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Rideshare (Uber/Lyft) Accident: Who Pays?

A rideshare crash adds a question ordinary crashes don’t: which of several insurance policies applies? The answer turns on exactly what the app was doing at the moment of impact.

Plain-English answers to the questions crash victims actually ask.

The three insurance periods

App off. The driver is a private motorist — only their personal auto policy applies.
App on, waiting for a request. Uber and Lyft provide contingent liability coverage — commonly around $50,000 per person / $100,000 per crash / $25,000 property — generally on top of the driver's personal policy.
Ride accepted or passenger aboard. The company's $1,000,000 third-party liability policy applies, plus uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage once a passenger is in the car.

If you were the passenger

You're the cleanest claimant — you can't be at fault. The $1M policy covers you whether your driver or another driver caused the crash. Screenshot the trip in the app (it proves the period), report the crash in-app, get the police report, and get evaluated within 72 hours.

If a rideshare vehicle hit you

Your claim runs against whichever period applied — a fact the company can confirm and you usually can't. Don't rely on the driver's word about app status; the police report and a records request settle it.

If you drive for Uber or Lyft

Your injuries during an active ride fall under the rideshare policy's UM/UIM and any med-pay. Between rides you may be in the contingent gap that many personal policies exclude. These claims layer fast — this is the scenario where a free consultation tends to pay for itself.

First step as an injured passenger: screenshot the active trip before you do anything else. It's the single most useful piece of proof for which policy pays.

Sources & further reading

Just crashed? Start with What To Do After a Car Accident, or find local guidance on your city page.