Uber and Lyft accidents in California: whose insurance applies

A crash involving an Uber or Lyft car can involve more insurance than an ordinary crash: the driver’s own policy and the policy the rideshare company carries. Which one applies, and how much it covers, depends on what the driver was doing in the app at the moment of the crash.

Why app status matters

Rideshare companies describe their coverage in stages. Broadly, these are:

• the app is off, and the driver is driving for themselves;
• the app is on and the driver is waiting for a ride request;
• the driver has accepted a request and is on the way, or has a passenger in the car.

Coverage is different in each stage. Uber and Lyft describe their insurance on their own websites (Uber, Lyft), and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) regulates these companies in California. We do not quote coverage amounts here: they are set by law and by each company’s policy, and they can change. Read the current terms, or ask a lawyer.

What to write down

• Whether you were a passenger, another driver, a cyclist or a pedestrian.
• A screenshot of the trip in your app, if you were the passenger: driver name, car, plate and time.
• Whether the driver said they were on a trip, waiting for one, or off the app.
• The driver’s personal insurance details, as well as the rideshare company’s name.
• Everything in the car accident records list: photos, witnesses, report number, medical records.

Report the crash in the app as well. The company’s records of the trip may matter later, and they are easier to ask for early.

Deadlines and questions

Deadlines apply to claims and lawsuits, and more than one insurer can be involved. Ask a lawyer which apply to you. Ask too how the fee works when more than one insurer is involved, and get the answer in the written agreement.

251 firms in the directory list rideshare accident cases (as of November 5, 2026).