage of fault (NRS 41.141(4))
The at-fault driver personally	Damages exceed every policy	A lawsuit within the deadline (NRS 11.190); collecting depends on the driver's own assets
Your health insurance	Medical bills while the claim is open	May expect repayment from the recovery; hospitals may claim a lien (NRS 108.590)

What changes the answer

The number of people hurt. If three people are injured, they share one $50,000 pool, and no single person can get more than $25,000 from it (NRS 485.185(1)(b)). A crash with several injured people can exhaust a minimum policy fast.
Whether you have underinsured motorist coverage. Insurers must offer it in an amount equal to the bodily injury limits you buy, and each renewal must include the offer form (NRS 687B.145(2)). If you said no or picked a low limit, that choice shapes your options now. Our page on claiming your own underinsured motorist coverage walks through the process.
Whether the other driver had less than the minimum. Under NRS 690B.020(3)(b), a vehicle whose bodily injury insurance is below the Nevada minimum counts as uninsured "to the extent of such deficiency," subject to your policy's terms. That can matter when the other car carried a lower limit written somewhere else.
Whether you carry more than one policy. A policy may limit your recovery to the highest single limit that applies and split it between the policies, but only if that limit is in clear, prominent language, and it is void if you paid a full premium for separate coverage on the same risk (NRS 687B.145(1)).
Your own share of fault. You can recover if your fault is not greater than the combined fault of the people you sue, but your damages are reduced by your percentage (NRS 41.141(1), (2)).
The type of vehicle. The 25/50/20 rule does not apply to mopeds (NRS 485.185(2)). Riders have their own coverage questions; see how motorcycle insurance coverage works in Nevada.
A family member in the same car. A Nevada auto policy may limit coverage for injuries to another named insured or a household member unless the named insured rejected that limit on the insurer's form (NRS 687B.147). Read the policy before assuming a relative's injuries are covered.

For example: two people hurt by a minimum-limits driver

Imagine a driver named Marcus. He is stopped at a light on Flamingo Road with his friend Leah in the passenger seat when a pickup rear-ends them. The pickup's driver carries the Nevada minimum, 25/50/20. Marcus carries 100/300 liability with underinsured motorist coverage at the same limits and $5,000 of medical payments coverage. Every figure here is hypothetical.

Marcus has a shoulder injury with surgery and lost work, and his losses total $68,000. Leah's injuries are milder, and her losses total $14,000. The pickup's insurer has a $50,000 pool for the crash, with no more than $25,000 for any one person. Leah's claim fits within her $25,000 share. Marcus's claim is capped at $25,000 from the pickup's policy, even though $36,000 is still sitting unused in the $50,000 pool.

That leaves $43,000 of Marcus's losses unpaid by the at-fault policy. His own UIM coverage can pay damages above the pickup's $25,000 limit, up to his $100,000 UIM limit (NRS 687B.145(2)). His $5,000 medical payments coverage helps with bills while the claims are open, under his policy's terms. Marcus's car repair, $9,000, comes out of the pickup's separate $20,000 property damage limit.

If Marcus had rejected UIM coverage, the $43,000 gap would depend on suing the pickup's driver personally, which only helps if that driver can pay. That is the practical reason coverage choices matter before a crash.

Common mistakes when the other driver has minimum coverage

Accepting the at-fault limit without telling your own insurer. Your policy may have notice rules for underinsured claims. Tell your insurer early and in writing.
Treating $50,000 as yours. One person can never get more than $25,000 from a minimum policy, no matter how much of the $50,000 is left.
Forgetting the car. Property damage has its own $20,000 limit for the whole crash. If your vehicle is worth more, or several cars were damaged, read how Nevada insurers value a totaled car.
Assuming you have no coverage of your own. Uninsured motorist coverage is part of a Nevada policy unless someone rejected it in writing (NRS 690B.020(1)). Ask your insurer for the declarations page and any signed rejection form.
Ignoring medical liens. A hospital that perfects a lien has a claim on the settlement (NRS 108.590), and a small policy can be eaten up by bills. See how hospital liens work after a Nevada crash.
Letting the 2-year deadline run. Talks with insurers do not stop the clock in NRS 11.190(4)(e).

What to do this week

Photograph the other driver's insurance card and your own, if you have not already.
Open a claim with the at-fault insurer and ask in writing for the bodily injury and property damage limits.
Call your own insurer, report the crash, and ask for your declarations page showing liability, UM, UIM and medical payments limits.
Ask whether anyone in your household signed a form rejecting UM or UIM coverage, and request a copy.
Start a running list of medical bills, mileage to appointments, and missed work.
Get a repair estimate for your vehicle and keep the photos.
Mark the 2-year injury deadline and the 3-year property deadline on your calendar.

Frequently asked questions

Is 25/50/20 the same as full coverage?

No. It is liability coverage only: it pays other people when the insured driver is at fault. It does not pay for the insured driver's own injuries or own car. If that describes your policy, read what pays when you only have liability insurance.

Can I get more than $25,000 from the at-fault driver's insurer if I was badly hurt?

From the bodily injury part of a minimum policy, $25,000 is the cap for one person. Money beyond that has to come from another source, such as your own UIM coverage, another at-fault party, or the driver personally. Our article on checking your policy for adequate coverage explains what to look for in your own policy.

What if the other driver had no insurance at all?

Then the at-fault policy is zero, and your own uninsured motorist coverage is usually the main source, unless it was rejected in writing (NRS 690B.020). Driving uninsured is also a misdemeanor in Nevada, with a fine of $600 to $1,000 for each violation (NRS 485.187). See what to do when you are hit by an uninsured driver.

What if a drunk driver hit me and has only the minimum?

The insurance limits are the same, but impaired driving can open punitive damages against the driver personally under NRS 42.010. Whether that money can be collected is a separate question. Our page on a drunk driver with minimum insurance covers it.

Does the at-fault insurer have to pay its limit right away?

No Nevada rule forces a quick payment of the limit. Nevada does list failing to make prompt, fair settlements once the insurer's liability has become reasonably clear as an unfair claims practice (NRS 686A.310). Getting the limits in writing and sending a complete claim package tends to move things forward.

If I win a judgment above the limits, does the insurer pay it?

The policy pays up to its limits. The statute sets those limits "exclusive of interest and costs" (NRS 485.3091(1)(b)), so how interest and court costs are handled depends on the policy's terms. The rest of the judgment is owed by the driver personally. Whether it can be collected depends on that person's finances, which is why your own coverage matters so much.

If someone with minimum insurance hurt you or your family in a Las Vegas crash, talk with attorney Maysoun Fletcher about where the rest of the money could come from. The consultation is free; call 702-333-6339 any time, day or night.