Coverage
Coverage by period
Partly verified.What we confirmed is below. What we have not checked is named in the notes.
We have verified Portland's requirements from the city's own code. We have not confirmed what applies elsewhere in Oregon, or what covers you while logged on and waiting - so we are not going to guess at either.
Limits of this answer
What we have not checked: We have not confirmed what applies outside Portland, or what covers you while you are logged on but have not accepted a ride. If you drive in Oregon outside Portland, we cannot tell you your requirements yet.
What could change: Oregon's regulatory approach may have changed; re-check for a statewide statute.
Coverage by period
Partly verified.What we confirmed is below. What we have not checked is named in the notes.
DoorDash covers you once you have accepted an order, through delivery. While you are online waiting, DoorDash says your own insurance is primary. DoorDash does not publish a coverage amount for the states we cover, so we are not showing one.
Limits of this answer
What we have not checked: DoorDash publishes figures for Boston, North Dakota, Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia. None of the states we cover is among them, and the general section gives no amount. A widely repeated $1,000,000 figure comes from DoorDash's marketing page rather than the state-specific terms.
What could change: Platform policy - can change without any law changing.
Damage to your car
DoorDash's insurance does not cover damage to your own vehicle. DoorDash's own page says those damages are your responsibility and should go to your own insurer, subject to what your policy covers.
This is different from Uber and Lyft, which do offer something for your own car - though only if you already carry comprehensive and collision, and with a $2,500 deductible.
DoorDash also warns on the same page that a personal policy may not cover you while you are delivering. So this is not a case where the platform declines and your own insurer picks it up. Whether you are covered depends on your policy.
Limits of this answer
What we have not checked: Whether your own policy covers delivery driving depends on your policy. Ask your insurer about delivery specifically - not just rideshare.
What could change: Platform policy - can change without any law changing.
Coverage by period
Partly verified.What we confirmed is below. What we have not checked is named in the notes.
Uber describes Uber Eats coverage on the same page as rideshare, but says the amounts vary by state. We have verified the New York exclusion and have not yet verified the other states we cover.
Limits of this answer
What we have not checked: Uber states that coverages and limits vary by state. We have verified the New York delivery exclusion and have not verified how this applies in the other ten states we cover.
What could change: Platform policy - can change without any law changing.
Coverage by period
Partly verified.What we confirmed is below. What we have not checked is named in the notes.
Instacart says shoppers are responsible for their own auto liability insurance, and it accepts auto claims. What coverage Instacart itself provides, when it applies, and whether it protects you are unverified - so we are not showing figures.
Limits of this answer
What we have not checked: We could not confirm any coverage amount, what triggers Instacart's coverage, its terms, or whether it protects you rather than Instacart. Different accounts of this contradict each other and none of them come from Instacart, so we are not showing figures.
What could change: Platform policy - can change without any law changing.
Coverage by period
Partly verified.What we confirmed is below. What we have not checked is named in the notes.
Amazon provides free commercial car insurance to delivery partners in every state except New York, covering harm to others, uninsured drivers, and damage to your own car. Amazon does not publish the amounts or the deductible, so we are not showing any.
Limits of this answer
What we have not checked: Amazon names the kinds of coverage but publishes no dollar limits, no deductible, and no insurer. A $1,000,000 liability figure, a $50,000 vehicle-damage figure, a $1,000 deductible and a named carrier all circulate without support from anything Amazon publishes.
What could change: Platform policy - can change without any law changing.
Coverage by period
Partly verified.What we confirmed is below. What we have not checked is named in the notes.
Amazon says its coverage applies only while you are 'actively delivering during the delivery block.' Amazon does not define what that includes, so we cannot tell you whether the drive to the station or the time between stops is covered.
Limits of this answer
What we have not checked: Amazon does not define the phrase. Whether it begins at block start, station check-in, first package scan, or departure is unknown, as is whether it ends at last delivery, block end, or return of undelivered packages.
What could change: Platform policy - can change without any law changing.
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 answer
What we have not checked: Both states define this term identically, in line with standard industry usage.
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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 answer
What we have not checked: Both states define this term identically, in line with standard industry usage.
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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 answer
What we have not checked: 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.
What could change: Low near-term risk.
Rideshare Endorsement
Partly verified.What we confirmed is below. What we have not checked is named 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 answer
What we have not checked: We have not researched which specific insurers offer this in each of the 11 states, or what it costs. Ask your own insurer directly.
What could change: Insurer product offerings change frequently.
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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 answer
What we have not checked: 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.
What could change: Low near-term risk.
Medical Payments and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Partly verified.What we confirmed is below. What we have not checked is named 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 answer
What we have not checked: 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.
What could change: Low near-term risk.
Personal policy exclusions
Personal policy exclusions
This catches more drivers than anything else on this site.
The platforms' coverage for damage to your own car sits on top of your personal policy. It only exists if you already carry comprehensive and collision yourself. If you carry liability only, there is nothing to sit on top of - the platform's coverage never starts.
Separately, most personal policies exclude driving with the app on at all. Some insurers sell an add-on that covers it, and it has to be bought before a loss.
Limits of this answer
What we have not checked: Whether your own policy excludes app-on driving depends on your policy. Several states write that permission directly into law.
What could change: Platform policy - can change without any law changing.
Personal policy exclusions
Verified in part.One element of this answer has not been re-checked. See the notes.
If you bought a rideshare add-on for your personal policy, do not assume it covers delivery.
DoorDash warns on its own site that such an add-on may not provide complete coverage while you deliver. Its example: the add-on might cover damage to your vehicle before you accept an order, but not during an active delivery.
When you call your insurer, ask about delivery specifically. Asking about rideshare may get you an answer that does not apply.
Limits of this answer
What we have not checked: Whether DoorDash's coverage sits before or after your own policy is not stated for the states we cover, and we have not resolved it.
What could change: Platform policy - can change without any law changing.
Personal policy exclusions
Worth knowing before it matters rather than after.
Amazon's FAQ says that if anyone other than the Amazon Flex delivery partner is driving when an accident occurs, the claim for any losses will be denied.
If you are renting or borrowing a car to deliver, Amazon says you need to make sure you have the required coverage yourself.
Limits of this answer
What we have not checked: Amazon does not say what happens if a second registered delivery partner is driving, or how it verifies who was driving. It also does not say whether your own policy would respond in that situation.
What could change: Platform policy - can change without any law changing.
Claim process
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 answer
What we have not checked: 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.
What could change: Definition is stable; state-specific subrogation limitations can change by statute.
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
Surcharge
Partly verified.What we confirmed is below. What we have not checked is named 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 answer
What we have not checked: 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.
What could change: Low near-term risk.
Loss
The amount an insurer pays on a claim. Also used loosely to mean the accident itself, as in 'the date of loss.'
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
Your policy
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
Binder
Temporary proof that a policy exists while you wait for the actual documents. It is real coverage, not a placeholder promise.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
Premium
What you pay the insurer to keep the policy in force.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
Cancellation
The insurer or the policyholder ending a policy before its renewal date.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
Rideshare basics
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
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.
Limits of this answer
What could change: Low near-term risk.
Deactivation
Partly verified.What we confirmed is below. What we have not checked is named 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 answer
What we have not checked: 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.
What could change: Platform policy - can change without notice.