You got into the back seat of an Uber or a Lyft, and someone crashed. Now you are hurt, the driver has an app instead of an insurance card, and two companies are pointing at each other. The good news: as a passenger you are almost never at fault, and California requires more insurance to be sitting behind a rideshare trip than behind an ordinary car. The bad news: the rules changed on January 1, 2026, and the adjusters know it better than you do.
The short answer
If a ride was in progress, the rideshare company's commercial policy is on the hook for up to $1,000,000 in liability coverage for injuries the driver caused. If another driver caused the crash, that driver's policy pays first. If that driver had no insurance or not enough, the rideshare uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage picks up the rest, and that is the part that shrank in 2026.
Which policy applies depends on what the app said at that moment
California law splits a rideshare driver's day into periods, and the coverage changes with each one:
- App off. The driver is a private citizen. Their personal auto policy applies, and the state minimum is only 30/60/15 (thirty thousand per person, sixty thousand per accident, fifteen thousand property damage).
- App on, waiting for a request. The rideshare company provides contingent coverage of 50/100/30.
- Ride accepted, driver on the way to you. The rideshare company's $1,000,000 liability policy applies.
- You are in the car. Same $1,000,000 liability policy.
As a passenger, you are always in the last category. That is why the single most valuable piece of evidence in your case is proof that a trip was active: the trip receipt, the in-app ride history, and the time stamps. Screenshot them tonight, before anything gets deleted or disputed.
What changed on January 1, 2026
Until the end of 2025, rideshare companies in California carried $1,000,000 in uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage for passengers. Senate Bill 371 cut that requirement to $60,000 per person and $300,000 per accident.
Why it matters to you: UM/UIM is the coverage that pays when the other driver caused the crash and had little or no insurance. If a driver with a minimum policy runs a red light and hits your Uber, the pool of money for your injuries just got a lot smaller than it was a year ago. Two things follow from that:
- Whether the at-fault driver was insured, and for how much, is now the first question in every rideshare case, not an afterthought.
- Your own auto policy, or a policy held by a relative you live with, may carry UM/UIM coverage that stacks on top. Passengers are covered by their own household policies even though they were not driving.
Who can be liable
- The rideshare driver, if they were speeding, distracted, or made a bad turn.
- The other driver, if they hit the rideshare car.
- Both, in some percentage. California uses pure comparative fault, so each driver's insurer pays its share.
- The rideshare company, in limited situations, for example if it kept a driver on the platform after complaints it should have acted on.
- A government entity, if a city bus, a police car, or a dangerous road was part of the crash. That triggers a six-month claim deadline instead of the usual two years, so say so on your first call.
Five things to do this week
- Get checked by a doctor, even if you feel okay. Adrenaline hides injuries for days, and an insurer will use any gap between the crash and your first visit against you.
- Report the crash in the app. Uber and Lyft both have an accident reporting path inside the app. It creates a record and opens the commercial claim.
- Screenshot everything. Trip receipt, driver name and plate, route, time stamps, and any messages with the driver.
- Do not give a recorded statement to Uber's insurer, Lyft's insurer, or the other driver's insurer. You are required to cooperate with your own insurance company, not with theirs.
- Write down what happened while it is fresh, including anything either driver said at the scene.
What your claim is worth
No honest lawyer can put a number on it in the first week. The value depends on your medical treatment, your time off work, how the injury changes your daily life, and how much insurance is actually available. Rideshare cases often have more coverage than an ordinary crash, which is exactly why the insurers fight harder on them. The free case review exists so you can find out where you stand without paying anyone.
Deadlines
You generally have two years from the crash to file a lawsuit in California. A claim against a government entity must be filed within six months. A claim on your own UM/UIM coverage has its own two-year clock, and insurers enforce it. Do not wait for the adjuster to tell you the time is running out. They will not.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Deadlines and rules change; talk to a lawyer about your situation.