There is no separate payout for a car totaled on a rideshare trip. If your car is declared a total loss on a covered trip, you are working through the same contingent comprehensive/collision coverage - and the same $2,500 deductible - that would apply to any other claim on your own car.
Whether your car even qualifies as a total loss, and what it was worth, are questions your state's rules and your insurer's methodology answer. Uber and Lyft don't decide either one.
First: do you have the coverage that pays for your own car at all?
Uber's and Lyft's coverage for damage to your own vehicle only exists on top of comprehensive and collision coverage you already carry on your personal policy. If you carry liability only, there is nothing for it to sit on top of - and a total loss on your own car goes unpaid by either policy.
That's true whether the damage is $500 or the car is a total loss. It's the single biggest gap on this topic, and it's worth confirming before anything else.
The $2,500 deductible still applies
If your car is declared a total loss on a covered trip, the same $2,500 deductible that applies to ordinary repairs applies here too. It comes out of whatever the payout turns out to be.
Who decides it's a total loss, and what the car was worth
Neither question is Uber's or Lyft's to answer. Both come down to your state's total-loss rules and your insurer's valuation method.
When is a car declared a total loss?
Some states set a specific repair-cost formula. Others leave more of it to the insurer.
What was it worth right before the crash?
Insurers use methods like comparable sales or pricing guides - different methods can land on different numbers.
We have researched the total-loss threshold and vehicle-valuation rules for Florida and Texas so far - see the glossary for what we found in each. If you drive somewhere else, check with your state's insurance regulator before assuming either state's rule applies to you.
Can I get my $2,500 deductible back? →How long does it take to get my deductible back after subrogation? →
Total-loss thresholds and vehicle-valuation rules are set by your state. Open your state and jump straight to what we have verified.
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