Insurance for Uber Drivers

As a Uber driver, you are probably happy about the money you are making using your car. But don’t let a simple oversight ruin your financial life. Did you know that driving for Uber is considered driving-for-hire? Did you also know that by default your personal auto insurance does NOT cover driving-for-hire?

According to Uber, “while you’re online with Uber before you accept a request, you are covered by our insurance policy for your liability to a third party if you are in an accident when you’re at fault.” Did you notice that Uber did not mention any coverage for yourself or your car? That’s correct. Before you accept a request, if your car is damaged, Uber would NOT cover it; if you are injured by an uninsured driver, Uber would NOT cover it either. Because the accident happens while you drive for hire, your personal auto insurance would NOT pay you either even if it would have covered you otherwise!

Fortunately, fixing this coverage gap is easy. Simply make sure your personal auto insurance has a ride-sharing endorsement. (An endorsement in an insurance policy is an add-on coverage.) A lot of insurance companies in California provide this endorsement, including Allstate and Farmers. The cost is only $15-20 per year, according to Allstate. Now that is money well spent for a great protection.

How to make sure you have the ride-sharing endorsement?

Option 1. Ask your agent to add it for you.

You can call your insurance agent to add the ride-sharing endorsement for you. This usually can take effect immediately. In some states though, your insurance provider may not support this option. For instance, in California, Geico doesn’t offer ride-sharing endorsement.

Option 2. Switch your insurance company

If your current insurer doesn’t offer ride-sharing endorsement, you can switch to another insurer which does. During quoting, look for “ride-sharing” and make sure you select it. If the quoting process doesn’t ask you about “ride-sharing”, you can assume that the quote doesn’t have this endorsement.

Option 3. Use independent insurance services

The easiest option may be using a service like SafeButler. It has helped hundreds of Uber drivers get the right protection while saving them money. It will automatically ensure your auto insurance has the ride-sharing endorsement. In addition, it’ll quote from multiple top brands to get you the best deal.