Does My Car Insurance Cover Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, or a Rental Car in Connecticut?

Short answer: A standard Connecticut personal auto policy usually excludes driving for hire. When you drive for Uber or Lyft, Connecticut law requires the rideshare company's insurance to apply, but the protection is thinnest while the app is on and you are waiting for a request. Food and package delivery apps are not covered by the same law, so delivery drivers often have no coverage unless they add a rideshare or delivery endorsement. Rental cars are usually covered by your own policy for personal use.

Rideshare driving (Uber, Lyft)

Connecticut regulates transportation network companies (TNCs) under a 2017 law, now C.G.S. 13b-120, that splits a rideshare trip into periods:

• App off: you are a personal driver, and your personal policy applies normally.
• App on, waiting for a request (period 1): the law requires primary liability of at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury and $25,000 for property damage, plus uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which may be provided by the TNC, the driver's own policy, or a combination. Physical damage to your own car is usually not covered by the TNC in this period.
• Request accepted through drop-off (periods 2 and 3): the TNC must provide at least $1 million in liability coverage plus uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Damage to your own car is typically covered only if you carry collision on your personal policy, and then subject to a high TNC deductible.

The gap is period 1 and your own vehicle. A rideshare endorsement on your personal policy, offered by many carriers in Connecticut, fills that space for a modest premium. Without it, an insurer that learns you were driving for hire may deny a claim or non-renew the policy.

Food and package delivery (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Instacart, Amazon Flex)

Delivery driving is the larger gap. Connecticut's TNC insurance rules were written for transporting passengers. Delivery platforms set their own coverage terms, which often apply only on an excess basis while an order is active, and may not cover damage to your car at all. Most personal auto policies exclude using your vehicle to deliver goods for a fee. If you deliver regularly, ask whether your carrier's rideshare endorsement also extends to delivery; some do, some do not. For heavier or full-time delivery use, a commercial auto policy may be required. Our guide to commercial auto in Connecticut explains when a personal policy stops responding.

Rental cars

For personal use within the U.S., your Connecticut auto policy generally extends your liability coverage to a rental car, and your collision and comprehensive coverage extend to damage to the rental if you carry them on your own car. What your policy may not cover:

• The rental company's "loss of use" and administrative fees while the car is out of service
• Diminished value claims from the rental company
• Rentals for business use, long-term rentals, or certain vehicle types such as large vans and exotics
• Rentals outside the U.S. and Canada

Many credit cards provide secondary collision damage coverage for rentals. Between your policy and your card, the rental company's damage waiver is often unnecessary, but check both before you decline it.

What to do now

• Tell your insurer if you drive for any app. Hiding it is the surest way to lose a claim.
• Ask for a rideshare endorsement, and confirm in writing whether it extends to delivery.
• Check your liability limits; a crash during period 1 can exceed the TNC's lower limits.

New England Insurance, an independent Connecticut agency in Bridgeport since 2012, can check which carriers offer the endorsement you need. Request a review or visit our auto insurance page.