Best Rideshare Insurance in Florida: Quotes, Discounts 2022

Rideshare Insurance in Florida

Not knowing enough about your rideshare insurance options can cost you big time. Learn how to get proper coverage and save money on it — also big time.

Your personal car insurance policy doesn’t cover the damage that occurs while your car is in “business use.” In Florida, ridesharing companies are required to provide you with commercial coverage, but these policies often come with high deductibles and don’t provide coverage at all times. The good news is that you can add rideshare coverage to your existing personal auto insurance policy to prevent high out-of-pocket costs.

Rideshare Insurance Companies in Florida

If you want to protect yourself from having to pay high deductibles on limited liability coverage that your TNC insurance policy offers and cover everything else out of pocket, many companies in Florida offer rideshare insurance. You can use this table to compare average insurance rates so that you know what to expect when you start shopping.

Use a comparison tool like Insurify to compare up to 10+ real rideshare insurance quotes and save big in just a few clicks.

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How Rideshare Insurance Works

Ridesharing companies, also sometimes called transportation network companies or TNCs, are required to provide you with the minimum amount of coverage determined by Florida state law. However, the policy you get from the TNC you work with covers only the damage that occurs under very specific circumstances and usually involves a high deductible.

It can be confusing to understand when you are covered by your personal auto insurance policy and when car damage and bodily injury become TNC insurance’s responsibility. To make it clear when each policy is applicable, insurance companies use driving “periods.”

• Period 0: Your ridesharing app is off, and you are not using your vehicle commercially. During this period, your personal car insurance policy covers the damages under your regular payout limits and deductibles.

• Period 1: Your ridesharing app is on, and you are waiting for a ride request. As soon as your app is online, your personal insurance policy stops providing coverage. In Florida, commercial insurance is required to provide some limited liability coverage during this period, but it may not be enough to cover all the damages.

• Period 2: Your ridesharing app is on, and you are en route to pick up a passenger. The TNC insurance policy provides higher liability coverage during this period, but your deductibles are likely to be high — double or even triple the amounts in your personal-use policy.

• Period 3: Your ridesharing app is on, and you are driving with a passenger in the car. Your commercial policy provides higher liability coverage, but it’s likely to come with a high deductible.

If you want to minimize your risks while your ridesharing app is on, investing in personal rideshare insurance coverage can make you feel more confident behind the wheel.

When shopping for a rideshare insurance policy, you have options. You can get rideshare endorsement insurance as an add-on to your personal policy. It is a special type of extra, more comprehensive coverage that can help you close the gap between what your TNC policy covers and your out-of-pocket costs.

Keep in mind that your rideshare endorsement policy mirrors your personal-use policy. If you only have liability coverage and no collision coverage on your personal-use policy, your rideshare endorsement policy will not have it either.

Alternatively, you can also get full rideshare insurance coverage and turn it into one policy with your personal insurance policy.

See More: Car Insurance for Uber Drivers

Florida Laws on Rideshare Insurance Requirements

Rideshare drivers in Florida, whether they are working part-time or full-time, are required to have rideshare insurance coverage whenever their app is on. There is no grace period to drive uninsured, and you must have proper rideshare coverage as soon as you turn the app on for the first time.

Having personal-use insurance is a prerequisite to getting a rideshare insurance policy (since you will inevitably be driving your vehicle for “ personal use ” reasons as well). To meet Florida personal-use insurance requirements, you need a minimum of $10,000 of personal injury protection coverage and $10,000 of property damage liability insurance.

When you are using your car for “business use” (your rideshare app is on), Florida state law requires you to carry insurance coverage with higher limits. The TNC is required to provide this coverage.

Under Florida law, during period one (the app is on and you are waiting for a ride request ), the TNC insurance must cover at least:

• $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per person

• $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident

• $25,000 of property damage

During periods two and three (the app is on while you are driving to or with a passenger), the TNC rideshare policy must cover at least:

• $1 million of bodily injury

• $1 million of property damage

Keep in mind that a TNC insurance policy is only required to provide liability coverage. If you want collision coverage as well, you need to supplement your TNC insurance with another rideshare insurance policy.

Even if you’re only using your commercial policy, you still need to let your personal insurer know that you are a rideshare driver. If you don’t, your auto insurance company might cancel your policy, decide not to renew it, or even refuse to cover claims. You also need to let your insurer know about any accidents you’ve had while your vehicle was in “business use.”

See more: Cheap Car Insurance Florida

Florida Requirements for Rideshare Driver

So, you’re ready to take on the road.

To become a rideshare driver in Florida, you first need to pass criminal background and driving record checks. These are the specific requirements you must pass in order to be approved:

• You are not listed on the federal sex offender public registry.

• You have a valid U.S. driver’s license and vehicle registration.

• You haven’t been convicted of driving without a valid license in the last three years.

• You haven’t been convicted of a serious driving offense, such as DUI or reckless driving, in the last five years.

In addition to these state law requirements, if you want to be an Uber driver (including UberEats ) or a Lyft driver, there are more requirements you need to satisfy.

For both Uber and Lyft, you must be at least 21 years old, have had your U.S. license for at least one year (if you’re under 23, Uber requires three years), and consent to share your picture with passengers before pickup.

If you want to drive for Uber LUX or LUX SUV, you must have a commercial license. As a rideshare driver, you can expect a zero-tolerance policy for drug and alcohol use while driving.

Remember that the state laws are just the minimum and rideshare companies can reject your application if they find other past violations that they think of as inappropriate while they are performing their checks.

See more: Car Insurance Without a License

Filing a Claim after an Accident As a Rideshare Driver in Florida

How you file a claim after an accident as a rideshare driver in Florida depends on which driving “period” the accident happened in.

If you have an accident during period zero, then you need to file a claim with your personal insurance provider. Since your ridesharing app was not online and your car was not in “business use,” you just need to file a regular claim like you would after any other “ personal use ” accident.

If you have an accident during period one, then you need to file a claim with your commercial insurance and your rideshare endorsement / rideshare insurance policy, depending on your unique situation. Your rideshare endorsement / rideshare insurance policy will help fill coverage gaps and keep your out-of-pocket costs down.

If you have an accident during periods two or three, your commercial insurance will cover at least $1 million of property damage and bodily injury in liability coverage — likely, with a high deductible. You can use your rideshare endorsement / rideshare insurance policy to cover the rest of the damage and help keep your deductibles low.

If you have an accident during periods one, two, or three and only use your commercial insurance to cover it, you still need to notify your personal insurance provider. Otherwise, your provider may cancel your personal policy or decide not to renew it.

Find Cheap Rideshare Insurance in Minutes

According to the Insurance Information Institute, you should get at least three quotes from different companies when shopping for car insurance to get the best deal.

But you don’t have to spend hours answering the same questions online or over the phone and comparing all your quotes and coverage limit options on your own to unlock big savings.

Spend five minutes on Insurify’s trusted service site telling us about you, your car, and your coverage preferences, and get instant, real-life rideshare insurance quotes in Florida to maximize your coverage and savings.

Rideshare Insurance in Florida: Frequently Asked Questions