No terms match that.
Try a shorter word, or clear the state filter — many terms mean the same thing everywhere.
Actual Cash Value / ACV
Texas
The market value of your vehicle right before the accident. In Texas, this is based on the retail value from the NADA guide or an equivalent used-car pricing guide, such as Kelley Blue Book, as of the date of your accident.
Limits of this definition
Doesn't specify how insurers weigh comparable-vehicle adjustments (mileage, condition, prior damage) in practice.
Checked 2026-08-23
Florida
The cost to replace your vehicle right before the accident. Florida law lists several acceptable methods for calculating this, including using two or more comparable vehicle sales, a motor vehicle industry electronic database or guidebook, or two or more dealer quotations - and notes these methods can produce different results, making the process inherently somewhat subjective.
Limits of this definition
Doesn't quantify how often the allowed methods disagree in practice, or by how much.
Adjuster
An adjuster investigates and evaluates an insurance claim and may handle coverage, settlement, or payment decisions within their assigned role and authority. An adjuster assigned by an insurer works on that insurer's behalf - they are not your representative, and they are not the other side's representative either. You may deal with more than one on a single accident: your own insurer's adjuster, the platform's insurer's adjuster, and the other driver's.
Binder
Temporary proof that a policy exists while you wait for the actual documents. It is real coverage, not a placeholder promise.
Checked 2026-08-25
Bodily Injury (BI) and Property Damage (PD)
The two halves of liability coverage. Bodily injury covers physical harm to people; property damage covers damage to things, usually the other vehicle.
You will see limits written as three numbers separated by slashes, like 50/100/25. Read left to right: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident, then property damage. The numbers are in thousands. What your state actually requires is in your state's answers, not here - those figures change and this definition does not.
Checked 2026-08-25
Cancellation
The insurer or the policyholder ending a policy before its renewal date.
Checked 2026-08-25
Claimant
Claimant is the word insurers use for the person making a claim. You are a claimant against your own insurer, and you may also be one against somebody else's.
The distinction matters because some state rules protect anyone making a claim, not just the insurer's own customer. California's and New Jersey's rules about how long an insurer must keep paying storage fees are written that way - they cover you even if it is not your insurance company.
Checked 2026-08-25
Collision Coverage
Pays to repair your car when it hits another vehicle or object, or rolls over - regardless of who caused the accident, minus your deductible.
If the car is a write-off, it pays what the car was worth just before the crash rather than what it costs to replace.
Limits of this definition
Both states define this term identically, in line with standard industry usage.
Comprehensive Coverage
Pays for damage to your car from causes other than a collision - things like theft, vandalism, fire, flood, or hitting an animal.
Limits of this definition
Both states define this term identically, in line with standard industry usage.
Contingent Coverage
In the rideshare context, 'contingent' means Uber's or Lyft's coverage for damage to your own car only applies on top of, and only if, you already carry comprehensive and collision coverage on your personal policy. If you only carry liability on your personal policy, the rideshare platform's coverage that only applies on top of your own policy doesn't activate at all.
Limits of this definition
This entry defines the term. What it means for your state and platform is in the answers for those - including the deductible amount and when it applies.
Deactivation
Partly verified. What we confirmed is below. What we have not checked is in the notes.
Uber's published policy lists crash reports among reasons a driver can lose account access, and offers an appeal. We have not reviewed other platforms' policies.
Limits of this definition
This covers Uber's published policy only. We have not reviewed Lyft's, DoorDash's or Instacart's, and we have nothing on whether a claim affects your driver rating as opposed to your account.
Checked 2026-08-25
Declarations Page
The summary page at the front of your policy. It lists who is insured, the vehicle, the dates the policy runs, what coverages you carry, your limits, and your deductibles. When someone asks what coverage you have, this is the page they mean. If you carry liability only, this page is where that shows up - and it is the page that determines whether the platform's coverage that only applies on top of your own policy for your own car can apply at all.
Checked 2026-08-25
Deductible
The amount you must pay toward a covered loss before your insurance company pays anything. If your deductible is $500 and repairs cost $2,000, you pay the first $500 and your insurer covers the remaining $1,500.
Limits of this definition
General definition only - doesn't address the different deductible amounts that apply in specific coverage types (e.g. the $2,500 rideshare contingent-coverage deductible covered separately in the answer-unit sheet).
Depreciation
The reduction in an item's value from age, use, and wear. This is why a total-loss payout reflects what your car was worth the day before the accident rather than what you paid for it, and why repair estimates sometimes deduct value from older parts.
Checked 2026-08-25
Diminished Value
Florida
The idea that a repaired vehicle is worth less than an equivalent car that was never in an accident, even after quality repairs. Florida's own insurance regulator states plainly that Florida law does not address how to value this loss, though Florida courts have allowed it as a covered loss in claims against the other driver's insurer (third-party claims) - not against your own insurer for your own car (first-party claims). The driver has the burden of proving the loss exists and its amount.
Limits of this definition
This describes Florida only. Other states handle diminished value differently, and we have not confirmed how.
Endorsement (also called a Rider)
A written add-on to your policy that changes what it covers. Endorsements can expand coverage or limit it. The one that matters most to drivers is a rideshare endorsement, which some insurers sell to cover the gap when your app is on.
Checked 2026-08-25
First-Party vs Third-Party Claim
A first-party claim is against your own insurer. A third-party claim is against someone else's.
The difference decides which rules protect you, and it is not always obvious which one you are in - after a rideshare accident you may have both running at once.
Florida shows why it matters. Its regulator notes that you can claim for the value your car loses even after good repairs - but only against the other driver's insurer, not your own.
Gap Insurance
Guaranteed asset protection (GAP) is an optional separate product intended to cover some or all of the difference between the auto-loan balance and the insurance payment after a total loss or theft, subject to the individual contract. A standard auto-insurance settlement generally values the vehicle rather than automatically paying off the loan. If the loan exceeds the payment, the borrower may still owe the difference. GAP payment is not guaranteed and this does not establish that Uber or Lyft provides GAP.
Checked 2026-10-02
Lapse
Your policy ending because the premium was not paid. A lapse at the wrong moment matters more for drivers than for most people: platform coverage in some states is written to respond only after your own insurer does, so if your policy lapsed, that handoff can break. New Jersey addresses this directly by requiring the platform's coverage to pay from the first dollar if the driver's own coverage has lapsed.
Checked 2026-08-25
Liability Coverage
Pays for injuries and damage you cause to other people. It does not pay for your own car or your own injuries. This is the coverage the platforms provide most of - Uber's and Lyft's $1M during a ride is liability, not repair money for your vehicle.
Checked 2026-08-25
Liability Limits
Texas
Texas requires personal car policies to carry at least $30,000 for each injured person, $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage - written as 30/60/25.
Worth noticing: that is lower than what several states require of rideshare platforms while a driver is logged on waiting. Your personal minimums and what the platform must carry are separate numbers covering different moments.
Limits of this definition
We have not verified personal-auto minimum limits for the other 10 states in our set. Do not assume Texas's figures apply elsewhere.
Checked 2026-08-25
Loss
The amount an insurer pays on a claim. Also used loosely to mean the accident itself, as in 'the date of loss.'
Checked 2026-08-25
Medical Payments and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Partly verified. What we confirmed is below. What we have not checked is in the notes.
PIP and medical payments coverage work differently depending on your state. We have confirmed the general meaning but not each state's specific requirements.
Limits of this definition
Whether your state requires PIP, and in what amount, varies - we have confirmed the general meaning of these terms but not each state's specific rules.
Named Driver Exclusion
A provision that removes a specific person by name from your policy's coverage. If someone in your household is excluded and drives your car, there may be no coverage at all for that trip. Worth checking your declarations page for, because people are sometimes excluded during a policy change and forget.
Checked 2026-08-25
Non-renewal
An insurer deciding not to continue your policy when the term ends. Not the same as cancellation, which happens mid-term, and not the same as a denial, which is about a single claim.
Checked 2026-08-25
Period 1 (app on, waiting for a request)
You are logged in and available but have not accepted anything yet. The hardest period to be in after a crash: platform liability limits are lower than during a ride, whether that coverage is primary depends on your state, and your personal insurer may exclude you because you were working. Sometimes called the gap phase.
Periods 2 and 3 (en route to pickup, and passenger or order in vehicle)
From the moment you accept until the trip ends. Platform coverage is at its highest here - typically $1 million that pays first, without waiting on your own insurer. New Jersey and Minnesota require $1.5 million.
The switch from waiting to accepted happens the instant you tap accept, which is why the timestamp on your trip record can decide a whole claim.
Policy Period
The stretch of time your policy is active, from its effective date to its expiration date. Worth not confusing with the rideshare 'periods,' which describe what your app was doing - unrelated concepts that share a word.
Checked 2026-08-25
Prearranged Ride
The legal term for a trip you have accepted, covering both driving to the pickup and carrying the passenger.
State rideshare laws use this phrase to mark when the higher coverage amounts kick in. On this site we usually just call it an accepted ride.
Checked 2026-08-25
Premium
What you pay the insurer to keep the policy in force.
Checked 2026-08-25
Rental Reimbursement Coverage
Pays a set daily amount toward a rental car while yours is being repaired. Note the words 'set daily amount' - it is usually capped, and it usually applies only while repairs are actually happening, not during the days a claim is being investigated. For a driver whose car is their income, the cap is the part to check.
Checked 2026-08-25
Rideshare Endorsement
Partly verified. What we confirmed is below. What we have not checked is in the notes.
Some insurers sell an add-on that covers app-on driving. We have not checked which insurers offer it in your state or what it costs, so ask your own insurer.
Limits of this definition
We have not researched which specific insurers offer this in each state we cover, or what it costs. Ask your own insurer directly.
Storage
Florida
Florida requires an insurer to notify its insured before terminating payment of previously authorized storage charges and to provide 72 hours to remove the vehicle before payment ends. This does not require the insurer to initially authorize every storage charge, and it is not a nationwide deadline.
Limits of this definition
Doesn't specify a required delivery method (mail, email, etc.) or what counts as proof the notice was sent.
Texas
We found no state rule on this point. That is not the same as no rule applying. Your policy or other laws may still matter.
We did not identify a state rule setting a specific notice period. Your policy, claim circumstances, or other laws may still affect what notice is required.
Limits of this definition
This is a negative finding (absence of a rule), which is inherently harder to prove complete than confirming a rule exists. It's possible a storage-notice requirement exists elsewhere in Texas law (e.g. an individual TDI bulletin or a policy-form requirement) that wasn't surfaced in this search pass. Treat as reasonably well-supported, not airtight.
California
California requires your insurer to give you reasonable notice before it stops paying storage charges, so you have time to move the vehicle. Unlike Florida (72 hours) or Washington (5 days), California does not put a specific number of days in the rule - it says 'reasonable,' which gives you room to argue but less certainty. The rule covers third-party people making a claim too, not just the insurer's own policyholder.
Limits of this definition
'Reasonable' is undefined in the rule - no case law or CDI bulletin quantifying it was located in this pass.
North Carolina
Verified in part. One element has not been re-checked. See the notes.
North Carolina gives you one of the clearest rules: the insurer is responsible for all reasonable towing and storage charges until three days after both you AND the storage facility are notified in writing that it will stop reimbursing. Note the double-notice requirement - the tow yard has to be told too, not just you. This sits inside NC's total-loss rule, so it's tied to total-loss claims specifically.
Limits of this definition
The rule sits within the TOTAL LOSS rule (.0418) - whether the same 3-day protection applies to repairable/partial-loss claims was not confirmed in this pass.
Washington
Verified in part. One element has not been re-checked. See the notes.
Washington has the strongest protection found so far, in a rule titled specifically 'Denial of storage and towing costs.' Before stopping storage payment, the insurer must advise you by phone or in writing (and document it in the claim file), and must give you reasonable time to move the vehicle - with five calendar days explicitly deemed reasonable unless you agree to less. The rule also requires the insurer to pay all reasonable towing charges.
Limits of this definition
We have confirmed the five-day notice requirement and that the insurer must tell you by phone or in writing. There may be further detail in the rule we have not covered here.
New York
We found no state rule on this point. That is not the same as no rule applying. Your policy or other laws may still matter.
We did not identify a state rule setting a specific notice period. Your policy, claim circumstances, or other laws may still affect what notice is required.
Limits of this definition
Negative finding. Section 216.7 was read in full and Part 216's section list reviewed; a requirement could theoretically sit in a DFS circular letter not surfaced here.
Minnesota
We found no state rule on this point. That is not the same as no rule applying. Your policy or other laws may still matter.
We did not identify a state rule setting a specific notice period. Your policy, claim circumstances, or other laws may still affect what notice is required.
Limits of this definition
Negative finding. 72A.201 read in full; Minnesota Administrative Rules Chapter 2700 was NOT separately checked and could contain a provision.
New Jersey
New Jersey requires your insurer to give you notice three working days before it stops paying automobile storage charges, and to keep a copy of that notice in the claim file. The rule uses 'the person making a claim,' which covers third-party people making a claim, not just the insurer's own policyholder. Because it counts working days, weekends don't run out your clock the way they can under Florida's 72-hour rule.
Limits of this definition
Rule doesn't specify required delivery method for the notice.
Oregon
Oregon's insurance regulator (Division of Financial Regulation) advises that storage charges are typically covered until the insurer makes a settlement offer, after which the vehicle owner may become responsible for further storage. We checked Oregon's administrative rules (OAR 836-080-0205, -0235, -0240) and did not find this codified as a specific numbered rule - it is DFR guidance, not a legal mandate with a fixed day count like Florida's 72 hours or New Jersey's 3 working days.
Limits of this definition
This is confirmed as regulator guidance, not confirmed as a codified rule - we could not locate a specific OAR section making it a binding legal deadline.
Connecticut
Connecticut's Insurance Department advises that insurers usually give written notice of a cutoff date for storage payments in advance, after which the vehicle owner must pay or move the vehicle. This is informal Department of Insurance guidance (a consumer FAQ), not a numbered state regulation like Florida's or New Jersey's - so there's less certainty about exactly how much notice you're guaranteed.
Limits of this definition
This is confirmed as informal CID guidance, not confirmed as a codified regulation; no specific number of days is stated.
Checked 2026-10-03
Massachusetts
Massachusetts' official auto-claims guidance says the insurer pays storage charges until it makes a reasonable settlement offer. After that offer, continued storage can become the vehicle owner's responsibility. That is why it matters to move the car, or decide what to do with it, once a reasonable offer is on the table. This is not a fixed number of days.
Limits of this definition
What counts as a reasonable offer depends on the claim. We have not confirmed how disputes over the offer affect storage charges.
Checked 2026-10-03
Arizona
This is a tow-yard rule, not an insurer-payment deadline. Arizona requires a towing company to release a towed vehicle to the owner, or to the person the insurer designates, during normal business hours once the required release steps are completed and reasonable towing and storage fees are handled. It does not tell you how long an insurer will keep paying storage.
Limits of this definition
We have not confirmed an Arizona rule on how long an insurer must pay storage, or what notice it must give before it stops.
Checked 2026-10-03
Nevada
This is a storage-operator notice rule, not an insurer-payment deadline. In Nevada, when a vehicle is towed at the request of law enforcement after a crash, the storage operator generally must notify the registered and legal owner within 21 days. For other stored vehicles the period is generally 15 days. These notice periods do not tell you how long an insurer will pay storage.
Limits of this definition
We have not confirmed a Nevada rule on how long an insurer must pay storage, or what notice it must give before it stops.
Checked 2026-10-03
Illinois
Illinois requires an insurer to give reasonable notice before it stops paying storage charges, so the vehicle can be moved. The rule does not set a fixed number of days - the notice has to be reasonable.
Limits of this definition
We have not confirmed what counts as reasonable notice in a particular claim.
Subrogation
The legal right of your insurance company to go after the at-fault party's insurance company to get back money it already paid you for a claim. If your insurer pays for your damage and then recovers that amount from the other driver's insurer, that's subrogation - it doesn't cost you anything directly, but it explains why insurers sometimes wait to settle or reopen claims later.
Limits of this definition
General definition confirmed nationally consistent; the specific PIP-subrogation limitation is Texas-specific and hasn't been checked against Florida's equivalent PIP rules yet.
Surcharge
Partly verified. What we confirmed is below. What we have not checked is in the notes.
A surcharge means your premium goes up after a claim. Rules on when insurers may do this vary by state and we have not yet researched them.
Limits of this definition
Whether and how much an insurer may surcharge is regulated differently by state. We have not researched surcharge rules in any state we cover.
Checked 2026-08-25
Total Loss
Texas
Partly verified. What we confirmed is below. What we have not checked is in the notes.
Texas uses a total-loss formula based on repair cost plus salvage value compared against the vehicle's pre-accident value. We have not yet pinned the exact statutory citation, so treat the specific threshold as unconfirmed until we do.
Limits of this definition
The exact Occupations Code / Administrative Code section number for the 100% formula wasn't pinned to a single official statute page in this pass - secondary legal sources agree on the formula, but the primary citation should be confirmed before this goes live.
Checked 2026-08-23
Florida
In Florida, a vehicle is a total loss when the insurer decides to pay to replace it rather than repair it. Unlike Texas, Florida law does not specify any particular ratio of repair cost to vehicle value that triggers this - the decision is largely up to the insurer, with the total-loss title process itself governed by a separate statute.
Limits of this definition
Doesn't quantify what threshold insurers typically use in practice in Florida, only that state law doesn't mandate one.
Maryland
Maryland's Insurance Administration says a car is a total loss when the cost to repair it is 75% or more of its fair market value immediately before the loss. The insurer may add costs such as a rental vehicle and potential hidden damage to the repair cost when making that calculation. The MIA says the insurer generally has 10 days to offer a cash settlement, must include applicable taxes and registration fees, and must base the offer on the retail value of a substantially similar vehicle. You can ask in writing for the offer, how it was calculated, the deductions, and the inspection guidelines used.
Limits of this definition
The MIA page does not say here when the 10 days start, and we have not verified the underlying regulation.
Checked 2026-10-04
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's Insurance Department describes a total loss as a vehicle whose cost to return to its pre-damaged condition is more than its value, or that is damaged too severely to repair. We have not found a Pennsylvania rule setting a fixed repair-cost percentage for declaring a total loss.
Limits of this definition
Your policy terms and the insurer's own method still govern the decision. We have not searched Pennsylvania statutes and regulations for a percentage threshold.
Checked 2026-10-04
Virginia
Virginia's Bureau of Insurance says a car is considered a total loss when the repair cost approaches or exceeds its actual cash value. Virginia law defines actual cash value as the retail cash value of the vehicle before the damage, determined by the insurer using recognized evaluation sources. Virginia does not use a universal 75% total-loss threshold. In Virginia's title law, 75% appears only in specific salvage and rebuilt-title situations: a recovered stolen vehicle acquired by an insurer is a salvage vehicle if its estimated repair cost exceeds 75% of its actual cash value, and a late-model vehicle repaired after damage estimated at more than 75% of its actual cash value is a rebuilt vehicle. Ordinary salvage classification uses a different test: whether the estimated repair cost would exceed the vehicle's actual cash value less its salvage value.
Limits of this definition
Your policy terms and the insurer's own method still govern the decision. We have not verified how Virginia insurers must calculate a total-loss settlement.
Total Loss and Salvage Titles
Michigan
Michigan's 75% and 91% figures are title rules, not a rule for when a car must be totaled. When an insurance company acquires a vehicle by paying a claim, or pays a total-loss claim, Michigan law sets which title the car gets by comparing the estimated repair cost with its pre-damage actual cash value: from 75% up to but not including 91% means a salvage title; 91% or more means a scrap title. These thresholds do not decide when an insurer must declare your car a total loss or how it values it.
Limits of this definition
Michigan treats some older vehicles differently under the same section; we have not summarized those rules. We have not verified how Michigan insurers must value a total loss.
Checked 2026-10-04
Total Loss Settlement
Ohio
Ohio does not set a percentage at which a car must be totaled; its claim rule sets how a cash total-loss settlement is valued. The offer is based on the actual cost to buy a comparable car, less any deductible. The insurer may use the average cost of two or more comparable cars in your local market (or nearby areas if none are available), the average of quotes from two or more licensed dealers, or a generally recognized used-car database or guidebook. Adjustments must be documented, and the insurer must give you the valuation documentation if you ask. If you buy a replacement car within 30 days of the settlement, the insurer must reimburse the applicable sales tax, up to the tax on a car worth the settlement amount, once you substantiate the purchase.
Limits of this definition
We have not verified when an Ohio insurer must declare a car a total loss; we found no Ohio percentage threshold and do not state one. We have not summarized every condition in the rule.
Towing and Labor Coverage
Pays towing charges when your car cannot be driven, plus roadside labor like a tire change. This is separate from whether an insurer pays STORAGE once your car reaches a lot - different coverage, different rules, and the storage question is where states differ most.
Checked 2026-08-25
Transportation Network Company (TNC)
The legal term for a rideshare company like Uber or Lyft. If you are reading a law about your coverage, it will almost certainly say this rather than the company's name - which is worth knowing, because it is the word that makes the law findable.
These laws usually cover carrying passengers. Minnesota's, for instance, covers passenger trips but not food delivery.
Checked 2026-08-25
Underwriting
How an insurer decides whether to sell you a policy and what to charge. Relevant after an accident because a claim can trigger an underwriting review at renewal, which is a separate process from the claim itself.
Checked 2026-08-25
Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)
Uninsured motorist coverage responds when the driver who hit you has no insurance or fled the scene. Underinsured motorist coverage responds when they have insurance but not enough to cover what they owe you. The two are often sold together.
What this coverage pays for is not the same everywhere. In some states it covers injuries only; in others it extends to damage to your vehicle. Whether a platform provides it at all, during which periods, and how much, is set state by state - see your state's answers for what we have verified there.
Limits of this definition
Whether coverage for uninsured and underinsured drivers covers vehicle damage as well as injuries depends on your state and your policy. This entry defines the terms; the state answers carry what each state requires of platforms.
Checked 2026-08-25