Uber Insurance in New Jersey What Uber's Policy Covers, Stop by Stop, and What It Leaves to You
Uber does carry insurance in New Jersey, and its own certificate shows the limits. Most of it protects the people you might hit. While you wait for a ping it pays nothing toward your car, and once a trip starts, any coverage for your car comes with a $2,500 deductible.
We're an independent New Jersey agency, not affiliated with Uber. Jeff Friedlander reads every review.
Your car on an Uber shift
Generic example- App off
- Period 1
- Period 2
- Period 3
01 · What Uber carries
What Uber Carries in New Jersey, Stop by Stop
Uber describes a shift as offline, online, en route and on trip. The industry calls the last three Period 1, 2 and 3. Each stop below is a moment of your shift; each lane is one source of coverage.
Uber's Policy and Yours, Stop by Stop
One Uber shift, from logging on to drop-off. Generic example, not a client.
- Covered
- Thin
- Gap
- Not in play
-
App off Offline Errands, commute
- Personal policy, no rideshare optionYour full policy applies. Uber says so too
- Uber's policy (NJ certificate)Not involved while you're offline
- Your own carYour comp and collision, at your usual deductible
- With the right rideshare endorsementYour full policy applies
-
Period 1 Online, waiting No trip accepted yet
- Personal policy, no rideshare optionCan exclude all coverage once you log on
- Uber's policy (NJ certificate)$50k/$100k/$25k liability, $35k/$70k UM/UIM
- Your own carUber: no comp or collision until a trip is accepted
- With the right rideshare endorsementUsually extends your liability, medical and car coverage
-
Period 2 En route Trip accepted, heading to pickup
- Personal policy, no rideshare optionCan exclude coverage from the moment you accept
- Uber's policy (NJ certificate)$1.5M liability and UM/UIM. No PIP or med pay listed
- Your own carContingent, actual cash value, $2,500 deductible
- With the right rideshare endorsementCan pay the deductible gap and top up your medical
-
Period 3 On trip Rider aboard until drop-off
- Personal policy, no rideshare optionPersonal policy steps aside
- Uber's policy (NJ certificate)$1.5M liability and UM/UIM. No PIP or med pay listed
- Your own carOnly if you carry comp and collision yourself
- With the right rideshare endorsementCan pay the deductible gap and top up your medical
Uber amounts from Uber's New Jersey certificate of insurance (policy period 03/01/2026 to 03/01/2027) and Uber's driver insurance page. Required minimums: N.J.S.A. 39:5H-10. The endorsement lane shows an enhanced-style option. Endorsements vary by insurance company, some stop at Period 1, and the policy wording governs.
Uber's New Jersey Certificate, Line by Line
| Uber's term | What Uber shows | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| OfflineApp off | "Your personal auto insurance covers you while you're offline." | Uber requires you to keep personal auto insurance at least at state minimums, with proof. |
| OnlinePeriod 1, waiting for a request | $50,000 / $100,000 bodily injury, $25,000 property damage. UM/UIM $35,000 / $70,000, $25,000 property | Protects people you hurt, at limits near the legal floor. Nothing for your car. |
| En route and on tripPeriods 2 and 3 | $1,500,000 liability. $1,500,000 UM/UIM per accident | Big limits for others, and UM/UIM if an uninsured or underinsured driver hits you. |
| Your carPeriods 2 and 3 only | Comprehensive and collision with $2,500 deductibles, up to actual cash value | Only if your own policy carries comp and collision. Liability-only means no Uber coverage for the car. |
| Not on the certificatePIP and driver med pay | Neither appears on Uber's New Jersey certificate | The law requires both from someone. Ask how your own injuries are covered in each period. |
| Rental carWhile yours is in the shop | "No, it won't." | The rental is on you unless your own policy or endorsement carries it. |
Uber's page says the car deductible may be $1,000 instead of $2,500 for a car obtained through the Uber Vehicle Marketplace.
02 · The law
What New Jersey Law Requires While You Drive for Uber
New Jersey's rideshare law, the Transportation Network Company Safety and Regulatory Act, sets minimums for two stretches of an Uber shift: logged on and available but not on a ride, and from the moment you accept a ride until the last rider gets out. The statute never says "Period." That's industry shorthand for the same stretches.
The law lets the driver, Uber, or both carry the required coverage. If the driver's coverage lapses or falls short, Uber's insurance has to pay "beginning with the first dollar of a claim" and defend it. And before you can accept a ride, Uber has to tell you in writing what it covers, and that your own policy "may or may not provide any coverage" while you're logged on.
Sources: N.J.S.A. 39:5H-10(a), (d) · N.J.S.A. 39:5H-11
What the law never requires is coverage for your own car. Uber's contingent car coverage is something Uber chooses to provide, and it could change without any change in the law. This is general information about the statute, not legal advice; for your own situation, especially after an accident, talk to your own attorney.
- Waiting
- $50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000 liability, plus PIP, and UM/UIM at New Jersey's standard minimum N.J.S.A. 39:5H-10(b)
- On a ride
- $1,500,000 liability, $10,000 medical payments for the driver only, and $1,500,000 UM/UIM, from acceptance to drop-off N.J.S.A. 39:5H-10(c); 39:5H-2
- Your car
- Nothing required, in any stage N.J.S.A. 39:5H-10, read in full
- Proof
- Carry proof of insurance whenever you're logged on, on paper or on your phone N.J.S.A. 39:5H-10(h)
- Pending
- Bill A1507 would lower the $1.5 million UM/UIM requirement during rides to the personal-auto minimum. The $1.5 million liability would stay. In committee since January 13, 2026; not law NJ Legislature, A1507
03 · Your own policy
Where Your Own Policy Fits Around Uber's
Uber's page is honest about this: extra rideshare insurance "is not required for you to sign up to drive with Uber." Required to sign up and covered after a crash are two different questions.
Start with your personal auto policy. New Jersey lets your insurer "exclude any and all coverage" while you're logged on or on a ride: liability, PIP, UM/UIM, medical payments, comprehensive and collision. It's a permission, not an automatic rule, and it takes no special wording. Whether your policy uses it depends on its forms. More on the rideshare exclusion.
Source: N.J.S.A. 39:5H-12(a)
Then look at your own injuries. If you're hurt on a trip and the other driver is at fault but underinsured, the law requires $1.5 million of UM/UIM. If no one else is at fault, it requires only $10,000 of medical payments for you, and Uber's certificate doesn't list that line. While you're waiting for a request, UM/UIM drops to $35,000 / $70,000.
Sources: N.J.S.A. 39:5H-10(b), (c) · Uber NJ certificate
| The moment | Uber's policy alone | Plus an enhanced-style endorsement |
|---|---|---|
| Your car, app on, waiting | Nothing from Uber | Usually your own comp and collision, at your own deductible |
| Your car, on a trip | $2,500 deductible, only if you carry comp and collision | Pays the difference between Uber's deductible and yours |
| Liability, waiting for a request | $50k/$100k/$25k | Extends your own liability limits while you wait, and adds excess coverage once you accept |
| Your own injuries | No PIP or med pay on Uber's certificate | May carry your medical coverage into later periods |
| A rental while it's fixed | None from Uber | Some apply in every period, if your base policy carries rental |
| Uber Eats deliveries | A separate Uber policy | Inconsistent. Ask whether the form names delivery |
The endorsement column describes an enhanced-style option the way they're usually written. "Limited" options often stop at Period 1. Endorsement terms vary by insurance company and the policy wording governs; coverage depends on your policy's actual forms and endorsements. Read how rideshare endorsements differ.
04 · In the Uber app
Adding Your Policy in the Uber Driver App
Buying the coverage is half the job. Uber has to have your current proof of insurance, and you should have Uber's certificate within reach.
How Old You Have to Be
New Jersey law sets 21 as the floor for rideshare drivers. Uber's requirements page, viewed with New Jersey selected, says new drivers must be at least 25. Delivering for Uber Eats by car starts at 19, per Uber's Newark page. If that's your son or daughter in the family car, read young drivers on a parent's policy.
Sources: N.J.S.A. 39:5H-20(g) · Uber driver requirements (NJ) · Uber Eats, Newark
- Set up the coverage first
Get the endorsement in force before your next shift. Until it is, we'd keep the app off.
- Get the proof Uber asks for
Uber's New Jersey requirements page asks for "proof of vehicle insurance if you plan to drive your own car," along with your license and registration.
- Upload it in the Driver app
Uber's help pages describe uploading documents from the account area of the Driver app. Menu names change with app versions and regions, so if you can't find it, call us and we'll walk through it with you.
- Keep Uber's certificate next to yours
Uber says its certificates of insurance are in the Driver app: from the menu, choose Account, then Insurance (Uber driver insurance page).
- Repeat it when anything changes
New car, new policy or a renewal: upload the new card that week, and tell your insurer if you add Uber Eats or another app.
05 · Uber Eats
Uber Eats Runs on a Different Policy
| Moment | Uber rides | Uber Eats deliveries |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting | $50k/$100k/$25k liability | "May cover" others up to at least state minimums |
| On the trip | $1,500,000 liability | Up to $500,000 (or more, where required) |
| Your car | Contingent, $2,500 deductible | "Does not pay for repairs to your car at any period of a delivery" |
| Your injuries | $1,500,000 UM/UIM on the certificate | "Does not pay for your injuries during any period of a delivery" |
| State minimums | N.J.S.A. 39:5H-10 applies | Don't apply to food delivery |
Same app account, different insurance. Uber's own delivery page says it "maintains separate policies for rides and deliveries," and your coverage depends on which kind of trip you're on at that moment.
New Jersey's rideshare law doesn't reach deliveries. In Malzberg v. Josey, the Appellate Division held that the law applies "only to the prearranged transport of persons and not to the delivery of food." An Uber Eats driver hurt by an underinsured driver sought $1.5 million of UIM from the delivery company's insurer, and the court held the law didn't require it.
Source: Malzberg v. Josey, 473 N.J. Super. 537 (App. Div. 2022)
If you switch between rides and deliveries in one shift, each trip can fall under a different policy. Ask whether your endorsement names delivery apps; some do and some don't. More on Uber Eats insurance in New Jersey.
FAQ
Uber Insurance Questions from New Jersey Drivers
The questions Uber drivers ask us most. Already had an accident? Read what to do after a rideshare accident.
Does Uber insurance cover my car?
Only part of the time. While you're online waiting for a request, Uber's page says there's no Uber-maintained collision or comprehensive coverage. After you accept a trip, Uber's contingent coverage pays up to your car's actual cash value with a $2,500 deductible, and only if your own policy carries comprehensive and collision.
What type of car insurance do I need for Uber in New Jersey?
A New Jersey personal auto policy at least at the state minimum, with proof uploaded to Uber. Uber says a rideshare add-on isn't required to sign up, but your personal insurer can exclude any and all coverage while you're logged on, so the real question is whether your policy has a rideshare endorsement and which periods it reaches.
Do I need to tell my insurance company I drive for Uber?
Yes. New Jersey law lets your personal insurer exclude any and all coverage while you're logged on or on a ride (N.J.S.A. 39:5H-12). If it finds out after a claim, you can be left paying out of pocket, and it may decline to renew your policy.
Does Uber's insurance pay for a rental car?
No. Uber's own insurance page answers the question in three words: "No, it won't." A rental has to come from your own policy or an endorsement that includes it.
How do I prove whether I was online or on a trip?
The app's records decide it. In a claim, New Jersey law requires the rideshare company to give the precise times you logged on and off in the 12 hours before and after the accident, and you must tell insurers and police, on request, whether you were logged on or on a ride.
Read next
Related Pages for Uber Drivers
| Page | What it answers |
|---|---|
| The Period 1 gapApp on, no trip accepted | Why the stretch spent waiting for a ping is where your car stands alone |
| Rideshare endorsementsLimited vs enhanced | Which periods each kind of add-on reaches, the way they're usually written |
| Lyft insurance in New JerseyIf you drive both apps | How Lyft's coverage and paperwork differ from Uber's |
Free review · about 10 minutes
See Where Uber's Policy Leaves You
Send us your declarations page and tell us you drive for Uber, and for Uber Eats if you do. We'll lay your policy next to Uber's certificate, stop by stop, and show you what's covered, what's thin and what's missing. It costs nothing.
Prefer to talk? Call (908) 730-6443. You'll reach a rideshare specialist, not a call center.