Rideshare Accidents vs. Regular Car Accidents: What’s the Difference?

• July 21 2025
• |   Car Accidents

Any car accident can leave you feeling shaken, disoriented, and overwhelmed. In the moments that follow, your priority is your health and safety. But soon after, questions about what to do next begin to surface. When the accident involves a rideshare vehicle like an Uber or Lyft, that sense of confusion can multiply. What should be a straightforward process suddenly involves more people, more rules, and multiple, powerful insurance companies.

Understanding the key differences between a standard car crash and a rideshare accident can help you protect your rights and navigate this difficult time with more clarity.

The Familiar Path: A Standard Car Accident

Let’s first look at a typical car accident. Imagine two drivers, each with their own personal auto insurance policy, are involved in a collision. The process, while often stressful, is relatively direct. You exchange information, a police report is filed, and you open a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company.

In this scenario, you are primarily dealing with one other driver and one insurance provider. The central question is usually about who was at fault. Once liability is established, the at-fault driver’s insurance policy is responsible for covering damages and injuries up to the policy’s limits. It’s a one-on-one negotiation. While disagreements certainly happen, the framework is familiar to most people.

The Rideshare Difference: A Multi-Layered Insurance Puzzle

A rideshare accident completely changes this dynamic. Suddenly, there isn’t just one insurance policy in play—there can be up to three. The responsible policy depends entirely on the driver’s status at the exact moment of the crash. This is where victims often face their biggest challenges.

To make sense of it, rideshare accidents are typically broken down into different “periods,” each with its own insurance implications.

Scenario 1: The Driver’s App is Off

If a rideshare driver is using their car for personal reasons and does not have the app on, they are just a regular driver. If they cause an accident, their personal auto insurance policy would apply, just as it would in a standard car crash. The rideshare company (like Uber or Lyft) has no involvement.

Scenario 2: The App is On, and the Driver is Waiting for a Request (Period 1)

This is where the first layer of complexity appears. The driver has logged into the app and is available to accept a ride, but they haven’t been matched with a passenger yet. If an accident happens during this time, a serious insurance gap can occur.

• The Driver’s Personal Insurance: Many personal auto policies have a “commercial use exclusion.” This means they can—and often do—deny coverage if the driver was engaged in work-related activities, which includes waiting for a rideshare request.
• The Rideshare Company’s Insurance: Recognizing this gap, rideshare companies provide contingent liability coverage for this period. However, this coverage is often lower than their primary policy and only kicks in after the driver’s personal insurance denies the claim.

For an injured person, this can mean being caught in a frustrating back-and-forth between two insurance companies, each pointing the finger at the other.

Scenario 3: The Driver Has Accepted a Ride or Has a Passenger (Periods 2 & 3)

Once the driver accepts a ride request and is on their way to pick up a passenger (Period 2), or has the passenger in the vehicle (Period 3), the situation changes again. During these periods, the rideshare company’s substantial commercial insurance policy is typically in full effect. These policies often include:

• $1 million in third-party liability coverage.
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage.

This large policy is designed to cover injuries to passengers, other drivers, pedestrians, or anyone else harmed in an accident caused by the rideshare driver. While this may seem straightforward, it doesn’t eliminate the potential for disputes.

Common Complications and Unfair Roadblocks

The multi-layered insurance structure of rideshare accidents creates unique challenges that you simply don’t see in a standard collision. The journey to receiving a fair settlement can be filled with hurdles intentionally placed by large corporations.

• The Blame Game: As mentioned, insurance companies are for-profit businesses. When faced with a significant accident, their primary goal is often to minimize their payout. In a rideshare case, the driver’s personal insurer and the rideshare’s insurer may spend precious time arguing over which “period” the accident occurred in or whether the commercial use exclusion applies, leaving the injured person waiting in limbo.
• Proof and Technology: Proving the driver’s status can become a technical battle. Was the app truly on? Was a ride request active? The answers are contained in the rideshare company’s digital records, which can be difficult for an individual to obtain without legal assistance.
• Dealing with Corporate Teams: Instead of speaking with a local adjuster, you may find yourself dealing with a sophisticated corporate team from the rideshare company’s insurer. These adjusters are highly trained in handling large-scale claims and are focused on their company’s bottom line, not your recovery. They may pressure you into a quick, low settlement or make you feel like you have no other options.
• Unfair Insurance Tactics: When an insurance company—whether it’s the driver’s personal insurer or the rideshare company’s carrier—refuses to honor its obligations, it can feel like a profound betrayal. If an insurer unreasonably delays, underpays, or denies a valid claim without a proper basis, it may be acting unfairly. This is when a difficult situation can become a legal nightmare, requiring a deep understanding of Nevada’s specific insurance laws to fight back.

Your Advocates in Complex Insurance Disputes: Leverty & Associates Law

Handling a serious rideshare accident claim is a heavy burden to carry alone. When you are trying to heal from injuries, support your family, and get your life back on track, facing off against multiple powerful insurance companies can feel impossible. This is where having a compassionate and experienced legal team in your corner can make all the difference.

At Leverty & Associates Law, we focus on helping people who have been treated unfairly by insurance companies. Our firm’s deep proficiency in Nevada insurance law is the bedrock of our practice. Unlike law firms that dabble in these complex cases, our attorneys have dedicated their careers to understanding how insurers operate—and how to effectively counter their tactics. This unique advantage allows us to level the playing field for our clients.

If you were injured in a rideshare accident and feel the insurance company is giving you the runaround or treating you unfairly, we are here to help. Contact a Reno rideshare accident lawyer at Leverty & Associates Law for a free, confidential consultation. Call our Reno office at (775) 322-6636 to learn how we can defend your rights and help you seek the resolution you deserve.