Choose your state, how you were travelling and what you know about the other driver. You get the usual order: which coverage tends to pay first and what can come later.
The usual order, in plain words
All three states are fault states, so the order is the same in each. What changes is the coverage behind each step.
- The driver who caused the crash is responsible. That driver’s liability insurance is the first place a claim goes. It pays up to the policy limit and no further.
- Your own auto policy can pay medical bills in the meantime. Medical payments coverage or PIP pays regardless of fault, where a policy has it.
- Your health insurance pays as usual. It pays as it would for any other care.
- Your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage fills the gap. It steps in when the driver at fault has no insurance or not enough.
- Someone who paid may be owed money back. An insurer that paid your bills may have a right to be repaid out of a settlement. How that works depends on the state and on the policy.
What each state requires
These are the rules the explainer draws on. The dollar figures are insurance minimums written into state law. They are not the value of any claim.
| California | Texas | Washington | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum liability insurance drivers must carry | $30,000 for the injury or death of one person, $60,000 for two or more people, and $15,000 for property damage, for policies issued or renewed since January 1, 2025. The older figures of $15,000, $30,000 and $5,000 no longer apply.Cal. Veh. Code § 16056(a)(2) | $30,000 for the injury or death of one person, $60,000 for two or more people, and $25,000 for property damage, in one collision.Tex. Transp. Code § 601.072(a-1) | $25,000 for the injury or death of one person, $50,000 for two or more people, and $10,000 for property damage, in one accident.RCW 46.29.090 |
| Coverage for your own medical bills | California does not require drivers to carry coverage for their own medical bills. Medical payments coverage is optional. Where a policy has it, it can pay for immediate medical care no matter who was at fault.California Department of Insurance, Automobile Insurance Information Guide | Personal injury protection (PIP) is part of every auto policy unless it was rejected in writing. The statute does not require an insurer to provide more than $2,500 per person, and PIP pays no matter who was at fault.Tex. Ins. Code §§ 1952.152, 1952.153, 1952.155 | Insurers must offer personal injury protection (PIP) with every auto policy, and it can only be declined in writing. The minimum benefits are $10,000 for medical and hospital care, plus limited amounts for lost income, household services and funeral costs.RCW 48.22.085; RCW 48.22.095 |
| Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage | Every auto liability policy includes uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage unless the insurer and a named insured removed or reduced it in a signed written agreement.Cal. Ins. Code § 11580.2(a) | An auto policy in Texas must include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage unless a named insured rejected it in writing. If you never signed a rejection, you may have this coverage without knowing it.Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.101 | A new auto policy must include underinsured motorist coverage, which in Washington also covers uninsured, hit and run and phantom vehicles, unless the named insured or spouse rejected it in writing.RCW 48.22.030 |
| Hit and run and unidentified drivers | To use uninsured motorist coverage for a driver who was never identified, there must have been physical contact with that vehicle, the crash must be reported to the police within 24 hours, and a sworn statement must be filed with your insurer within 30 days after that.Cal. Ins. Code § 11580.2(b) | To use uninsured motorist coverage for a driver who was never identified, Texas requires actual physical contact between that driver’s vehicle and you or your property, such as your vehicle.Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.104(3) | When the other vehicle never touched yours (a phantom vehicle), your claim needs evidence beyond your own account, and the crash must be reported to law enforcement within 72 hours.RCW 48.22.030(8) |
| Deadline for a claim under your own policy | For an uninsured motorist claim, one of three things must happen within two years of the crash: a lawsuit is filed against the uninsured driver, an agreement on the amount is reached with your insurer, or arbitration is formally started in writing by certified mail.Cal. Ins. Code § 11580.2(i) | A claim against your own insurer for uninsured or underinsured motorist benefits is a contract claim, generally subject to a four year limit. The deadline to sue the driver who caused the crash is still two years.Franco v. Allstate Ins. Co., 505 S.W.2d 789 (Tex. 1974); Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.051 | No rule published here for this state. Ask us. |
| If you had no insurance yourself | If you owned or drove a vehicle in the crash that was not insured as the law requires, you can still recover your medical bills and lost income from the driver at fault, but not damages for pain and suffering. There is an exception for an uninsured owner who was hit by a driver later convicted of driving under the influence.Cal. Civ. Code § 3333.4 | No rule published here for this state. Ask us. | No rule published here for this state. Ask us. |
| Rideshare driver logged in, no ride accepted | At least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for injuries, and $30,000 for property damage, plus $200,000 in excess coverage.Cal. Pub. Util. Code § 5433(c) | At least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for injuries, and $25,000 for property damage.Tex. Ins. Code § 1954.052 | At least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for injuries, and $30,000 for property damage, plus underinsured motorist coverage and PIP as state law requires.RCW 46.72B.180 |
| Rideshare driver heading to a rider or on a trip | From the moment the driver accepts a ride until it ends: $1,000,000 in liability coverage. While a passenger is in the vehicle, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage of $60,000 per person and $300,000 per incident applies. That figure was $1,000,000 until January 1, 2026.Cal. Pub. Util. Code § 5433(b) | From the moment the driver accepts a ride until the last rider gets out: $1,000,000 in total liability coverage per incident. Uninsured motorist coverage and PIP also apply where Texas law requires them.Tex. Ins. Code § 1954.053 | From the moment the driver accepts a ride until the passenger gets out: $1,000,000 in combined liability coverage. Underinsured motorist coverage of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident applies while a passenger is in the vehicle, and PIP applies as state law requires.RCW 46.72B.180 |
What this page will not do
It cannot read your policy, so it cannot say what coverage you have. It will not tell you whether you have a case, and it never puts a value on a claim.
For more detail, read the guides:
Sources
Primary sources for the rules on this page. Checked on the dates shown.
- Cal. Veh. Code § 16056(a)(2) (checked October 3, 2026)
- California Department of Insurance, Automobile Insurance Information Guide (checked October 3, 2026)
- Cal. Ins. Code § 11580.2(a) (checked October 3, 2026)
- Cal. Ins. Code § 11580.2(b) (checked October 3, 2026)
- Cal. Ins. Code § 11580.2(i) (checked October 3, 2026)
- Cal. Civ. Code § 3333.4 (checked October 3, 2026)
- Cal. Pub. Util. Code § 5433(c) (checked October 3, 2026)
- Cal. Pub. Util. Code § 5433(b) (checked October 3, 2026)
- Tex. Transp. Code § 601.072(a-1) (checked October 3, 2026)
- Tex. Ins. Code §§ 1952.152, 1952.153, 1952.155 (checked October 3, 2026)
- Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.101 (checked October 3, 2026)
- Tex. Ins. Code § 1952.104(3) (checked October 3, 2026)
- Franco v. Allstate Ins. Co., 505 S.W.2d 789 (Tex. 1974); Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.051 (checked October 3, 2026)
- Tex. Ins. Code § 1954.052 (checked October 3, 2026)
- Tex. Ins. Code § 1954.053 (checked October 3, 2026)
- RCW 46.29.090 (checked October 3, 2026)
- RCW 48.22.085; RCW 48.22.095 (checked October 3, 2026)
- RCW 48.22.030 (checked October 3, 2026)
- RCW 48.22.030(8) (checked October 3, 2026)
- RCW 46.72B.180 (checked October 3, 2026)
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