How to Read Your Car Insurance Declarations Page in Nevada

Your car insurance declarations page is one of the quickest ways to understand what coverage you actually purchased.

An insurance card can show that you have an active policy. Your declarations page goes much further. It typically identifies the vehicles and drivers on the policy and lists your coverages, limits, deductibles and policy dates.

That information can become especially important after a car accident, when the question is no longer simply whether you have insurance—but which coverage may apply.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ consumer auto insurance guide recommends reviewing the declarations page when you receive your policy to make sure you purchased the coverage you intended.

Here’s what Nevada drivers should know.

What Is a Car Insurance Declarations Page?

A car insurance declarations page, sometimes called a “dec page,” is a summary of the key information in your auto insurance policy.

Depending on the insurer, it may show:

• Named insureds and listed drivers
• Covered vehicles
• Policy number
• Policy effective and expiration dates
• Types of coverage purchased
• Coverage limits
• Deductibles
• Premium information
• Lienholder information, when applicable

Think of it as the policy’s summary page, not the entire insurance contract.

That distinction matters. Your declarations page can help you identify the coverage you purchased, but the full policy contains definitions, exclusions, conditions and endorsements that may determine whether coverage applies to a particular claim.

Why Isn’t Your Insurance Card Enough?

Your insurance card and your declarations page serve different purposes.

Nevada drivers are required to carry evidence of liability insurance, and the Nevada DMV explains that proof can be carried on paper or electronically.

But an insurance card generally isn’t designed to tell you everything your policy covers.

After an accident, your car insurance declarations page can help answer more useful questions:

• Do I have collision coverage?

• Did I purchase uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage?

• Do I have Medical Payments coverage?

• What are my liability limits?

• What deductible applies to my vehicle?

That is why simply saying you have “full coverage” does not tell you enough about what insurance may be available after a crash. The actual policy and the coverages listed on your declarations page matter much more.

What Coverages Should You Look for on a Car Insurance Declarations Page?

Coverage names can vary somewhat between insurers, but Nevada drivers may see several common categories.

Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability

Liability coverage generally applies when an insured driver is legally responsible for injuries or property damage caused to someone else.

Nevada law currently requires registered vehicles to maintain at least:

• $25,000 for bodily injury or death of one person
• $50,000 for bodily injury or death of two or more people in one crash
• $20,000 for damage to someone else’s property

These are often shortened to 25/50/20.

Those numbers are minimum requirements, not a description of every coverage available under an auto policy.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage

UM/UIM coverage can become important when a driver who causes an accident has no applicable liability insurance or does not have enough insurance to cover the bodily-injury loss.

Nevada insurers must offer qualifying customers uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, although drivers are not necessarily required to purchase it.

If you’re trying to determine whether you bought UM/UIM coverage, your declarations page is a logical place to start.

This becomes particularly important if you’re hit by an uninsured driver in Nevada. Do not assume the other driver’s lack of insurance means you either definitely have—or definitely do not have—another source of coverage. Your own policy needs to be reviewed.

Medical Payments Coverage

Medical Payments coverage, commonly called MedPay, can help pay certain medical expenses resulting from a covered auto accident without regard to fault.

Nevada law requires insurers transacting qualifying motor vehicle insurance to offer at least $1,000 in medical-expense coverage, but the insured does not have to purchase it.

If MedPay appears on your declarations page, look at the limit shown next to it.

Collision Coverage

Collision coverage generally addresses physical damage to your own vehicle resulting from a collision, subject to the policy terms and deductible.

Unlike liability insurance, Nevada does not require drivers to purchase collision coverage. The Nevada Division of Insurance’s auto insurance guide identifies collision as optional physical-damage protection.

That distinction can matter after a crash with an uninsured driver or a hit-and-run driver, because coverage for bodily injury and coverage for damage to your vehicle are not necessarily the same thing.

Comprehensive Coverage

Comprehensive coverage generally addresses certain types of physical damage that are not caused by a collision, such as theft, fire, flood, falling objects or vandalism.

Like collision, comprehensive coverage is separate from Nevada’s mandatory liability insurance.

What Do the Limits on Your Declarations Page Mean?

A coverage limit generally identifies the maximum amount of coverage available under that portion of the policy, subject to the policy’s terms.

Liability limits are often displayed as a series of numbers.

For example, Nevada’s minimum 25/50/20 liability limits correspond to:

• $25,000 bodily injury limit for one person
• $50,000 bodily injury limit for two or more people in one crash
• $20,000 property damage limit

If your car insurance declarations page shows higher numbers, you may have purchased liability limits above Nevada’s minimum requirements.

Other coverages may be displayed differently, which is why you should not assume every number on the page works the same way.

What Is a Deductible?

A deductible is an amount you are responsible for paying before certain insurance coverage pays toward a covered loss.

The Nevada Division of Insurance explains that deductibles generally apply to collision and comprehensive coverage.

For example, if your declarations page lists collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible, that does not mean your collision limit is $1,000. It identifies the deductible associated with that coverage.

Limits and deductibles are different concepts, so check which number you’re looking at before drawing conclusions about your policy.

Does a Declarations Page Tell You Everything Your Insurance Covers?

No.

A car insurance declarations page is a summary. It is not a substitute for reading the policy.

The declarations page can tell you that a particular coverage appears on the policy and show its stated limit or deductible. The full insurance contract may contain definitions, exclusions, endorsements and conditions that affect whether coverage applies to a particular accident.

After a serious crash, determining available insurance may also involve more than one policy.

The at-fault driver’s liability insurance, your own auto policy, policies covering other involved vehicles, commercial insurance or other sources may need to be investigated depending on what happened.

That is one reason speaking with a qualified personal injury attorney can be useful when injuries are significant or insurance coverage becomes complicated. An attorney can review the circumstances of the accident and investigate which policies may apply rather than relying solely on an insurance card or one page of policy information.

When Should You Review Your Car Insurance Declarations Page?

You do not need to wait until after an accident.

Reviewing your declarations page when you buy or renew a policy can help you understand what you’re paying for before you ever need to make a claim.

It’s especially worth reviewing when:

• You purchase or remove a vehicle
• You add or remove a driver
• Your policy renews
• You change coverage
• You change insurers
• You’re involved in an accident

If something on the declarations page does not match what you believe you purchased, contact your insurer or insurance agent for clarification.

What Should You Look for After a Nevada Car Accident?

After an accident, start by confirming which policies and coverages may be relevant rather than assuming an insurance card tells the whole story.

Your declarations page can help identify your own coverage, but the accident itself still needs to be evaluated.

If you’re able, preserve photographs, witness information, insurance information and other evidence from the crash. Our guide on what to do after a car accident in Las Vegas explains the immediate steps in more detail.

When injuries are involved, questions about fault, policy limits, UM/UIM coverage, medical bills and multiple insurance policies can become difficult to sort through on your own.

Hale Injury Law helps injured people in Las Vegas, Henderson and throughout Nevada understand their options after a collision. If you’re unsure which insurance may apply after an accident, our team can review the circumstances and help you understand the next steps.

Every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This information is for general educational purposes and is not legal advice.

Frequently Asked Questions