Rideshare endorsements in California: what they are, what they cover and what to ask

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The short answer

A rideshare endorsement is an add-on to your personal auto policy that covers time you spend driving for Uber, Lyft or another rideshare app. You need to think about one because California law says your personal policy doesn't cover you, the car's owner or anyone else from the moment you log on until you log off or the passenger gets out, whichever is later, unless the policy expressly covers that time or has an endorsement with a separately stated premium (PUC §5434(b)). Insurers may sell one but don't have to (§5434(c)), and what each one covers varies, so get the details in writing.

The gap an endorsement fills

The rideshare company's insurance is mostly liability coverage: it pays other people when you cause a crash. Here's where that leaves you without an endorsement:

• App on, waiting for a request (Period 1). The rideshare company's coverage has lower limits ($50,000 per person, $100,000 per incident and $30,000 for property damage, plus $200,000 excess) under PUC §5433(c), and Uber and Lyft don't list any coverage for your own car in this period. Your personal policy can refuse to cover you too.
• Ride accepted through drop-off (Periods 2 and 3). The company carries $1,000,000 of liability coverage. Uber and Lyft say they cover damage to your car then only if you carry collision and comprehensive on your own policy, with a $2,500 deductible (company terms; see the Uber and Lyft $2,500 deductible).

The Department of Insurance warns that rideshare companies aren't required to carry medical payments, comprehensive or collision coverage, and that most personal auto policies exclude "livery," meaning driving for hire (CDI notice to drivers). That notice predates the 2026 law change that now requires uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage while a passenger is in the car (§5433(b)(2)); see rideshare insurance periods in California for the full period-by-period picture.

What endorsements have covered

When the Insurance Commissioner approved State Farm's endorsement in 2016, the Department described it as letting a driver's personal policy "fill in the insurance gaps left by TNC-provided coverage": liability coverage in Period 1, keeping optional coverages such as medical payments, comprehensive, collision, rental reimbursement and towing in force during Period 1, and the policy's other coverages during all periods of rideshare driving (CDI, Jan. 19, 2016).

The Department's chart of insurance products for rideshare drivers (CDI chart, updated June 6, 2018) listed products from Allstate, CSAA, Farmers, Kemper, Mercury, Met Direct, Metromile, State Farm and USAA. It showed real differences:

• Which periods. Most listed products covered Period 1 only; a few covered all three periods.
• Primary or excess. Some were primary (subject to an other-insurance clause). Others were excess only, paying nothing until the rideshare company's insurance paid out first.
• Deductible help. Some offered deductible assistance in Periods 2 and 3, paying the difference between the driver's own collision deductible and the rideshare company's $2,500 deductible.
• Price. Listed surcharges ranged from about 4% to about 38% of the premium for the vehicle.

That chart is several years old, so treat it as a picture of how products can differ, not as current prices or availability. Ask your insurer what it sells today.

Questions to ask your insurer

Ask for the answers in writing, or look for them on your declarations page and the endorsement form itself.

1. Which periods does it cover? App on and waiting (Period 1) only, or also after you accept a ride and while a passenger is aboard?
2. Is it primary or excess? Does it pay first, or only after the rideshare company's insurance?
3. Does my collision and comprehensive coverage stay in force while the app is on? Including rental reimbursement and towing, if you have them?
4. Will it help with the $2,500 deductible Uber or Lyft charges when they cover your car?
5. Does it cover delivery apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, Instacart or Amazon Flex, or only passenger rides?
6. What's the separately stated premium? California's rule ties coverage to the policy expressly covering app time or to an endorsement with its own premium (§5434(b)).
7. Does it cover every app I drive for? If you drive for more than one company, make sure each one is included.

Delivery drivers: check separately

California's rideshare insurance rules in PUC §§5431-5435 are written for transportation network companies that carry passengers. They don't set the rules for delivery-only apps. Uber says some personal insurers include delivery automatically and others sell an add-on (Uber delivery insurance). A rideshare endorsement may or may not extend to food or package delivery, so ask about delivery by name. For what each delivery app covers, see DoorDash car accidents, Uber Eats car accidents and Amazon Flex accident insurance.

If you didn't have one and your claim was denied

If your insurer refused a claim because you were on the app, see what to do when your insurance denies a claim because you were driving for an app. Don't try to hide app driving in a claim: knowingly giving false or misleading information about a material fact is a crime (Penal Code §550). If you have questions about an insurer's conduct, the Department of Insurance takes consumer calls at 1-800-927-4357 (CDI, Getting Help).

Related

• Rideshare insurance periods in California
• The Uber and Lyft $2,500 deductible
• Insurance denied because you were driving for an app
• Amazon Flex accident insurance

Published November 1, 2026 · Last reviewed November 1, 2026 · How we write and review guides