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
The person at the insurance company who investigates your claim and decides what it pays. They are not your representative and they are not the other side's representative either - they work for whichever insurer assigned them. 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.
Checked 2026-08-25
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
Pays the difference between what your car is worth and what you still owe on the loan. Matters when a financed car is totaled and the payout comes in under the loan balance, leaving you paying for a car you no longer have. Some gap policies also cover the deductible.
Checked 2026-08-25
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.
Checked 2026-08-25
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, the coverage is often contingent rather than primary, 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 of the 11 states, or what it costs. Ask your own insurer directly.
Storage
Florida
The practitioner shorthand for a real Florida requirement: before your insurer stops paying vehicle storage charges it previously authorized, it must give you notice and a 72-hour window to remove the vehicle before payments end. Florida law doesn't use the word 'letter' or 'cutoff' - it just requires the notice and the 72-hour window directly.
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.
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 of our 11 states.
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.
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