AAA offers rideshare coverage in the form of an endorsement that can be added to your personal car insurance policy. But it’s only available in certain states, so check with your AAA agent to determine whether it’s available where you live.
Starting work for a rideshare company without the proper insurance could leave you uninsured at key points while you’re driving, which is a major financial and legal risk.
Seeking out rideshare coverage from AAA or another car insurance provider can offer essential financial protection.
Failure to inform your insurance carrier you’re driving for a rideshare company—including rate hikes or even cancellation of your coverage.
Driving for rideshare companies like Uber or Lyft can serve as a convenient side hustle or a full-time gig—but to make sure it’s actually profitable rather than costing you, you’ll want to make sure your
Yes, AAA offers rideshare insurance in some states as an optional endorsement that drivers can add to their existing personal car insurance policy.
An important distinction to make, however, is that this coverage is only for rideshare services—it won’t extend to services like DoorDash or UberEats. You’ll also want to make sure the rideshare company you want to drive for satisfies AAA’s definition of a transportation network company (TNC).
What to do if you have AAA car insurance and drive for a rideshare company
Before accepting your first ride, ensure you’ve added a rideshare endorsement to your AAA car insurance policy.
If you were to proceed without the necessary coverage, you’d have a coverage gap for the time you’re using your rideshare app—which would be problematic if you got into an accident and needed to file a claim. Plus, in some cases, working for a rideshare company without informing your provider could get your policy canceled.
It’s worth noting that Uber and Lyft’s commercial auto insurance policies do include up to $1 million in
of their own, but you’ll be subject to high deductibles before their coverage kicks in—$1,000 for Uber and $2,500 for Lyft.
Relying on this coverage alone is a risky approach. For example, if you’re in an accident while working for Uber or Lyft but don’t have a passenger in your car, you are uncovered by both the rideshare’s commercial insurance and your own personal car insurance policy.
Fortunately, where it’s available, AAA’s rideshare endorsement will apply to both the “waiting period” while you have the rideshare app active and are waiting on ride requests and while you’re transporting passengers.
If you live in a state where AAA doesn’t offer rideshare insurance, you’ll want to find another provider that does before you start offering rides.
Like AAA, each of these options will involve adding a rideshare endorsement to the personal car insurance policy you already have (or are about to have if you’re switching to a new provider).
Different providers will offer varying options regarding coverage limits and rates. However, as a general rule, you can expect your rideshare coverage to extend liability coverage, as well as options for
from your existing policy to cover you between when your personal policy stops and your rideshare company's policy kicks in.
Since you're adding covera ge to your policy, you can also expect the cost of your insurance to go up. Depending on various factors, the additional cost could range from $20 to $300 annually.
As you can see, that’s a pretty wide range—which is why it’s a good idea to shop around for quotes that include rideshare coverage from multiple providers so you can compare your options.
In addition to cost, be sure to talk to an insurance agent about what their rideshare coverage does and doesn’t offer as well, and make note of any exclusions mentioned in your policy details.
Should I tell my car insurance company that I drive for Uber?
Yes—you should absolutely let your car insurance provider know if you plan to drive for Uber or another rideshare company.
You might avoid doing so if you’re afraid of a more expensive premium—but the consequences of keeping your insurance provider in the dark could be a lot more costly.
Spending so much time on the road means you’re statistically more likely to be involved in an accident—which is part of the reason driving for a rideshare company will increase your car insurance rate. And if your car insurance provider can’t cover your claim because you didn’t have the right insurance in place, you could be on the hook for your own for expenses after an accident, which could put you in a financially disastrous situation if you can’t cover the costs.
Another risk here is that if you don’t inform your insurance provider you’re working for a rideshare company and they find out on their own, it’s possible they could drop your coverage altogether—and driving uninsured can come with its own consequences, like steep fines and even jail time.
Long story short: before driving for a rideshare company, find out your coverage options with your current provider. Then, shop around with other providers offering rideshare insurance coverage to find the right amount for your situation at the best available price.
And finally, make sure your rideshare coverage is active and ready to go before you pick up your first passenger!
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