Rideshare insurance in California at a glance
- From the moment you log on to the Uber or Lyft app, your personal auto policy covers nothing unless it expressly says so or carries a rideshare endorsement (Public Utilities Code section 5434). In Period 1 (app on, waiting for a request) the law requires only $50,000 / $100,000 / $30,000 of primary liability plus $200,000 of platform excess; from the moment you accept a ride, $1,000,000 (section 5433).
- A rideshare endorsement on your personal policy closes that Period 1 gap and covers your own car with your deductibles, not the platform's.
- Without the endorsement, a crash with the app on can be denied by your personal carrier — leaving you to pay for it yourself.
- The endorsement is priced by each company under its own filed rates and can be added to an existing policy or quoted with a new one; it can often be bound the same day.
- California requires the personal policy to carry at least 30/60/15 liability; the platform's higher limits apply only in their periods.
- Not every California carrier offers the endorsement — Auto World compares the ones that do and explains what each period covers before you buy.
Coverage limits above are the minimums in Public Utilities Code sections 5433 and 5434; what a platform or an insurance company adds on top is set by its own policy. Auto World Insurance Services, CA Insurance Broker License #6005606.
The Problem: Your Personal Insurance Won't Cover Rideshare
When you signed up to drive for Uber or Lyft, you agreed to their terms — but you may not have realized what that means for your insurance. Standard personal auto insurance policies contain exclusions for commercial or for-hire use. The moment you flip on the rideshare app, you cross into a grey zone your personal policy doesn't cover.
If you get into an accident while logged into the app, your personal insurer can legally deny your claim. That means you could be personally responsible for the other driver's medical bills, your vehicle repairs, and any legal costs — even if you've been paying for insurance faithfully for years.
Understanding the Three TNC Coverage Periods
Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) like Uber and Lyft provide different levels of insurance coverage depending on which phase of the trip you're in. Here's how it breaks down:
Period 0 — App Off
TNC Coverage: Your personal auto insurance applies fully. This is the only time your personal policy protects you.
Risk Level: No rideshare-related risk.
Period 1 — App On, Awaiting Match
TNC Coverage: California requires at least $50,000 per person / $100,000 per incident for injuries and $30,000 for property damage, primary, plus $200,000 of excess the platform keeps (PUC 5433(c)). It pays other people — nothing for your own car.
Risk Level: THE COVERAGE GAP. Your personal policy covers nothing with the app on unless it says so or has an endorsement (PUC 5434).
Period 2 — Ride Accepted, En Route to Pickup
TNC Coverage: From the moment you accept a ride, California requires $1,000,000 of primary liability (PUC 5433(b)). Any coverage for damage to your own car comes from the platform's own policy, on its terms and deductibles — check them.
Risk Level: Better covered for liability; your own car depends on the platform's physical-damage terms or your endorsement.
Period 3 — Passenger in Vehicle
TNC Coverage: $1,000,000 of primary liability continues, and the platform must provide uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage of $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident while the passenger is in the car, primary over any other UM (PUC 5433(b)).
Risk Level: Highest level of TNC coverage.
The Solution: Rideshare Endorsement or Hybrid Policy
A rideshare endorsement is an add-on to your personal auto policy that extends your coverage to include Period 1 — the gap that Uber and Lyft barely cover. This is typically the most affordable way for rideshare drivers to be properly insured.
Rideshare EndorsementRecommended
Added to your existing personal policy for a separately stated premium (PUC 5434). Fills the Period 1 gap; what else it covers is set by each company.
Hybrid Rideshare Policy
A single policy designed for rideshare drivers that combines personal and commercial coverage seamlessly. Some carriers offer this as a standalone product.
Commercial Auto Policy
Full commercial coverage. Higher premiums. Typically not necessary for individual Uber/Lyft drivers unless you operate a vehicle commercially full-time or own multiple vehicles.
Personal Policy Only (No Endorsement)
NOT recommended for any rideshare driver. Leaves you completely exposed during Period 1 and potentially during Periods 2 and 3 as well.
California AB 2293: What the Law Requires
Public Utilities Code section 5433 (first enacted by AB 2293 in 2014, last amended effective January 1, 2026) sets the minimum insurance for every app-based ride service:
- •Period 1 (app on, no ride accepted): at least $50,000 per person / $100,000 per incident for injuries and $30,000 property damage, primary, plus $200,000 of excess the platform keeps
- •Periods 2 & 3 (from accepting a ride until it is complete): $1,000,000 primary liability
- •The platform must provide uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage of $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident from the moment a passenger enters until they exit. Its coverage cannot depend on your personal policy denying a claim first, and if your own rideshare insurance has lapsed the platform pays from the first dollar.
These are minimums. For full protection, a rideshare endorsement that covers your vehicle damage in Period 1 is strongly recommended.
Why 50/100/30 — and Not Just 30/60/15?
California raised its personal auto minimum to 30/60/15 on January 1, 2025 (Senate Bill 1107). That's the floor for a regular private driver — but rideshare drivers face a separate, higher floor the moment the app turns on.
Personal auto (no rideshare)
30/60/15
CA Insurance Code, post-SB 1107
Rideshare Period 1
50/100/30
CA AB 2293 — higher because it's commercial
If you carry only 30/60/15 and switch on your rideshare app, you are under-insured by state standards the second a ride request hits your phone. A rideshare endorsement or hybrid policy is how you cover that gap legally.
Common Mistakes We See
❌ "My personal policy covers me."
California law settles it: from the moment you log on to the app until you log off or the passenger exits, your personal policy covers nothing — not you, not the other driver — unless it expressly provides that coverage or carries an endorsement for it (Public Utilities Code section 5434). Adding a rideshare endorsement is how you get it.
❌ "Uber/Lyft insurance covers everything."
The $1,000,000 applies only from the moment you accept a ride. In Period 1 the required limits are far lower, they pay other people rather than your own car, and nothing in the law requires the platform to repair your car in any period — that comes from the platform’s own policy terms or your endorsement.
❌ "I'll just buy a commercial policy."
For a part-time driver, a commercial policy is usually more than the job needs, and how it treats personal driving is set by that policy’s own terms. An endorsement on your personal policy is often the better fit unless you drive full-time or run several vehicles — we quote both when it is close.