On the Wisconsin Property & Casualty exam, the Personal Automobile Policy appears both as a standard ISO-style contract and as a set of Wisconsin auto statutes you must apply. This standalone guide reviews the policy's coverage parts, then drills into the Wisconsin overlay: the 25/50/10 financial-responsibility minimums, the at-fault (tort) system with modified comparative negligence, the mandatory uninsured-motorist rule, and cancellation/nonrenewal notice. The Wisconsin-specific material is where most state credit is earned.

Policy structure (the national base)

The Personal Auto Policy (PAP) is a packaged contract organized into lettered parts:

• Part A — Liability: pays bodily injury (BI) and property damage (PD) the insured is legally liable for; the insurer provides a defense, and defense costs are paid in addition to the limit.
• Part B — Medical Payments: pays medical/funeral costs for occupants regardless of fault.
• Part C — Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists: pays the insured's injuries when the at-fault party is uninsured or underinsured.
• Part D — Coverage for Damage to Your Auto: Collision and Other Than Collision (Comprehensive), each with a deductible, settled at Actual Cash Value (ACV).
• Part E — Duties After an Accident or Loss and Part F — General Provisions.

Limits may be written as split limits (e.g., 100/300/50) or as a Combined Single Limit (CSL). Insureds include the named insured, resident spouse, resident relatives, and permissive users. Eligible vehicles are private passenger autos, pickups, and vans not used mainly for business. That framework is national; Wisconsin governs the limits and the liability environment around it.

Wisconsin uses a tort (at-fault) liability system

Wisconsin is an at-fault / tort state, not a no-fault state. The driver who causes a crash is financially responsible, and the injured party collects from that driver's liability coverage or by filing suit. This is why liability coverage and financial responsibility dominate Wisconsin auto law.

Wisconsin applies modified comparative negligence, commonly described as the 51% bar rule. The point to remember: a claimant whose own fault exceeds 50% is barred from recovering anything. If the claimant's fault is 50% or less, they may recover, but the award is reduced by their own percentage of fault. (Contrast this with pure comparative states, where even a 90%-at-fault claimant recovers a sliver.) Watch the wording: under the 51% bar, being exactly 50% at fault still allows a (reduced) recovery, while 51% or more does not—verify the current statute.

Financial responsibility: 25/50/10

Every Wisconsin driver must show financial responsibility, usually by carrying liability insurance at or above the minimum split limits commonly cited as 25/50/10:

• $25,000 bodily injury per person
• $50,000 bodily injury per accident
• $10,000 property damage per accident

Shorthand: "25/50/10." Treat these as the commonly cited figures and verify the current statutory amounts. They are statutory floors; producers routinely recommend higher limits. Driving without the required coverage exposes the owner to penalties, and a bond or deposit can satisfy financial responsibility, but liability insurance is the standard method.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist rules

This is a heavily tested Wisconsin area:

• Uninsured Motorist (UM) bodily injury coverage is generally MANDATORY on Wisconsin auto policies, at limits at least equal to the 25/50 BI minimums. UM also responds to hit-and-run drivers.
• Underinsured Motorist (UIM) must generally be offered; Wisconsin's treatment of UIM has changed over the years, so verify whether it is currently required or simply offered and at what limits.
• UIM pays the gap between the at-fault driver's lower BI limits and the insured's UIM limit.
• The other driver must be legally at fault for UM/UIM to respond.

Memorize the headline: in Wisconsin, UM is mandatory (not merely optional), and UIM is at least offered—confirm the current rule before relying on a specific limit.

Optional and physical-damage coverages

• Medical Payments (Med Pay) is optional and pays medical/funeral costs regardless of fault. Wisconsin does not mandate PIP/no-fault.
• Collision and Comprehensive (Other Than Collision) are optional but typically required by a lender. Hitting an animal (deer collisions are common in Wisconsin) is Comprehensive, not Collision.

Cancellation and nonrenewal

Wisconsin regulates how an insurer may end a personal auto policy, and requires advance written notice within statutory time frames. The timelines are commonly cited as:

• Mid-term cancellation generally requires advance written notice (often around 10 days for nonpayment of premium, with a longer window for other reasons)—verify the exact figures.
• Once a policy has been in force a set period (commonly 60 days), cancellation is limited to specific reasons such as nonpayment, license suspension/revocation, or fraud/material misrepresentation.
• Nonrenewal at the end of the term generally requires advance written notice so the insured can find replacement coverage.

Keep the shorter nonpayment-cancellation notice distinct from the longer ordinary cancellation / nonrenewal notice.

Required vs. optional coverages

Key Wisconsin numbers to memorize

Common exam traps

• Wisconsin is at-fault (tort), not no-fault. There is no mandatory PIP.
• 25/50/10—the $10k is property damage; don't slide it into a BI slot, and note the PD figure differs from many other states.
• UM is mandatory in Wisconsin, not just "offered."
• The 51% bar wording. A claimant more than 50% at fault recovers nothing; exactly 50% can still recover a reduced amount—verify.
• UIM fills the gap up to your UIM limit minus the other driver's BI payment; it is not a separate full payout.
• Hitting a deer is Comprehensive, not Collision (a common Wisconsin example).
• Liability defense costs are paid on top of the limit (national rule that still applies in Wisconsin).

Quick recap

• The PAP's Parts A–F structure is national; Wisconsin sets the limits and legal framework.
• Wisconsin is a tort/at-fault state using modified comparative negligence—the 51% bar means a claimant more than 50% at fault recovers nothing.
• Minimum liability is commonly cited as 25/50/10 (verify).
• Uninsured Motorist BI is mandatory (at least 25/50), and Underinsured Motorist is at least offered.
• Wisconsin has no mandatory no-fault/PIP; Med Pay and physical damage are optional.
• Cancellation requires advance written notice, with a shorter window for nonpayment—verify the exact days.