Rideshare insurance in Texas — what Uber and Lyft cover, and what your own policy doesn't

If you drive for a rideshare service in Texas, your car insurance may work differently while the app is on. This guide walks through what the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) says about your personal policy, the rideshare company's insurance, damage to your own car, policies for rideshare drivers, and delivery driving.

The short version. For rideshare drivers in Texas, TDI's Ride sharing: 3 questions to ask says: "Most personal auto policies do not include coverage when you are using your car for ride sharing." The same page says Texas law requires ride-sharing companies to have insurance that covers people or property the driver injures if the driver does not have insurance, and that some companies also cover damage to your car.

Coverage varies by policy and by company, so what any individual policy does depends on its own terms.

What TDI says about your personal policy and ride sharing

A personal auto policy in Texas may not cover you while you drive for a rideshare service. On its ride sharing page, TDI says most personal auto policies do not include coverage when you are using your car for ride sharing.

The Auto insurance guide from TDI makes a similar point in a table of things most policies do and don't cover. In the column for things most policies don't cover, the guide lists: "Accidents that happen while you’re driving for a ride-hailing service or delivering food or other items for a fee." The guide introduces that table by saying coverages vary by policy and depend on the types of coverages you choose, and it tells readers to read their policy or talk to their agent to be sure of their exact coverages.

Both pages say most, so neither one tells you what your own policy does. The way to find out is to ask your insurance company or agent whether your policy covers you while you are using your car for ride sharing, and whether that answer is the same for your liability, collision and comprehensive coverages.

The three phases

One way to organize your questions about rideshare insurance in Texas is by what the app was doing at the time of an accident. The three phases below, and the app-on wording used in this guide, are our own way of sorting those questions. TDI's pages do not define when ride sharing begins, and they draw no distinction by phase or by company.

App off. You are driving for personal reasons on your personal auto policy. For personal auto liability coverage, the auto guide, last updated December 11, 2025, says Texas law requires you to have "at least $30,000 of coverage for injuries per person, up to a total of $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 of coverage for property damage." The guide calls this 30/60/25 coverage.
App on, waiting for a request. You are available for rides and have no passenger. According to the ride sharing page, policies for ride-sharing drivers may cover only part of the time you are driving, such as the time before you pick up a passenger. TDI does not map that example to these phases, and the time before pickup can also include the drive to a passenger after you accept a request.
On a ride. You have accepted a request or have a passenger in the car. Ask the rideshare company and your own insurer about this period separately.

TDI's caution that a policy for ride-sharing drivers may cover only part of the time you are driving is the reason to name the period when you ask.

Who covers it

For rideshare drivers in Texas, TDI describes insurance carried by the rideshare company as well as insurance bought by the driver. Its ride sharing page, last updated December 10, 2025, says: "Texas law requires ride-sharing companies, such as Uber or Lyft, to have insurance that covers people or property the driver injures if the driver does not have insurance."

The same page says your ride-sharing company is required to tell you about the insurance policy, including the types of coverage and the limits for the policy. TDI's advice is to read the policy or review it with your own insurance agent.

TDI's sentence carries a condition. It describes insurance for people or property the driver injures, if the driver does not have insurance. The page does not list dollar limits or explain how a rideshare company's policy works alongside yours, so the information the company gives you is the place to look for those details.

Damage to your own car: what TDI says

Whether damage to your own car is covered while you drive for a rideshare service in Texas depends on the policies involved. Damage to your vehicle is on the list of risks to drivers on TDI's ride sharing page. On the insurance that ride-sharing companies have, it says: "Some companies also cover damage to your car." On policies offered to ride-sharing drivers, it says: "Some policies cover only damage to other people and their property, but not damage to you, your family members, or your car."

Both sentences say some, which leaves the question open for any one driver. As general background on personal auto coverages, not ride sharing in particular, the auto guide says collision coverage pays to repair or replace your car after an accident, and comprehensive coverage pays if your car is stolen or damaged by fire, flood, vandalism or something other than a collision.

That gives you two questions to ask. Ask the rideshare company whether its policy covers damage to your car. Ask your own insurer whether your collision and comprehensive coverage apply while the app is on.

Policies for rideshare drivers: what TDI says

Some insurance companies in Texas offer policies for ride-sharing drivers, according to TDI's ride sharing page. TDI follows that with a caution: "These policies may cover only part of the time you are driving, such as the time before you pick up a passenger." It also says some of these policies cover only damage to other people and their property, and it tells drivers to ask their insurance company or agent to be sure they have the coverage they need.

Because TDI says these policies may cover only part of the time you are driving, here are questions you can ask an insurance company or agent about one:

Does my current policy cover rideshare driving at all? The answer to this one shapes the rest.
Which periods does the rideshare coverage apply to? Ask about the time you are logged on and waiting, the ride itself, or both.
Does it include damage to my car? Ask whether collision and comprehensive coverage apply, or only coverage for damage to other people and their property.
What deductible applies while the app is on? Ask whether it is the same as your usual one.
How does it work with the rideshare company's policy? Ask which policy would respond, and for what.

Delivery driving is a different question

Delivering food or packages in Texas raises its own insurance questions, and TDI covers it on a separate page from ride sharing. That page, Delivering packages? What to know about auto insurance, says: "Some personal use auto policies may cover you if you get into an accident during a paid delivery, even if that’s not the primary use of your vehicle." The same page then says other personal use policies won't cover driving for business. The auto guide lists accidents that happen while delivering food or other items for a fee among the things most policies don't cover.

The delivery page says to always tell your insurance company if you're driving for business, and that if you don't, the company could deny your claims. It also says some businesses have auto insurance that covers their drivers, and that there are often coverage gaps. TDI suggests checking with your insurance company or agent to see if you can add optional coverage for deliveries.

Taken together, the two TDI pages mean a delivery driver can't assume the answer either way. Checking what your policy says now is the first step TDI's delivery page gives.

What to do at the scene of a collision

After a collision while you are driving for a rideshare service in Texas, TDI's general tips for auto claims are a starting point. The auto guide, which covers auto claims in general and not ride sharing in particular, lists steps that include getting the other driver's name, address, phone number, license plate number and insurance details, getting contact details for any witnesses, calling the police if anyone was injured, and noting the time, date and exact location. The guide also says to tell your company about the accident as soon as possible, and that most companies have deadlines for filing claims.

For a rideshare driver, one more detail is worth having ready, which is whether the app was on and whether you had accepted a ride. Give that information accurately when you report the accident, and ask which periods each policy applies to.

If you're the passenger

If you ride as a passenger in a rideshare vehicle in Texas, TDI's ride sharing page suggests three steps. Ask your insurance agent or company if your personal auto policy will cover you when you are a passenger in a ride-sharing vehicle. Ask if the ride-sharing driver has insurance that covers your ride. Check the ride-sharing company's website for information on insurance coverage.

These are questions, and TDI's page does not say what the answers will be for any one passenger.

Key facts

TDI's Ride sharing: 3 questions to ask says most personal auto policies do not include coverage when you are using your car for ride sharing.
Accidents while driving for a ride-hailing service, or delivering food or other items for a fee, are among the things most policies don't cover, according to TDI's Auto insurance guide, which also says coverages vary by policy.
As of its December 10, 2025 update, TDI's ride sharing page says Texas law requires ride-sharing companies to have insurance that covers people or property the driver injures if the driver does not have insurance.
The same TDI page says some ride-sharing companies also cover damage to your car, and that the company is required to tell you about its insurance policy, including the types of coverage and the limits.
Some insurance companies offer policies for ride-sharing drivers, per TDI's ride sharing page, which adds that these policies may cover only part of the time you are driving and that some cover only damage to other people and their property.
For personal auto liability, TDI's Auto insurance guide, last updated December 11, 2025, says Texas law requires at least $30,000 of coverage for injuries per person, up to a total of $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage, which it calls 30/60/25 coverage.
On delivery driving, TDI's Delivering packages? What to know about auto insurance says some personal use auto policies may cover an accident during a paid delivery, that other personal use policies won't cover driving for business, and that you should always tell your insurance company if you're driving for business.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance, Ride sharing: 3 questions to ask, Auto insurance guide and Delivering packages? What to know about auto insurance. This page is general information, not legal advice — for questions about your legal rights, check your policy or contact the Texas Department of Insurance.

Take the next step

Before your next shift, read the insurance information your rideshare company gives you, and ask your insurance company or agent whether your personal policy covers you while you are using your car for ride sharing. Ask about damage to your own car by name.

For related reading, how to choose home insurance in Texas covers reading a declarations page on the property side, and independent agency vs direct for Texas insurance explains the difference between shopping one carrier and shopping several.

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