What is New Hampshire’s $300,000 floor, and what do the certificates print?
New Hampshire’s rideshare law is RSA 359-U, in effect since July 1, 2023. The former rideshare chapter, RSA 376-A, was repealed on that date. Three amounts get mixed together. They are not the same thing.
Minimum law. While a driver is logged on and is not on a prearranged ride, RSA 359-U:8, II requires primary liability of at least $50,000 for death and bodily injury per person, $100,000 per incident, and $25,000 for property damage, including the duty to defend. During a prearranged ride, RSA 359-U:8, IV requires primary liability of at least $300,000 for death, bodily injury, and property damage. A prearranged ride begins when the driver accepts a request and ends when the last requesting rider departs. 359-U:1, IV. The $300,000 figure is a statutory floor. It is not the amount a particular claim will pay.
Named certificate. Uber policy ASE-665-067247-296, issued by Liberty Surplus Insurance Corporation, NAIC 10725, for March 1, 2026 to March 1, 2027, prints a $1,000,000 combined single limit after acceptance. Lyft policy NHBA2T6624548270, issued by Mobilitas Insurance Company, NAIC 16392, for October 1, 2026 to October 1, 2027, also prints a $1,000,000 combined single limit for period 2. Those are certificate figures. They are not the $300,000 statute.
Claim proceeds. What a claim pays depends on the policy terms, the loss, and the proof. A statutory minimum does not set the proceeds. A certificate limit does not set the proceeds either.
Uninsured motorist coverage and medical payments are separate questions. RSA 359-U:8 requires “coverage consistent with New Hampshire financial responsibility laws.” It does not name uninsured motorist coverage or medical payments. Whether those coverages are required on a rideshare policy is unsettled.
Statute text read November 10, 2026, from the official RSA text published by the General Court: RSA 359-U:8 and RSA 359-U:1.
New Hampshire & the Northeast
The $300,000 floor starts at acceptance and ends when the last rider departs
A prearranged ride begins when a driver accepts a ride requested through the company’s network, continues while the driver transports the rider, and ends when the last requesting rider departs. 359-U:1, IV. The drive to the pickup is inside the $300,000 period.
| App status | Statute | Liability required | Uninsured motorist and med pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| App off | Personal policy, 259:61 | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage on a liability policy | UM at the bodily injury limits (264:15); at least $1,000 med pay on private passenger policies (264:16) |
| Logged on, no ride accepted | 359-U:8, II | $50,000 per person, $100,000 per incident, $25,000 property damage, primary, with duty to defend | Not named; “coverage consistent with New Hampshire financial responsibility laws” |
| Accepted, driving to the pickup | 359-U:8, IV; 359-U:1, IV | $300,000 combined, primary | Same |
| Rider in the car | 359-U:8, IV | $300,000 combined, primary | Same |
| Last rider departed, still logged on | Back to 359-U:8, II | $50,000, $100,000, and $25,000 | Same |
If the driver’s coverage lapses or falls short, the company’s policy pays from the first dollar
The driver, the company, or a combination may provide the coverage. 359-U:8, III and V. If the driver’s insurance “has lapsed or does not provide the required coverage,” the company’s insurance provides it “beginning with the first dollar of a claim” and must defend and indemnify. 359-U:8, VI. The company’s coverage cannot depend on a personal insurer denying the claim first. 359-U:8, VII.
The driver must carry proof of coverage and, after an accident, give it to interested parties, insurers, and police, and on request say whether they were logged on or on a prearranged ride. 359-U:8, IX. In a claims investigation, the company must immediately give the driver’s log-on and log-off times for the 12 hours before and after the accident. 359-U:10, III. Trip records are kept at least one year. 359-U:16.
Whether Uber or Lyft is liable for a driver’s negligence beyond its insurance is unsettled. The statute says a company does not control drivers except by written contract. 359-U:1, V.
A personal policy may exclude everything while the app is on, including UM and med pay
Personal auto insurers may “exclude any and all coverage” for loss or injury while the driver is logged on or providing a prearranged ride, including liability, uninsured and underinsured motorist, medical payments, comprehensive, and collision. 359-U:10, I(a). No particular policy language is needed. An insurer that excludes the claim has no duty to defend or indemnify it. 359-U:10, II. RSA 359-U:10.
The rideshare law does not name uninsured motorist coverage, so whether it is required is unsettled
RSA 359-U:8 requires only “coverage consistent with New Hampshire financial responsibility laws” alongside the liability limits. It does not mention uninsured or underinsured coverage or medical payments.
On an ordinary New Hampshire liability policy, uninsured motorist coverage must be included at least at the bodily injury limits, and it automatically rises to match higher limits the insured buys. 264:15, I. But no commercial policy is required to provide it for vehicles the policyholder does not own. 264:15, I-a. RSA 264:15.
Whether the rideshare law pulls in the 264:15 uninsured motorist rule and the 264:16 med pay rule, and whether the I-a exception for non-owned vehicles covers a rideshare company’s policy, is unsettled.
Uber prints $1 million from acceptance, med pay included, and no uninsured coverage
Uber’s New Hampshire certificates are issued by Liberty Surplus Insurance Corporation, NAIC 10725, for March 1, 2026 to March 1, 2027. Uber certificate PDF.
| What the form describes | Policy | Liability printed | Other wording printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Available to receive requests, none accepted | ASE-665-067247-286 | $50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000 | Uninsured and underinsured “not included in any amount” |
| Acceptance recorded, en route to pickup or to the destination | ASE-665-067247-296 | $1,000,000 combined single limit | Medical payments “included as further described in this policy,” no amount printed; uninsured and underinsured “not included in any amount” |
| Physical damage on accepted trips | ASE-665-067247-296 | Comprehensive and collision, $2,500 deductibles | Not applicable |
Uber’s certificate prints $1,000,000 after acceptance. The statute’s floor for a prearranged ride is $300,000. The certificate is not the statute, and neither number is what a particular claim pays.
Lyft prints uninsured coverage matching its limits, but no Period 3 liability figure
Lyft’s certificate SEA-004219092-05 is issued by Mobilitas Insurance Company, NAIC 16392, for October 1, 2026 to October 1, 2027. Lyft certificate PDF.
| Policy | Period printed | Limit printed | Uninsured and underinsured printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHBA1T6624548270 | Period 1 | $50,000 / $100,000 bodily injury, $25,000 property damage | $50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000 |
| NHBA2T6624548270 | Period 2 | $1,000,000 combined single limit | $1,000,000 CSL |
| NHBA3T6624548270 | Period 3 | Only a $2,500 physical damage deductible | $1,000,000 CSL |
The certificate prints no liability figure for Period 3. The statute requires at least $300,000 for a prearranged ride. 359-U:8, IV. That $300,000 figure is the statutory floor. It is not printed as Period 3 liability on this certificate, and it is not the amount a particular claim will pay. No med pay is printed. Physical damage pays actual cash value or repair cost, whichever is less, minus the $2,500 deductible.
New Hampshire has no PIP; med pay starts at $1,000 on private passenger policies
New Hampshire does not use personal injury protection. A liability policy on a private passenger car registered or garaged in the state must include medical payments coverage of at least $1,000 per person for the driver and passengers, for costs within 3 years. 264:16, I. Health insurers may not coordinate benefits against it, and it cannot be assigned to a provider. 264:16, II and III. RSA 264:16.
A personal policy’s med pay may be excluded while the app is on. 359-U:10, I(a). Uber’s ride-period policy says med pay is included without stating an amount.
Whether 264:16 applies to a rideshare company’s policy is unsettled.
Only fault greater than the defendants’ combined fault bars recovery, and the deadline is three years
Your fault does not bar recovery if it “was not greater than the fault of the defendant, or the defendants in the aggregate”; damages are reduced by your share. 507:7-d. At 50 percent you still recover half. RSA 507:7-d.
Judgment is entered on joint and several liability, except that a party less than 50 percent at fault pays only its own share. 507:7-e, I(b). RSA 507:7-e.
Personal injury suits must be brought within 3 years of the act or omission, or 3 years from when the injury and its cause were or should have been discovered. 508:4, I. RSA 508:4.
No punitive damages unless a statute allows them
“No punitive damages shall be awarded in any action, unless otherwise provided by statute.” 507:16. RSA 507:16. No cap on compensatory damages in an ordinary accident case is stated.
Whether any statutory limit on noneconomic damages is enforceable is unsettled.
Towns: $325,000 and 60 days’ notice. The State: $475,000 and 180 days’ notice
- Towns, cities, counties, and school districts: liability is capped at $325,000 per person and $1,000,000 per incident, with no punitive damages. 507-B:4. The clerk must be notified by registered mail within 60 days of the injury, and suit filed within 3 years. 507-B:7. RSA 507-B:4, RSA 507-B:7.
- The State: claims are capped at $475,000 per claimant and $3,750,000 per incident, or any greater insurance proceeds, with no punitive damages. The agency must get written notice within 180 days, and the claim must be brought within 3 years. 541-B:14. RSA 541-B:14.
How government insurance under 507-B:7-a affects the town and city caps is unsettled.
Stop, exchange information, and file a written report within 15 days
- Stop and exchange: stop immediately and give your name, address, license number, insurer and policy information, registration number, and each occupant’s name and address. 264:25, I.
- Written report: within 15 days, report in writing to the division if anyone is injured or killed or property damage is more than $1,000, unless a police officer investigated. 264:25, I. RSA 264:25.
- Rideshare driver: must show proof of coverage and, on request, say whether they were logged on or on a ride. 359-U:8, IX.
RSA 242 allows driverless networks, and whether 359-U applies is unsettled
RSA 242:1 lets a driverless capable vehicle operate without a human driver and lets a person run an on-demand driverless vehicle network, if the conditions are met. 242:1, X. Before operating, the owner must show insurance or self-insurance that satisfies RSA 264. 242:1, XII. After an accident, the owner must promptly report it to police. 242:1, XI. RSA 242:1.
Whether the 359-U:8 limits apply to a driverless trip is unsettled.
The Department of Safety issues a $500 permit, and towns cannot add their own rules
A rideshare company needs an annual permit from the Department of Safety, at $500 a year. 359-U:1, I; 359-U:3. Companies and drivers are governed exclusively by 359-U and Department of Safety rules. No town or city may tax or license them or impose rate, entry, or operational rules. A federally obligated airport may charge a fee no greater than the fee it applies to taxicab service. 359-U:17. RSA 359-U:17.
What decides which policy and which limit applies
- Whether the driver was logged off, logged on and waiting, had accepted a ride, or was carrying you, and when the last rider got out.
- Log-on and log-off times for 12 hours around the accident, which the company must give immediately in a claims investigation. 359-U:10, III.
- Which company: Uber’s certificate prints no uninsured coverage, while Lyft’s prints uninsured coverage up to $1,000,000 during rides.
- Your own auto and med pay coverage, and any exclusion for rideshare use.
- Your share of fault compared with all defendants combined.
- The 3-year deadline, and the 60-day or 180-day notice if a town, city, or the State is involved.
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Which New Hampshire number is the statute, and which number is the certificate?
The prearranged-ride floor in RSA 359-U:8 is $300,000. The named Uber and Lyft certificates print $1,000,000. Neither figure is what a particular claim will pay. Uninsured coverage and medical payments stay separate questions. A free review can sort out which policies apply to your accident.