In Hawaii, rideshare insurance must include PIP from log-on, $1 million applies from acceptance, and uninsured coverage only has to be offered
Hawaii’s rideshare insurance law, HRS 431:10C-701 to 431:10C-705 (Act 236 of 2016), sits in the state’s motor vehicle insurance code. While a driver is logged on and available, the floor is $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage, plus personal injury protection. From the moment the driver accepts a ride until the last passenger departs, the floor is $1,000,000 plus personal injury protection.
Hawaii is a no-fault state. Personal injury protection pays up to $10,000 per person regardless of fault.
An injury lawsuit against an insured owner, operator, or user is limited unless 431:10C-306(b) is met. Death, a significant permanent loss of use of a body part or function, a permanent and serious disfigurement that causes mental or emotional suffering, or $5,000 in qualifying personal injury protection benefits can open that lawsuit.
The limit has statutory exceptions. Property-damage claims are not cut off. 431:10C-306(f). Subsection (e) also does not limit the defect liability it describes for a person in the business of manufacturing, retailing, repairing, servicing, or maintaining motor vehicles. It does not limit intentional injury, criminal conduct that causes injury or damage, punitive damages, or death or injury caused while driving in violation of HRS 291E-61, or of sections 291-4 or 291-7 as those sections stood on or before December 31, 2001.
The current text of 431:10C-301 states a personal-auto minimum of $40,000 per person, $80,000 per accident, and $20,000 for property damage. The section history records an amendment, L 2024, c 138, §3. That codified text does not state a policy-date cutover. As of November 10, 2026, the issue or renewal date when a personal policy must carry the limits in that text was not confirmed from the statute cited here.
For car accidents, Hawaii keeps joint and several liability and does not apply its pain and suffering cap.
Statute text as of October 13, 2026, from the Hawaii Revised Statutes published by the Legislature: HRS 431:10C-703 and 431:10C-701.
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The $1 million period starts at acceptance and ends when the last passenger departs
A prearranged ride begins when the driver accepts a ride request and ends when the last requesting passenger departs the vehicle. 431:10C-701. The drive to the pickup is already inside the $1,000,000 period.
| App status | Statute | Liability required | PIP | Uninsured and underinsured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| App off | Personal policy, 431:10C-301 | $40,000 per person, $80,000 per accident, $20,000 property damage. Not a rideshare figure. | Required | Included unless rejected in writing |
| Logged on and available, no ride accepted | 431:10C-703(c) | $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage, primary | Required | Must be offered at the liability limits; may be rejected in writing |
| Accepted, driving to the pickup | 431:10C-703(d), 431:10C-701 | $1,000,000 primary | Required | Same |
| Passenger in the car | 431:10C-703(d) | $1,000,000 primary | Required | Same |
| Last passenger departed, driver still logged on | Back to 431:10C-703(c) | $50,000, $100,000, and $25,000 | Required | Same |
The 40/80/20 figures are the current text of 431:10C-301. The section history records an amendment, L 2024, c 138, §3. That codified text does not state a policy-date cutover. As of November 10, 2026, which personal policies must carry the limits in the current text, and as of what issue or renewal date, was not confirmed from the cited statute.
If the driver’s coverage lapses or falls short, the company’s insurer pays from the first dollar
The driver, or the company on the driver’s behalf, must maintain a primary policy that recognizes rideshare use. 431:10C-703(b). If the coverage “has lapsed or does not provide the required coverage,” the company’s insurer provides it beginning with the first dollar of a claim, with a duty to defend. 431:10C-703(e). Company coverage cannot depend on a personal insurer denying the claim first. 431:10C-703(h).
The driver must carry proof of coverage and, after an accident, give it on request and say whether they were logged on or on a ride. 431:10C-703(k). Companies must keep GPS and trip records for at least five years and produce them within 10 days of a written request in an accident investigation or dispute. 431:10C-704.
Any disclaimer, pre-accident waiver, or indemnity agreement a passenger signs with a company or driver is void. 431:10C-705. HRS 431:10C-705.
Whether Uber or Lyft is liable for a driver’s negligence beyond its insurance is unsettled.
A personal policy need not cover a ride in progress, and the waiting period is unsettled
Unless the personal policy or an endorsement says otherwise, a driver’s personal auto policy is not required to provide primary or excess coverage while the driver is engaged in a prearranged ride. 431:10C-703(l). Personal insurers may offer rideshare coverage for logged-on time or rides by policy, amendment, or endorsement. 431:10C-703(n).
The law has no matching express rule for the logged-on waiting period. Whether a personal policy may exclude that time is unsettled.
Uninsured and underinsured coverage must be offered at the liability limits, but can be rejected in writing
Insurers writing rideshare policies must offer uninsured and underinsured coverage for drivers and passengers at limits equal to the primary liability limits, which any named insured may reject in writing or purchase. 431:10C-703(f). On an ordinary Hawaii policy, uninsured and underinsured coverage is included unless a named insured rejects it in writing. 431:10C-301(b). HRS 431:10C-301.
Neither the Uber nor the Lyft certificate includes uninsured or underinsured coverage. Your own policy’s uninsured and underinsured coverage may matter.
Whether the rideshare offer rule replaces the ordinary “included unless rejected” rule is unsettled. Neither company certificate shows a written rejection of the coverage.
Uber prints 50/100/25 for period 1, $1 million from acceptance, PIP, and no uninsured coverage
Uber’s Hawaii certificates are issued by Farmers Insurance of Hawaii, NAIC 28487, for March 1, 2026 to March 1, 2027. Uber certificate PDF.
| What the form describes | Policy | Liability printed | PIP and uninsured printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logged in and available, no acceptance recorded | 606715876 | $50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000 | PIP “included”; uninsured and underinsured “not included in any amount” |
| Acceptance recorded, en route to pickup or traveling to the destination | 606715877 | $1,000,000 combined single limit | Same |
| Physical damage on accepted trips | 606715877PD | Comprehensive and collision, $2,500 deductibles | Not applicable |
The certificate prints no PIP dollar figure. The required amount comes from the statute: $10,000 per person.
Lyft prints period 1 and periods 2 and 3, with PIP and no uninsured coverage
Lyft’s certificate SEA-004250568-01 says “Evidence of Insurance only for the State of Hawaii (HI).” The insurer is Liberty Surplus Insurance Corp, NAIC 10725, a surplus lines carrier, and the policies run October 1, 2026 to October 1, 2027. Lyft certificate PDF.
| Policy | Period printed | Liability printed | PIP and uninsured printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASE-695-471695-116 | Period 1 | $50,000 / $100,000 bodily injury, $25,000 property damage | PIP included; uninsured and underinsured “not included in any amount” |
| ASE-695-471695-126 | Period 2/3 | $1,000,000 combined single limit | Same |
Physical damage pays actual cash value or repair cost, whichever is less, minus a $2,500 deductible. The certificate prints no PIP dollar figure; the statute requires $10,000 per person.
Does the $5,000 PIP figure decide every Hawaii injury lawsuit?
Personal injury protection pays reasonable medical, rehabilitation, and related expenses up to $10,000 per person, without regard to fault. 431:10C-103.5, 431:10C-304. The insurer must pay within 30 days of reasonable proof or send a written denial, and late benefits carry interest. 431:10C-304. HRS 431:10C-304.
Tort liability of an insured owner, operator, or user is abolished except in the circumstances in 431:10C-306(b). Those circumstances are death, a significant permanent loss of use of a part or function of the body, a permanent and serious disfigurement that subjects the person to mental or emotional suffering, or personal injury protection benefits that equal or exceed $5,000 under the calculation in 431:10C-306(b)(4). Benefits above the basic personal injury protection maximum in 431:10C-103.5 are not counted toward that $5,000. 431:10C-306(b)(4)(B).
That limit has further statutory exceptions. It does not abolish property-damage claims. 431:10C-306(f). It does not limit the liability of a person in the business of manufacturing, retailing, repairing, servicing, or otherwise maintaining motor vehicles for a defect caused, or not corrected, in that business. It also does not limit liability where someone intentionally causes injury or damage, engages in criminal conduct that causes injury or damage, engages in conduct resulting in punitive damages, or causes death or injury in connection with the accident while operating in violation of HRS 291E-61, or of sections 291-4 or 291-7 as those sections were in effect on or before December 31, 2001. 431:10C-306(e). HRS 431:10C-306.
How the threshold applies to a claim against the rideshare company itself is unsettled.
Only fault greater than the defendants’ combined fault bars recovery, and the deadline is two years
A plaintiff recovers if their negligence “was not greater than” the negligence of the defendants combined, with damages reduced by their share. 663-31. A plaintiff at 50 percent still recovers half. HRS 663-31.
Hawaii abolished joint and several liability in most cases, but kept it for economic and noneconomic damages in torts relating to motor vehicle accidents, other than highway design and maintenance claims. 663-10.9(2). HRS 663-10.9.
- Car accident lawsuits: the later of two years after the accident or two years after the last PIP or similar benefit payment. 431:10C-315(b). HRS 431:10C-315.
- Wrongful death: two years from the death. 663-3.
The $375,000 pain and suffering cap does not apply to car accidents
Hawaii caps pain and suffering at $375,000, but the cap does not apply to the torts listed in 663-10.9(2), which include torts relating to motor vehicle accidents. 663-8.7. HRS 663-8.7.
Sue the State within two years, and give a county written notice within two years
The State is liable for its employees’ torts like a private person, but not for prejudgment interest or punitive damages. 662-2. Suit must begin within two years after the claim accrues. 662-4. HRS 662-2.
Before a county is liable for injuries on its streets or for its employees’ negligence, the injured person must give written notice within two years after the injury, stating when, where, and how it happened, the extent of the injury, and the amount claimed. 46-72. HRS 46-72. Check with a Hawaii attorney about any limit on State or county damages.
Stop, give aid, and call police for injury or $3,000 in damage
- Stop and remain: after a collision with injury or death, stop and stay until the information and aid duties are met. Leaving can be a felony when the injury is serious or substantial. 291C-12, 291C-12.5, 291C-12.6.
- Information and aid: give your name, address, and registration number, show your license on request, and give reasonable assistance, including getting the injured person to medical care. 291C-14.
- Police notice: for injury, death, or apparent total property damage of $3,000 or more, notify the nearest police officer immediately. 291C-16. HRS 291C-16.
Driverless rides are unsettled in Hawaii
No Hawaii driverless vehicle statute was identified. Whether the 431:10C-703 limits would apply to a driverless trip is unsettled.
No state rideshare permit, and airports issue their own permits
The rideshare insurance law creates no state permit or regulator for rideshare companies and has no preemption clause. When the company is the only named insured, it or its insurer must disclose the coverage in writing to the driver. 431:10C-703(g).
Under amended Department of Transportation airport rules effective August 24, 2018, rideshare companies may apply for an airport permit, and pickups at neighbor island airports began February 1, 2019. HDOT Airports release.
What decides which floor and which coverage applies
- Whether the driver was logged off, logged on and available, had accepted a ride, or was carrying passengers, and when the last passenger departed.
- The company’s GPS and trip records, kept five years and produced within 10 days of a written request. 431:10C-704.
- Your PIP claim, and whether the injury meets 431:10C-306, including the $5,000 calculation, the serious-injury openings, and the exceptions in subsections (e) and (f).
- Your own uninsured and underinsured coverage, and any written rejection.
- Any waiver you clicked or signed, which is void. 431:10C-705.
- The accident date and last PIP payment, for the two-year deadline, and written notice if a county is involved.
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Start with PIP, then pin down when the ride was accepted
In Hawaii, PIP pays first, acceptance moves liability to $1,000,000, and neither certificate includes uninsured coverage. A free review can sort out which policies apply to your accident.