California rideshare accidents: insurance limits after the 2026 change

First identify the driver's app status

California generally divides rideshare activity into three periods. Period 1 begins when the driver is logged into the app and waiting for a match. Period 2 begins when the driver accepts a match and is traveling to pick up the passenger. Period 3 covers the time the passenger is in the vehicle until the passenger exits. [1, 3]

If the app was off, the special TNC periods described here do not apply. Other insurance may still need review. Do not rely only on the driver's first description of app status; the trip receipt, platform records, timestamps, and other evidence may provide a more complete answer.

Period 1 has lower primary limits

For Period 1, section 5433 requires primary insurance of at least $50,000 for death and personal injury per person, $100,000 for death and personal injury per incident, and $30,000 for property damage. The TNC must also maintain at least $200,000 in excess coverage per occurrence for qualifying liability above those primary limits. [1]

The required coverage may be maintained by the driver, the TNC, or a qualifying combination. These are minimums, not a statement that every loss will be paid or that no other coverage exists. Coverage still depends on the policies, the people involved, liability, causation, and the claim facts.

After acceptance, $1 million in primary liability coverage applies

From the moment a driver accepts a ride request until the transaction or ride is complete, whichever is later, section 5433 requires primary TNC insurance of $1 million for death, personal injury, and property damage. This encompasses the trip to pick up the passenger and the passenger-occupied ride. [1]

That $1 million liability requirement is different from UM/UIM coverage. Liability coverage addresses claims based on the insured driver's responsibility; UM/UIM coverage concerns harm caused by an uninsured or underinsured motorist. An insurance limit does not determine a claim's value or guarantee payment.

Passenger-period UM/UIM limits changed in 2026

Senate Bill 371 amended section 5433 effective January 1, 2026. During the passenger-occupied period, a TNC must now provide primary UM/UIM coverage of $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident. The policy is primary over other applicable UM/UIM coverage and is solely the TNC's obligation. [1, 2]

The CPUC's online insurance summary still displayed the former $1 million UM/UIM amount when checked on October 22, 2026. The amended statute states the current minimum. For a crash before January 1, 2026, or a policy offering more than the minimum, the accident date and actual policy need separate review. [1–3]

Save the digital evidence immediately

• Keep the complete ride receipt, booking confirmation, fare details, route map, driver profile, and in-app messages.
• Take screenshots showing the date, time, pickup, destination, ride status, and platform name. Preserve the original emails or files too.
• Record whether you were a passenger, another driver, a pedestrian, a bicyclist, or the rideshare driver.
• Save crash photographs, dashcam footage, witness details, the police report number, medical records, and all insurance correspondence.
• Ask counsel about preserving and requesting platform records rather than attempting to access someone else's account.

Section 5435 requires the TNC or its insurer to cooperate with other insurers in a coverage investigation, including exchanging accident dates and times and the precise times the driver logged on and off the platform. That rule does not eliminate the practical need to preserve the records already available to you. [4]

Do not assume the driver's personal policy applies

Section 5432 requires TNCs to advise drivers in writing that a personal auto policy will not provide coverage because the vehicle is used in connection with TNC services. It also requires disclosure that personal collision or comprehensive coverage will not cover damage to the driver's vehicle from log-on to log-off. A separately written rideshare endorsement or other applicable policy requires individual review. [5]

For an injured passenger or third party, the driver's personal insurance card is therefore only one part of the coverage investigation. Keep every policy letter and claim number, and avoid signing a release until its scope and the potentially applicable coverage have been reviewed.

Common questions

What if the driver was waiting for a ride request?

That is generally Period 1 if the driver was logged into the TNC app and available to receive a match. Its minimum primary limits are $50,000 per person, $100,000 per incident, and $30,000 for property damage, with separate $200,000 excess coverage required. [1]

What if I was already inside the rideshare vehicle?

That is generally the passenger-occupied period until you exit. For crashes on or after January 1, 2026, California requires $1 million in primary commercial liability coverage and primary UM/UIM coverage of $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident, subject to the policies, facts, and applicable law. [1, 2]

Does the $1 million liability requirement mean my claim is worth $1 million?

No. An insurance limit is not a valuation of an injury claim and does not guarantee payment. Liability, causation, documented losses, coverage terms, other claimants, and defenses still require analysis.

What if a hit-and-run driver caused the crash?

Preserve the rideshare status and report the collision promptly. UM/UIM coverage questions can depend on the period and who was injured. Our California hit-and-run insurance guide discusses additional time-sensitive requirements that may apply to an unknown-driver claim.

Bring the trip record to the first conversation

For help evaluating a California rideshare collision, visit FK Law Group's car accident practice page or request a consultation. If the crash meets California's reporting thresholds, also review the California SR-1 accident-report guide.

General information, not legal advice. This article addresses selected California TNC insurance requirements checked on October 22, 2026. Policies, coverage, liability, deadlines, and outcomes depend on the facts. An inquiry does not create an attorney-client relationship, and no result is guaranteed.

Authorities

1. California Public Utilities Code section 5433 — current TNC liability and UM/UIM requirements.
2. Senate Bill 371, Chapter 314, Statutes of 2025 — official bill history and enacted 2026 coverage change.
3. California Public Utilities Commission TNC insurance summary — official summary of the three periods; its passenger-period UM/UIM figure had not yet been updated when checked.
4. California Public Utilities Code section 5435 — information exchange in coverage investigations.
5. California Public Utilities Code section 5432 — required insurance disclosures to participating drivers.