Rideshare insurance follows the driver's digital status

The app creates the coverage timeline. A few seconds can move a crash from one statutory insurance layer into another.

App off Ordinary personal-auto analysis. The special TNC statutory period has not started.

App on — waiting Driver is available for a request but has not yet accepted one.

Ride accepted Driver has accepted a passenger request and may be traveling toward pickup.

Passenger onboard Passenger has entered the vehicle and the ride is underway.

Do not rely only on the driver's memory of app status. Obtain platform records showing the precise login, request, acceptance, pickup, trip-completion and logoff times.

California rideshare insurance matrix — current September 2026 law

Driver status	Mandatory TNC liability	Mandatory TNC UM/UIM	Personal auto
App off	TNC statutory insurance not triggered merely by driver status.	TNC statutory UM/UIM not triggered.	Analyze ordinary personal policy.
App on / no request accepted	Primary 50/100/30 plus at least $200,000 excess per occurrence.	No separate statutory TNC UM/UIM requirement under §5433(b)(2).	No coverage unless policy expressly provides TNC coverage.
Ride request accepted / en route to passenger	$1,000,000 primary TNC liability.	Passenger-period statutory UM/UIM has not yet begun if passenger has not entered vehicle.	No coverage unless expressly written or endorsed for TNC activity.
Passenger in vehicle	$1,000,000 primary TNC liability.	Current 2026 minimum: $60,000 per person / $300,000 per incident, primary over other applicable UM/UIM.	No coverage unless expressly written or endorsed for TNC activity.
Ride completed but transaction not yet completed	$1,000,000 can continue until the transaction is completed on the platform or the ride is complete, whichever occurs later.	Statutory passenger UM/UIM ends when passenger exits.	TNC-use restrictions continue while driver remains logged on.
Transaction completed / app still on awaiting another request	Returns to the 50/100/30 primary plus $200,000 excess waiting-period structure.	No passenger-period statutory UM/UIM.	No coverage unless expressly provided for TNC use.

App on but waiting: California requires 50/100/30 plus a $200,000 excess layer

Public Utilities Code §5433(c) governs the period beginning when the driver logs onto the TNC platform and ending when the driver accepts a passenger request.

Per person

$50,000

Minimum primary coverage for death or personal injury to one person.

Per incident

$100,000

Minimum primary death/personal-injury coverage per incident.

Property damage

$30,000

Minimum primary property-damage coverage during the waiting period.

There is another layer. Section 5433(c)(2) also requires at least $200,000 per occurrence in excess coverage for qualifying liability above the 50/100/30 primary limits.

This is not California's ordinary personal-auto minimum structure. The TNC waiting-period limits come directly from §5433.

The $1 million liability period begins when the ride request is accepted

The passenger does not need to be inside the car before California's $1 million TNC liability requirement begins.

Under §5433(b), the statutory period begins the moment the participating driver accepts a ride request through the TNC application or platform.

Pickup phase

Driver accepts request

The $1 million primary liability requirement begins even while the driver is still traveling toward the passenger.

Trip phase

Passenger transported

The same $1 million primary liability requirement continues through the passenger ride.

The statutory endpoint is also precise. The period continues until the driver completes the transaction on the platform or the ride is complete, whichever occurs later.

Passenger UM/UIM protection begins only when the passenger enters the vehicle

Section 5433(b)(2) uses a narrower period for mandatory TNC uninsured- and underinsured-motorist coverage than for the $1 million liability coverage.

Before passenger entry

Driver en route to pickup

$1 million TNC liability is already required, but the statutory passenger-period UM/UIM provision has not yet begun.

Passenger enters

UM/UIM period begins

Mandatory TNC UM/UIM protection applies from passenger entry until the passenger exits.

Current limit: $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident for passenger-period TNC UM/UIM under current §5433(b)(2).

Priority: the statutory TNC UM/UIM coverage is primary over other applicable uninsured- or underinsured-motorist coverage and is solely the obligation of the TNC.

Important 2026 change: California no longer requires $1 million of TNC passenger UM/UIM

This is a source-control issue because many older California rideshare materials still state the former rule.

Crash date	Mandatory passenger-period TNC UM/UIM rule
Before Jan. 1, 2026	Earlier §5433 required $1 million in passenger-period UM/UIM. Analyze the statute and policy in effect on the actual loss date.
Jan. 1, 2026 and later	SB 371 amended §5433(b)(2) to $60,000 per person / $300,000 per incident.

Do not use an old Uber/Lyft insurance chart for a 2026 crash. Some currently accessible regulatory and industry materials still show the former $1 million UM/UIM requirement.

The $1 million liability requirement did not disappear. Section 5433(b)(1) continues to require $1 million of primary TNC liability coverage after acceptance of a ride request.

The ordinary personal automobile policy is not the statutory fallback while the app is on

Public Utilities Code §5434 expressly addresses the relationship between personal automobile insurance and TNC activity.

California's default TNC rule: from log-on until log-off or passenger exit, whichever is later, the driver's or vehicle owner's personal automobile policy does not provide coverage and has no duty to defend or indemnify unless the policy expressly provides TNC coverage.

Ordinary personal policy

Do not assume it covers rideshare activity merely because the same vehicle is insured for ordinary personal use.

Rideshare endorsement

A personal carrier can expressly offer an endorsement or policy providing TNC protection. Obtain the actual form and effective date.

No personal-carrier denial prerequisite. Section 5433(d) says TNC insurance cannot require the personal carrier to deny first, and the personal carrier need not issue a denial before the statutory TNC coverage responds.

The TNC must warn its drivers about the personal-insurance gap

Public Utilities Code §5432 requires specific written disclosures as part of the TNC's agreement with its participating drivers.

TNC liability disclosure

The company must disclose the insurance coverage and liability limits it provides while the vehicle is used in connection with the platform.

Personal-liability warning

The company must advise the driver that the ordinary personal policy will not provide coverage because the vehicle is being used in connection with TNC activity.

Collision warning

The company must disclose that the driver's personal policy will not provide ordinary collision protection during the statutory TNC period unless separately written to do so.

Comprehensive warning

The same disclosure requirement addresses ordinary personal comprehensive coverage while the driver remains logged into the platform.

$1 million of liability insurance does not mean the rideshare driver's own car has $1 million of protection

Liability, collision, comprehensive, MedPay and UM/UIM are different coverages.

Coverage	Primary purpose	Automatic under TNC statute?
Liability	Qualifying bodily injury and property damage claims made against the driver/TNC.	Yes, at the statutory limits applicable to the TNC period.
Collision	Physical damage to the driver's own vehicle caused by collision.	Not created merely by the statutory liability requirement.
Comprehensive	Other covered physical loss to the driver's own automobile.	Not created merely by the statutory liability requirement.
MedPay	Specified medical expenses without regard to fault.	Not part of the basic §5433 liability mandate.
UM/UIM	Injury caused by a qualifying uninsured or underinsured motorist.	Statutorily mandated at 60/300 only during the passenger period under current 2026 law.

For the rideshare driver, inspect both TNC and personal-policy physical-damage terms. Platform insurance may condition collision or comprehensive protection on the driver carrying corresponding personal coverage or may impose a separate deductible. Those terms are contractual and must be obtained.

The app log is part of the insurance file

Public Utilities Code §5435 recognizes that accurate platform timing is essential to coverage investigations.

Timestamp 1

Login

When did the driver's TNC session begin?

Timestamp 2

Request accepted

This can move the claim from the waiting-period limits to the $1 million liability period.

Timestamp 3

Passenger enters

This starts the statutory passenger-period UM/UIM coverage.

Timestamp 4

Passenger exits

This ends the mandatory passenger-period UM/UIM coverage.

Timestamp 5

Transaction completed

Compare this with actual ride completion to determine when the $1 million liability period ends.

Timestamp 6

Logoff

Determines when the TNC session and personal-policy statutory exclusion period ends.

Section 5435 requires cooperation. A TNC or its insurer must cooperate with insurers involved in the coverage investigation, including providing accident timing and precise login/logout data.

The TNC cannot leave a statutory hole because a driver's special policy disappeared

California allows statutory TNC requirements to be satisfied in some circumstances by specially written insurance maintained by the driver.

§5433(e) backstop: if driver-maintained TNC insurance used to satisfy the statute lapses or ceases to exist, the TNC must supply the required coverage from the first dollar of the claim.

This is another reason a claimant should not stop after receiving a denial or cancellation notice concerning the driver's individual TNC endorsement.

The statutory insurance limit does not necessarily cap the TNC's own liability

Public Utilities Code §5433(f) expressly states that the TNC insurance article does not limit TNC liability in a damages action involving a participating driver to the amount of insurance required by the statute.

$1 million of required insurance is not the same thing as a $1 million damages cap. Whether the TNC itself has liability beyond insurance requires an independent legal basis and factual analysis.

Keep these questions separate:

Required insurance

What coverage must exist because California's TNC statute requires it?

Underlying liability

Who is legally liable for the crash, and on what theory?

Identify who owns the rideshare vehicle

Section 5431's definition of a qualifying personal vehicle includes vehicles owned, leased, rented for no more than 30 days, or otherwise authorized for use by the participating driver, subject to the other statutory requirements.

Driver-owned vehicle

Obtain the driver's title/registration, personal policy, TNC policy and rideshare endorsement.

Vehicle owned by someone else

Obtain the owner's policy too, but remember §5434's personal-policy restriction while the vehicle is in TNC use.

Short-term rental

Review the rental agreement, driver authorization and whether the particular rental permits TNC use.

Fleet arrangement

Determine whether additional commercial, rental, leasing or fleet insurance exists beyond the statutory TNC policy.

A rideshare passenger should identify both the liability path and the UM/UIM path

Which coverage matters depends on who caused the crash.

Rideshare driver at fault

Liability claim

The $1 million statutory TNC liability layer is the central insurance source during an accepted ride.

Another driver at fault

Third-party liability first

Identify the negligent driver's liability insurance before evaluating any underinsured-motorist claim.

At-fault driver uninsured

TNC UM

Current passenger-period TNC UM coverage is 60/300 under §5433(b)(2).

At-fault driver underinsured

TNC UIM

Apply current §5433 and California UM/UIM rules, including the statutory TNC priority provision.

Also identify the passenger's own UM/UIM policies. Section 5433 makes the mandatory TNC passenger-period UM/UIM primary, but other applicable coverage still should be identified before determining the complete recovery structure.

The rideshare driver's own injuries require a separate coverage audit

The statutory passenger-period UM/UIM mandate is written around the period beginning when the passenger enters the vehicle.

Do not assume the driver has the same first-party benefits as the passenger. Determine the exact statutory period, TNC policy language, driver-specific endorsements, personal policy and any occupational-accident or other benefits.

Investigate

TNC liability policy
TNC UM/UIM policy
driver rideshare endorsement
driver personal UM/UIM
collision coverage
comprehensive coverage
MedPay if any
health insurance
occupational-accident coverage if any
other platform-provided benefits

Not every gig-economy driver is operating as a transportation network company driver

California's TNC definition concerns prearranged passenger transportation for compensation through an online-enabled application or platform.

Passenger rideshare

Uber/Lyft-type passenger transportation ordinarily calls for the TNC statutory analysis when the company and trip fall within the definition.

Food delivery

Do not automatically apply §§5431–5435. Investigate the platform's actual commercial insurance and the driver's personal endorsement.

Package delivery

Employer, contractor, commercial-auto and delivery-use policy issues can govern instead.

Peer-to-peer vehicle sharing

Separate California insurance statutes govern qualifying personal vehicle sharing programs. Do not confuse them with passenger TNC law.

Citizen workflow after a California rideshare crash

Identify the platform. Confirm the legal TNC entity rather than relying only on the app brand.

Identify the driver and vehicle owner. Obtain driver's license, registration and vehicle ownership information.

Record the exact crash time. Preserve the most precise timestamp available from 911, photographs, vehicle systems, phones and police records.

Determine whether the driver was logged into the TNC platform. This separates ordinary personal use from statutory TNC use.

Determine whether a ride request had been accepted. This is the critical transition to the $1 million liability period.

Determine whether a passenger had entered. This identifies whether current statutory 60/300 TNC UM/UIM was active.

Determine whether the passenger had exited. This is the statutory endpoint for passenger-period UM/UIM.

Determine when the platform transaction was completed. Compare actual ride completion with electronic transaction completion.

Determine when the driver logged off. If the app remained on after the ride, the waiting-period TNC structure may have resumed.

Obtain the TNC insurance certificate and complete applicable policy. Do not rely solely on an app help page or marketing summary.

Obtain the driver's personal auto policy and any rideshare endorsement. Section 5434 makes the endorsement question critical.

Obtain the vehicle owner's policy if the driver is not the owner. Preserve it even though statutory TNC exclusions may affect coverage.

Invoke the §5435 coverage-information process. Request the precise login/logoff and relevant transaction timestamps.

Separate liability, UM/UIM and vehicle-damage coverage. Each protects a different risk and can have a different limit.

Use the law in effect on the crash date. For 2026 crashes, do not use the former $1 million passenger UM/UIM requirement.

Build a phase-by-phase coverage chart. Match each second of the ride status to the controlling statutory insurance provision and policy.

Documents and electronic records to preserve

TNC driver's full name
driver's license
vehicle registration
vehicle ownership records
personal auto declarations
complete personal auto policy
rideshare endorsement
TNC insurance certificate
complete TNC liability policy
TNC UM/UIM policy or endorsement
platform driver agreement
§5432 insurance disclosures
login timestamp
ride-request timestamp
ride-acceptance timestamp
pickup timestamp
passenger-entry evidence
trip route
GPS data
trip receipt
passenger-exit time
ride-completion timestamp
transaction-completion timestamp
logoff timestamp
driver app screenshots
passenger app screenshots
TNC incident report
claim acknowledgment
coverage-position correspondence
driver physical-damage coverage
collision deductible information
occupational-accident policy if any
police crash report
911/CAD timestamps
photos and video
vehicle telematics if available

Common mistakes

“Uber or Lyft always has $1 million coverage.”

Too broad. $1 million liability applies after acceptance of a ride request. The app-on waiting period has a different statutory structure.

“The passenger has $1 million of UM/UIM.”

Not for a 2026 California loss under current §5433. The current mandatory passenger-period amount is 60/300.

“The $1 million begins when the passenger gets into the car.”

Incorrect. The $1 million liability period begins when the driver accepts the ride request.

“TNC UM/UIM begins when the ride is accepted.”

Not under current §5433(b)(2). Mandatory passenger-period UM/UIM begins when the passenger enters.

“The driver's personal policy must deny the claim before TNC insurance applies.”

No. Section 5433(d) expressly rejects that requirement.

“The driver's ordinary personal insurance automatically covers rideshare driving.”

No. Section 5434 generally removes ordinary personal coverage during TNC activity unless coverage is expressly written or endorsed.

“$1 million liability means the driver's damaged car is fully insured.”

No. Third-party liability and first-party collision/comprehensive protection are different coverages.

“The driver said the app was off, so the personal policy controls.”

Obtain platform data. Section 5435 makes precise login and logoff information part of the coverage investigation.

“A food-delivery crash is automatically governed by the TNC statute.”

No. The TNC statute addresses passenger transportation. Delivery platform insurance requires its own analysis.

“The required insurance limit caps what the TNC can ever owe.”

No. Section 5433(f) expressly states that the statutory insurance requirement does not limit otherwise established TNC liability.

California authority map

Primary Law · Public Utilities Code §5431 TNC, participating driver, personal vehicle and TNC insurance definitions

Defines California transportation network companies and the qualifying drivers, vehicles and insurance regulated by Article 7.

Primary Law · Public Utilities Code §5432 Mandatory insurance disclosures to TNC drivers

Requires written disclosure of TNC insurance limits and warnings that ordinary personal liability, collision and comprehensive coverage do not apply to TNC use unless separately provided.

Primary Law · Public Utilities Code §5433(b)(1) $1 million accepted-ride liability coverage

Requires $1 million in primary TNC liability insurance from ride- request acceptance until platform transaction completion or ride completion, whichever occurs later.

Primary Law · Public Utilities Code §5433(b)(2) Current 2026 TNC passenger UM/UIM

Requires $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident in UM/UIM from passenger entry until passenger exit. The coverage is primary over other applicable UM/UIM and solely the obligation of the TNC.

Primary Law · Public Utilities Code §5433(c) App-on waiting-period insurance

Requires primary 50/100/30 TNC coverage plus at least $200,000 per occurrence in excess protection while the driver is logged on but has not accepted a ride request, and after completion while still logged on.

Primary Law · Public Utilities Code §5433(d) No personal-insurer denial prerequisite

Prohibits making TNC insurance dependent on a prior denial by the personal automobile insurer.

Primary Law · Public Utilities Code §5433(e) TNC first-dollar backstop

Requires the TNC to provide statutory insurance from the first dollar when driver-maintained TNC insurance used to satisfy the statute has lapsed or ceased to exist.

Primary Law · Public Utilities Code §5433(f) Insurance requirement is not a liability cap

Expressly provides that the statutory insurance article does not restrict otherwise established TNC liability above the required insurance.

Primary Law · Public Utilities Code §5434 Personal automobile insurance during TNC use

Provides that personal auto coverage and defense/indemnity duties do not apply while the driver is engaged in the statutory TNC period unless that coverage is expressly provided by the policy or endorsement.

Primary Law · Public Utilities Code §5435 Coverage-investigation cooperation

Requires TNCs and their insurers to cooperate with involved insurers and exchange information including accident time and precise driver login and logoff data.

2025 Legislation · SB 371 · Effective Jan. 1, 2026 Current passenger UM/UIM amendment

Amended §5433 to replace the former $1 million passenger-period UM/UIM mandate with the current $60,000-per-person / $300,000-per-incident requirement.

California Public Utilities Commission TNC regulation and permitting

CPUC regulates transportation network companies operating in California, including permitting, insurance filings, safety requirements and reporting obligations.

2026 source-control warning: some current public-facing CPUC material still describes the former $1 million passenger UM/UIM requirement. Current statutory text controls. Public Utilities Code §5433 was amended by SB 371 effective January 1, 2026 and now requires 60/300 passenger-period UM/UIM.

Frequently asked questions

How much liability insurance does a California rideshare driver have while waiting for a request?

Current §5433 requires at least 50/100/30 in primary TNC liability coverage plus at least $200,000 per occurrence in excess protection during the app-on waiting period.

When does the $1 million rideshare liability policy begin?

When the participating driver accepts the ride request through the TNC's application or platform—not when the passenger enters the vehicle.

How long does the $1 million coverage continue?

Until the driver completes the transaction on the platform or the ride is complete, whichever occurs later.

Does a California rideshare passenger still have $1 million of UM/UIM in 2026?

No. Public Utilities Code §5433 was amended effective January 1, 2026. Current mandatory passenger-period TNC UM/UIM is $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident.

When does the TNC UM/UIM coverage begin?

Current §5433(b)(2) starts the mandatory TNC passenger UM/UIM coverage when the passenger enters the participating driver's vehicle.

When does that UM/UIM coverage end?

When the passenger exits the vehicle.

Is TNC UM/UIM primary over my own UM/UIM?

The statutory passenger-period TNC UM/UIM required by §5433(b)(2) is expressly primary over other applicable UM/UIM coverage and is solely the TNC's obligation.

Does the rideshare driver's ordinary personal insurance cover the crash?

Ordinarily not during the statutory TNC period. Section 5434 provides that personal coverage does not apply unless the personal policy expressly supplies TNC coverage or contains an applicable endorsement.

Must the driver's personal insurer deny first?

No. Section 5433(d) specifically provides that TNC coverage cannot be conditioned on the personal automobile insurer first denying the claim.

What if the driver's special rideshare insurance lapsed?

If driver-maintained TNC insurance was being used to satisfy §5433 and it lapsed or ceased to exist, the TNC must provide the required statutory insurance from the first dollar of the claim.

Does the $1 million policy cover damage to the rideshare driver's own car?

Not merely because the statutory liability policy exists. Collision and comprehensive coverage are separate. Obtain the TNC physical-damage terms and the driver's personal rideshare endorsement.

How do I prove whether the driver had accepted a ride?

Obtain TNC platform records. Section 5435 expressly requires cooperation in coverage investigations and exchange of important timing information, including precise login and logoff data.

Does it matter whether the driver was going to pick up the passenger?

Yes. Once the request has been accepted, the $1 million primary liability requirement applies even though the passenger has not yet entered the car.

Does the TNC's required insurance limit how much the company can ever be liable for?

No. Section 5433(f) expressly provides that the statutory insurance requirement does not cap otherwise established liability of the TNC.

Are food-delivery drivers covered by the same California TNC statute?

Not automatically. California's TNC statute concerns prearranged passenger transportation. Delivery-platform insurance should be investigated separately under the platform contract, policy and other applicable California law.

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In a rideshare crash, reconstruct the app timeline before deciding the insurance.

Fix the crash time. Determine whether the app was on. Identify the precise request-acceptance time. Determine when the passenger entered and exited. Identify when the ride and platform transaction ended and when the driver logged off. Then obtain the TNC policy, personal policy, rideshare endorsement and electronic platform records. The correct coverage follows from the timeline.

Public legal education only. VictimsGuide.com does not provide individualized legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Rideshare coverage depends on the crash date, exact application status, ride-request acceptance, passenger status, platform records, actual TNC and personal insurance policies, endorsements, liability facts and California law in effect on the date of loss. Verify the current statute and complete operative policies before legal reliance.