How much insurance is available after a Tennessee Uber or Lyft accident?

Tennessee changes liability coverage at ride acceptance

Tennessee’s coverage can be supplied by a policy maintained by the driver, a policy maintained by the transportation network company, or a combination of the two. Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-12-141(c), (d). If the driver’s own insurance has lapsed or does not provide the required limits, the company-maintained insurance must provide the required coverage beginning with the first dollar of the claim, and the personal insurer does not have to deny the claim first. Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-12-141(e), (f).

Uber’s current Tennessee certificate, effective March 1, 2026 through March 1, 2027, lists $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 while the driver is logged on and waiting for a request — matching Tennessee’s statutory minimum exactly — and a $1,000,000 combined single limit once a ride has been accepted. The certificate states that uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is not included in either period. Uber Tennessee Certificate of Insurance.

Lyft’s current Tennessee certificate, effective October 1, 2026 through October 1, 2027, likewise lists $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 for the waiting period and a $1,000,000 combined single limit for the prearranged-ride period. The public certificate does not show a Tennessee uninsured or underinsured motorist entry in either period. Lyft Tennessee Certificate of Liability Insurance.

When does the $1 million Tennessee period begin and end?

The timeline follows Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-12-141. FindLaw marks that text current as of January 2, 2024. A later amendment was not confirmed from that source as of November 10, 2026.

1. Offline. Subsection (h) leaves a driver who is logged off under the financial-responsibility rules in this part. The liability amounts in (c)(1) and (d)(1) apply once the driver is logged on or on a prearranged ride.
2. Logged on, available, no accepted ride. § 55-12-141(c)(1) requires primary automobile liability insurance of at least $50,000 for death and bodily injury per person, $100,000 per incident, and $25,000 for property damage.
3. Ride accepted. A prearranged ride begins when the driver accepts a ride requested through the company’s digital network. § 55-12-141(a)(3). From that acceptance, § 55-12-141(d)(1) requires at least $1,000,000 for death, bodily injury, and property damage. The drive to the pickup is inside that period.
4. Passenger picked up. The same prearranged ride continues while the driver transports the requesting rider. § 55-12-141(a)(3), (d)(1).
5. Last requesting rider departs. The prearranged ride ends when the last requesting rider departs from the personal vehicle. § 55-12-141(a)(3). If the driver stays logged on, § 55-12-141(c)(1) applies again until the next acceptance or the driver logs off.

Those steps are the statute’s liability floors. What uninsured or underinsured coverage a particular policy carries is a separate question, in the section below.

One acceptance timestamp can move a Tennessee claim from $50,000/$100,000 to $1 million

A Tennessee claim can change insurance tiers with a single app event.

If the accident happens seconds before the driver accepts a ride, the required TNC liability minimum is $50,000/$100,000/$25,000. If it happens seconds after acceptance, Tennessee requires at least $1 million — ten times the per-incident floor of the waiting period.

Neither Uber’s nor Lyft’s public Tennessee certificate lists uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage in either period. Subsections (c)(2) and (d)(2) say the automobile liability insurance shall comply with § 56-7-1201. The text of § 56-7-1201 was not available from the linked page on November 10, 2026. A written rejection, a selected lower limit, or an uninsured dollar amount in that section is unverified from that source. A driver’s or passenger’s own policy is still worth reading on its own. Tenn. Code Ann. § 56-7-1201.

Are there different city rules?

Tennessee provides that, except as otherwise stated in the statute, transportation network companies are governed exclusively by Tennessee’s Transportation Network Companies Act and are not subject to regulations passed by a municipality or other governmental entity governing private passenger for-hire vehicles, nor to the authority of the department of safety. Commercial service airports may still adopt reasonable standards, procedures, and fees for TNC activity on airport property. Tenn. Code Ann. § 65-15-302(a), (c), (d). There is no separate Nashville, Memphis, or Knoxville insurance minimum for rideshare accidents; the limits above apply statewide.

Does § 55-12-141 set its own uninsured or underinsured dollar amount?

Liability insurance protects against claims made because an insured driver caused an accident. Uninsured motorist coverage addresses injuries caused by a driver with no applicable liability coverage. Underinsured motorist coverage addresses a responsible driver whose available liability insurance is lower than the injured insured’s applicable underinsured-motorist limits.

§ 55-12-141 does not print its own uninsured or underinsured dollar amount. In both the waiting period and the prearranged-ride period, it says the required automobile liability insurance shall comply with § 56-7-1201. Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-12-141(c)(2), (d)(2). § 56-7-1201. The linked text of § 56-7-1201 did not load on November 10, 2026, so an equal-limits offer, a written rejection, and any dollar floor in that section stay unverified here. That cross-reference is not a certificate line, and it is not a separate TNC dollar amount.

Uber

Uber’s current Tennessee certificate expressly shows:

• Waiting for a request: $50,000 bodily injury per person / $100,000 per accident / $25,000 property damage.
• Accepted ride through the passenger period: $1,000,000 combined single limit.
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: not included in either period.
• Comprehensive/collision: during the accepted-ride period, actual cash value, subject to a $2,500 deductible.

See the Uber Tennessee Certificate of Insurance, effective March 1, 2026–March 1, 2027.

Lyft

Lyft’s current Tennessee certificate shows the same $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 waiting-period limits and a $1,000,000 combined single limit for the accepted-ride period, with comprehensive and collision coverage subject to a $2,500 deductible, limited to actual cash value or the cost of repair, whichever is less. The certificate does not list a Tennessee uninsured or underinsured motorist amount in either period. Lyft Tennessee Certificate of Liability Insurance, effective October 1, 2026–October 1, 2027.

A passenger or driver may still have personal uninsured or underinsured coverage. The certificate lines above are what those company forms print. They are not a statutory dollar amount.