Does my car insurance cover Uber, DoorDash or delivery driving?
A personal policy generally excludes driving for pay. Where the app's coverage starts and stops, and the endorsement that closes the gap.
- A personal car insurance policy generally excludes carrying people or goods for a fee, so it does not cover you while you are working for an app.
- The app's own coverage is thinnest while you are logged on and waiting for a request, when Texas requires only 50,000 dollars per person for injuries and 25,000 dollars for property damage.
- A rideshare endorsement is the add-on that extends your own policy into that waiting period, and delivery driving has to be asked about by name.
Usually not. A personal auto policy, the kind you buy for your own driving, excludes carrying passengers or goods for a fee. If you drive for a rideshare or delivery app and have not told your insurance company, you have a hole in your coverage during the exact hours you are on the road.
The three rideshare coverage periods
App driving is split into three periods. Which period you are in decides whose coverage applies.
- App off. You are not working, and your personal policy applies the normal way.
- App on, waiting for a request. The app usually provides limited liability only, which pays for injury or damage you cause to other people. There is no coverage for your own vehicle.
- On the way to a pickup, or carrying a passenger or an order. The app usually provides higher liability. For rideshare it may also pay for damage to your car, after a deductible, the amount you pay yourself first, that is usually far higher than the one on your personal policy.
Period one is where most drivers are exposed. The app's coverage is thin there, and your personal policy excludes the work.
What Texas requires the app to carry
Texas sets the floor in Chapter 1954 of the Insurance Code. While you are logged on and waiting for a request, coverage must be at least 50,000 dollars per person and 100,000 dollars per incident for injuries, and 25,000 dollars for property damage.
From the moment you accept a ride until the passenger gets out, the required limit rises to 1,000,000 dollars per incident.
The law lets the company, the driver, or both together provide it. That is why your own rideshare endorsement matters during the waiting period. Delivery apps are not covered by that chapter, so their coverage is whatever the app chooses to offer.
The fix
A rideshare endorsement, an add-on written onto your personal policy. Many insurance companies in Texas offer one. It extends your own coverage into the waiting period and coordinates with the app's coverage.
It does add to your premium, the amount you pay for the policy, and we can quote that for you. See how to keep the total premium down.
Food delivery is not the same as rideshare
Some companies write the rideshare endorsement but leave out delivery of goods. Others cover both. If you deliver for a food or package app, ask about that by name. A yes for Uber does not mean a yes for DoorDash.
What happens if you do not disclose it
A claim, your request for the company to pay, can be denied during a delivery because the activity was excluded. That can leave you with your own repair, the other driver's damage, and possibly a cancelled policy.
Companies do look. Dash camera video, app records and the other driver's statement all come up while a claim is reviewed.
If you drive commercially in a real way
If the driving is a business rather than side income, a commercial auto policy may be the right structure. The line is usually how much of the vehicle's use is business, and whether the vehicle is titled to a business.
Tell us and we will price it
Tell us which apps you drive for and when you are logged on, and we will look for a company that covers that exact work. Call our McAllen office at (956) 687 3334, or enter your ZIP code in the form on this page. Se habla español.
Common follow-up questions
Does the app's insurance cover my car?
Sometimes, during an active trip, and usually with a deductible far higher than the one on your own policy. Between trips there is generally no coverage for damage to your car at all.
Will adding the endorsement raise my rate a lot?
It does add to what you pay. How much depends on your record, your car and the company, so we have to quote it. Weigh that against paying for a crash yourself with nothing behind you.
What if I only drive occasionally?
The exclusion applies no matter how often you drive. One trip is enough, if that is the trip where a crash happens.
Need a quote?
Enter your ZIP code to get started. Ten questions, about two minutes.
Or call (956) 687 3334, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM.
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Gerino Alejos
Licensed insurance agent · License 3128710 · NPN 18243381
Owner of McAllen Insurance Group, an independent agency on North 10th Street in McAllen. Works with clients across Hidalgo, Cameron and Starr counties on Medicare, Marketplace health, life and auto coverage. Se habla español.