Uber and Lyft accidents · Insurance by state
Short answer: who pays after an Uber or Lyft crash depends on what the driver’s app was doing at that moment. App off: only the driver’s own insurance. App on, waiting for a request: usually $50,000 per person and $100,000 per crash. From the moment a ride is accepted until the passenger gets out: usually $1 million in liability coverage. That “$1 million” is not universal, though: Pennsylvania’s law requires $500,000, and Arizona $250,000 until the passenger is in the car. And coverage for crashes caused by uninsured drivers was cut sharply in California in 2026 and Georgia in 2023.
Rideshare drivers use their own cars, and their personal auto policies usually exclude driving for pay. State laws for “transportation network companies” fill that gap by requiring coverage that changes with the driver’s status in the app. Most pages on this topic repeat the companies’ marketing figure. This guide gives what the law in 14 states actually requires, linked to each statute. Last checked: October 17, 2026.
The three periods
App off. The driver is just a private driver. Only their own auto policy applies, and Uber or Lyft’s coverage does not.
App on, waiting for a request. The law usually requires $50,000 per person, $100,000 per crash and $25,000 to $30,000 for property damage. Most of the laws in the table make it primary coverage; Illinois allows it to be contingent, paying only if the driver’s own policy does not.
Ride accepted, driving to the pickup. Higher limits start at acceptance in most states, usually $1 million. Arizona requires $250,000 here.
Passenger in the car, until they get out. Usually $1 million, more in New York and New Jersey. In several states, uninsured motorist coverage required by the TNC law applies only in this period.
Which period applied decides which policy pays and how much. The company has that data. Ask for it early, in writing, and ask that it be preserved.
Required coverage by state
Minimums set by each state’s transportation network company law. The companies may buy more, and often do: Uber and Lyft say they carry at least $1 million during rides in most markets.
| State | App on, no ride (per person / per crash / property) | Ride accepted to drop-off | Uninsured / underinsured motorist | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $25k / $50k / $20k | $250,000 en route; $1M with passenger | Uninsured only: $25k / $75k | A.R.S. § 28-4038 |
| California | $50k / $100k / $30k, plus $200k excess | $1M | $60k / $300k, passenger in car only (since 2026) | Cal. Pub. Util. Code § 5433 |
| Colorado | $50k / $100k / $30k | $1M | $200k / $400k during ride | C.R.S. § 40-10.1-604 |
| Florida | $50k / $100k / $25k, plus PIP | $1M, plus PIP | General Florida rule (can be rejected in writing) | Fla. Stat. § 627.748 |
| Georgia | $50k / $100k / $50k | $1M | $100k / $300k / $25k (since 2023) | O.C.G.A. § 33-1-24 |
| Illinois | $50k / $100k / $25k | $1M | $50,000, passenger in car only | 625 ILCS 57/10 |
| Massachusetts | $50k / $100k / $30k, plus PIP | $1M, plus PIP | General Massachusetts rule | M.G.L. c. 175, § 228 |
| Nevada | $50k / $100k / $25k | $1M | Not required (optional) | NRS 690B.470 |
| New Jersey | $50k / $100k / $25k, plus PIP | $1.5M | $1.5M during ride | N.J.S.A. 39:5H-10 |
| New York (outside NYC) | $75k / $150k / $25k, plus no-fault | $1.25M | $1.25M during ride | N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law § 1693 |
| North Carolina | $50k / $100k / $25k | $1M | Required, general state amounts | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-280.4 |
| Pennsylvania | $50k / $100k / $25k, plus medical benefits | $500,000 statutory minimum, plus medical benefits | Not required by the TNC law | 66 Pa.C.S. § 2603.1 |
| Texas | $50k / $100k / $25k | $1M | General Texas rule (can be rejected in writing) | Tex. Ins. Code § 1954.052-.053 |
| Washington | $50k / $100k / $30k, plus PIP | $1M, plus PIP | Underinsured $100k / $300k with a passenger in the car; general state rule otherwise | RCW 46.72B.180 |
New York City is different. The state rules in the table do not apply in cities of one million or more. Uber and Lyft drivers in NYC are licensed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission and insured as for-hire vehicles, under the TLC’s own minimums. The no-fault (PIP) coverage those vehicles must carry dropped from $200,000 to $100,000 per person on March 1, 2026.
If an uninsured driver hit the rideshare car
Many crashes involving a rideshare car are caused by someone else. If that driver has no insurance or too little, passengers look to uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage. This is where the law has changed most:
- California (2026). A 2025 law (SB 371) cut the required UM/UIM coverage to $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident, and only while the passenger is in the car. Many pages still say $1 million.
- Georgia (2023). HB 529 replaced the $1 million UM/UIM requirement with $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage, for claims arising on or after July 1, 2023. Uber’s own insurance page says it supported the bill.
- Not required by the TNC law in Pennsylvania and Nevada, and required only through the general state UM rules in Texas, Florida and Massachusetts. North Carolina requires it in both periods, at the general state amounts.
- Higher in a few states: $1.5 million in New Jersey, $1.25 million in New York outside NYC, $200,000 per person in Colorado.
Your own auto policy may also have UM/UIM coverage that applies when you ride as a passenger. Check it: it can add to what the rideshare coverage pays.
Passenger, other driver, pedestrian: who claims against whom
| You were | The rideshare driver caused it | Another driver caused it |
|---|---|---|
| A passenger | The TNC’s liability policy (period 3 limits) | The other driver’s insurer; then UM/UIM if they are uninsured or underinsured |
| Another driver | The TNC’s policy for the period the app was in, or the driver’s own policy if the app was off | Not a rideshare claim |
| A pedestrian or cyclist | Same as another driver; in no-fault states, also PIP rules | The other driver’s insurer |
| The rideshare driver | Not the TNC’s liability policy. Medical or PIP benefits the TNC law requires (for example New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Washington) and any rideshare coverage you bought; your personal policy may exclude time on the app | The other driver’s insurer; UM/UIM where the law or the company provides it |
Fault rules still decide how much each person recovers. See comparative negligence by state. In no-fault states, your own personal injury protection (PIP) pays first for medical costs.
What to do after a rideshare crash
- Screenshot the trip in your app: driver, car, time, route. It proves you were a passenger in period 3.
- Report the crash in the app and to the police.
- Get the other driver’s insurance details, if another car was involved.
- Get medical care and keep records, as after any crash. The after-a-crash checklist covers the rest.
- Talk to a lawyer before giving recorded statements if you were hurt. Several insurers and the period question make these claims harder than a normal crash. See do you need a lawyer?
Questions
Can I sue Uber or Lyft directly?
Usually the claim runs against the insurance the company is required to carry. Whether the company itself can be held liable beyond that coverage depends on the state’s law and the facts, and it is one of the questions to ask a lawyer.
Does the $1 million always apply?
No. It applies only from acceptance of a ride, it is the limit for all claims from the crash combined, and some states require less (see the table). The companies may carry more than the legal minimum.
What if the driver was off the app?
Then only the driver’s own insurance applies, and their personal policy may exclude rideshare activity if they were actually working. The app data settles this.
Is the deadline to sue different?
For a claim against the at-fault driver, the usual deadline applies (see the statute of limitations by state). Claims under uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage can have their own notice and lawsuit deadlines in the policy, so ask for the policy early.
- State transportation network company statutes, linked in the table.
- Uber, Insurance for rideshare drivers, and Lyft, Driver insurance, both read October 17, 2026.
- NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission, personal injury insurance coverage rule.
Related guides
- What to do after a car accident.
- Truck accident liability: another case with commercial insurance.
- How long a settlement takes.
General information, not legal advice. Insurance minimums change, and the policy actually in force may be higher. Ask a licensed attorney in your state about your case.