What insurance covers a motorcycle rider's injuries in Nevada?

Last updated October 7, 2026.

Several policies can pay a Nevada rider's injuries: the at-fault driver's liability insurance, your own uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage, your own medical payments coverage, and your health insurance. Your own motorcycle liability coverage does not pay for your injuries; it pays people you are responsible for hurting.

Because Nevada's minimum liability limit is $25,000 for one injured person (NRS 485.185), and motorcycle injuries are often serious, the coverage you bought for yourself can matter as much as the other driver's policy. This page explains each layer and the order it usually pays in a Las Vegas motorcycle accident claim.

Which policies can pay, and what does each one cover?

Coverage	Whose policy	What it pays	Required in Nevada?
Bodily injury liability	The at-fault driver's	Your injury damages, up to its limits: at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash (NRS 485.185)	Yes, for owners of registered vehicles; mopeds are exempt (NRS 485.185(2))
Property damage liability	The at-fault driver's	Your bike and gear, at least $20,000 per crash (NRS 485.185)	Yes
Uninsured motorist (UM)	Yours	Injuries caused by an uninsured or qualifying hit-and-run driver (NRS 690B.020)	Included unless a named insured rejected it in writing (NRS 690B.020(1))
Underinsured motorist (UIM)	Yours	Damages above the at-fault driver's limits, up to your UIM limit (NRS 687B.145(2))	Must be offered for motorcycles, equal to your bodily injury limits (NRS 687B.145(2))
Medical payments (med pay)	Yours	Reasonable and necessary medical expenses from a crash (NRS 687B.145(3))	Must be offered, at least $1,000; buying it is your choice (NRS 687B.145(3))
Health insurance or Medicaid	Yours	Treatment under that plan's rules; it may seek repayment from a settlement	Separate from auto insurance
Your own liability coverage	Yours	Injuries to others you are legally responsible for, such as a passenger you carried	Yes, for registered motorcycles (NRS 485.185)

The minimums are confirmed on the Nevada DMV's insurance page, which also notes that the policy must be written for Nevada and that out-of-state insurance is not accepted for Nevada registration. A full explanation of the 25/50/20 limits is in Nevada's minimum insurance requirements.

How does a rider's insurance claim usually move in Las Vegas?

Report the crash and get the report number. The responding agency (LVMPD, Henderson Police, North Las Vegas Police or the Nevada Highway Patrol) writes the crash report. A timely police report also protects your UM coverage if the other driver fled (NRS 690B.020(3)(f)).
Open claims on both sides. File a bodily injury claim with the at-fault driver's insurer and notify your own insurer. Your policy may require prompt notice, and you may need your own coverage later.
Use med pay and health insurance for early bills. Med pay, if you bought it, covers reasonable and necessary medical expenses resulting from a crash (NRS 687B.145(3)), so it can help with early bills while fault is still disputed. Health insurance may also pay, subject to its own rules and any repayment right.
Confirm the other driver's limits. If the driver has only $25,000 per person and your losses are higher, that limit is the ceiling on what that insurer will pay for you.
Bring a UIM or UM claim on your own policy. Your UIM coverage pays damages above the at-fault limits, up to your own limit (NRS 687B.145(2)). If the driver had no insurance, UM coverage steps in (NRS 690B.020).
Resolve liens before money is paid out. Hospitals and Medicaid can have repayment rights in a settlement. See hospital liens on a Nevada accident settlement.
Watch the deadline. A lawsuit against the at-fault driver for injuries generally must be filed within 2 years (NRS 11.190(4)(e)), and for property damage within 3 years (NRS 11.190(3)(c)). Your own policy may have its own time limits, so read it.

What changes the answer

Whether you rejected UM coverage. In Nevada, a motor vehicle liability policy must include uninsured vehicle coverage unless a named insured rejected it in writing on the insurer's form (NRS 690B.020(1)). Riders are not always sure what they signed when they bought a policy. Ask your insurer for a copy of any rejection form; if there is no written rejection, the statute generally requires the coverage to be included.

The limits you chose. Insurers must offer UM and UIM coverage on a motorcycle policy in an amount equal to the bodily injury limits you bought, and each renewal must include the offer form (NRS 687B.145(2)). If you carry only minimum limits, your UM and UIM may be minimum too. How underinsured claims work step by step is covered in how to make an underinsured motorist claim in Nevada.

Hit-and-run and no-contact crashes. An unknown driver counts as "uninsured" only if there was physical contact with you or your vehicle and the crash was reported to police, the sheriff or the Nevada Highway Patrol within the time the law requires (NRS 690B.020(3)(f)). That makes a quick report essential. If a driver fled after hitting you, see what to do after a hit-and-run motorcycle crash in Las Vegas.

The other driver's insurance status. If the at-fault driver says they had insurance but no proof of financial responsibility reaches the DMV within 60 days after an injury crash, the vehicle is presumed uninsured (NRS 690B.020(6)). Our page on what happens when the driver who hit you has no insurance covers that path.

More than one policy. If you own several bikes or cars, each on its own policy, a policy may limit what you collect to the highest single applicable limit, shared out in proportion, but only if the limiting language is clear and prominent. The limit is void if you bought separate coverage on the same risk and paid a premium calculated for full reimbursement (NRS 687B.145(1)).

A government vehicle. Damages against the State of Nevada and its political subdivisions are capped at $200,000 per claimant (NRS 41.035). If your damages exceed that cap, your UIM coverage must cover the difference up to your own limit (NRS 687B.145(2)).

Whether you were the rider or the passenger. A passenger may claim against the other driver and, if the rider was at fault, against the rider's liability coverage, which insures the named insured and anyone driving the bike with permission (NRS 485.3091(1)(b)). See motorcycle passenger injury claims in Nevada.

License and helmet issues. Insurers sometimes raise a missing endorsement or helmet when paying a claim. Nevada's fault rules, not those issues alone, decide whether the at-fault driver owes you (NRS 41.141). Read riding without a motorcycle endorsement and check your own policy's wording.

For example: a minimum-limits driver on Sahara Avenue

Imagine a hypothetical rider named Lena who is hit on Sahara Avenue by a driver who runs a red light. The driver carries Nevada's minimum limits: $25,000 per person. Lena's own motorcycle policy has $50,000 per person in liability coverage, UIM coverage matching it at $50,000, and $5,000 in med pay.

Suppose, hypothetically, that Lena's medical bills, lost wages and other damages are fairly valued at $140,000, and she is not at fault. Here is how the layers could line up:

Source (hypothetical)	Limit	What it could contribute
At-fault driver's bodily injury liability	$25,000	$25,000, its full limit
Lena's UIM coverage	$50,000	Up to $50,000 of the $115,000 left above the driver's limit
Lena's med pay	$5,000	Up to $5,000 of medical expenses, under the policy's terms
Health insurance	Plan terms	Treatment costs, possibly with a repayment claim
At-fault driver personally	None	Any remaining amount, which is often hard to collect

Because Nevada UIM pays damages that exceed the other driver's limits (NRS 687B.145(2)), Lena's own UIM adds to the $25,000 rather than being reduced by it. Her UIM insurer also cannot turn around and sue the at-fault driver for what it paid (NRS 687B.145(4)). How med pay interacts with other payments depends on Lena's policy wording, so that row is shown as "up to."

If Lena had chosen $100,000 in liability and matching UIM, the gap would have been much smaller. If she had rejected UIM in writing, the gap would be much larger. These figures are made up for illustration only; actual payments depend on the policies, the facts and the evidence.

Common mistakes riders make with insurance

Assuming "full coverage" means coverage for your injuries. Many riders mean collision and comprehensive for the bike. Those do not pay medical bills.
Not asking for the other driver's limits early. Knowing the ceiling tells you whether your UIM claim needs to start now.
Settling with the at-fault insurer without telling your own insurer. Read your UIM terms before signing any release with the other side.
Skipping the police report on a hit-and-run. Without a timely report and physical contact, an unknown-driver UM claim may fail (NRS 690B.020(3)(f)).
Letting the bike's damage be valued alone. Helmets, jackets and custom parts are property losses too. See how to get paid for a damaged motorcycle and gear.
Ignoring repayment claims. A settlement that does not account for hospital liens, Medicaid or health plan repayment can leave you with less than you expected.

What to do this week

Find your motorcycle policy's declarations page and write down your liability, UM, UIM and med pay limits.
Ask your insurer in writing whether any UM or UIM rejection form is on file, and request a copy.
Get the at-fault driver's insurer, policy number and claim number from the crash report or exchange of information.
Send your medical bills to med pay (if you have it) and to your health insurer, and keep a log of what each paid.
Photograph the bike, helmet and gear before any repair or disposal.
Read our older post on checking your insurance policy for adequate coverage for general tips on reading a policy.
Put the 2-year injury deadline and the 3-year property deadline on your calendar (NRS 11.190).

Frequently asked questions

Does Nevada require motorcycle riders to carry insurance?

Yes. The owner of a motor vehicle registered or required to be registered in Nevada must keep at least $25,000/$50,000/$20,000 in liability coverage (NRS 485.185). Mopeds are exempt from that section (NRS 485.185(2)).

Will my own motorcycle liability coverage pay my medical bills?

No. Liability coverage pays for harm you cause to others. Your own injuries are paid through med pay, UM or UIM coverage, health insurance, and the at-fault driver's liability policy.

Can I use my car insurance's UM coverage after a motorcycle crash?

It depends on that policy's wording, including how it defines the vehicles and people it covers. Ask for the full car policy, not just the declarations page, and compare the definitions; anti-stacking language must be clear and prominent to apply (NRS 687B.145(1)).

Does my UIM insurer get paid back if I win against the other driver?

For underinsured coverage, the insurer has no subrogation right against the underinsured driver (NRS 687B.145(4)). For uninsured coverage, the insurer is entitled to the proceeds of any recovery from the responsible person, to the extent it paid (NRS 690B.020(5)).

Is med pay worth having if I have health insurance?

That is a buying decision for your next renewal. Med pay pays crash-related medical expenses under your auto policy, and insurers must offer at least $1,000 of it (NRS 687B.145(3)). Depending on the policy terms, it can help with medical costs that health insurance does not pay.

What if the at-fault driver's insurer denies the claim?

You may still have claims on your own policy, and you can pursue the driver directly. Nevada regulations set deadlines for how insurers handle claims, explained in how long an insurer has to respond to a claim in Nevada.

If you were hurt on a motorcycle in Las Vegas and are not sure which policy pays, attorney Maysoun Fletcher can go through your coverage and the other driver's with you. Call 702-333-6339 for a free consultation, available 24/7.