So you drive for Uber or Lyft, and your personal auto policy is with Allstate or Progressive, or you are sitting at the kitchen table on a Sunday comparing quotes from both. Here is the short answer to which one wins for rideshare drivers: there is no magic winner, because Allstate Ride for Hire and Progressive rideshare coverage do the same core job. They are add ons to your personal auto policy that keep you covered while the app is on and you are waiting for a ride request, which is exactly the gap Uber and Lyft leave open. The real decision comes down to what each one costs in your state, which deductibles you end up with, and whether you prefer an agent on the phone or a fast online quote. Get prices from both, add a third company to the mix, and the right pick usually makes itself obvious.
Video: Allstate vs. Progressive: Which Auto Insurance Is Better?
The app on gap decides everything
When your rideshare app is on and you are waiting for a ping, you are in what insurers call Period 1. During this phase, Uber and Lyft carry only limited liability, roughly 50,000 dollars per person and 100,000 per accident for bodily injury plus 25,000 for property damage in most states, and they carry zero coverage for damage to your own car. Your regular personal auto policy, meanwhile, usually excludes any driving for pay the second the app opens. So if you tap someone’s bumper at 9 pm outside a busy bar district while waiting for a request, you can land in a true no coverage zone where nobody’s policy wants the claim. That gap is the whole reason rideshare endorsements exist, and I walk through it in detail here: what Period 1 covers and what it leaves out.
Here is the thing most comparison articles bury: Allstate Ride for Hire and Progressive rideshare coverage are both built specifically to close that gap. The Period 1 waiting gap is the coverage you cannot skip. Everything else in this comparison is details. The company that closes it cleanly, at a price you can live with, is the one you want.
Allstate Ride for Hire in plain English
Allstate literally calls the product “Ride for Hire” in many states, which is refreshingly honest branding for an insurance add on. You keep your existing personal auto policy, with your existing limits and deductibles, and the endorsement extends that coverage into your rideshare hours so your personal insurer cannot point at the app and deny the claim. It generally works for any transportation network company, not only Uber and Lyft, which matters if you ever pick up shifts on a smaller regional platform. Availability varies by state, so the first thing to check is whether it is sold where you garage your car.
On price, the endorsement often adds roughly 5 to 15 percent on top of your base premium in many markets, which typically works out to about 15 to 30 dollars a month, though your driving record, vehicle, and ZIP code move that number around. One genuinely useful perk is Allstate’s Deductible Rewards program, which knocks money off your deductible for every claim free year, up to 500 dollars. That pairs nicely with the Uber side of the equation, because Uber’s own coverage carries a 2,500 dollar deductible for damage to your car in Periods 2 and 3, so keeping your personal deductible low is worth real money. You can read Allstate’s own description of the product on their rideshare insurance page.
Progressive rideshare coverage in plain English
Progressive takes the same basic shape: a rideshare add on to your personal auto policy, offered in most states where Progressive writes auto insurance, though exact terms still vary state by state. The endorsement keeps your personal policy from excluding coverage during app on periods, including the critical Period 1 wait. Progressive is an online quote machine, so the buying experience is fast and the quote screens spell out which periods the endorsement touches if you read them carefully, which you should.
Where drivers sometimes get surprised is assuming the add on replaces the platform’s own coverage. It does not. It fills the gaps around it, mainly that Period 1 hole, and your personal deductibles apply to your own vehicle. If you are weighing whether a simple endorsement is even the right structure for your mileage, this breakdown helps: endorsement versus hybrid and commercial options. Progressive describes their offering on their rideshare coverage page.
Allstate vs Progressive, head to head
Availability
Both companies sell their rideshare add on in most states, and both leave a few states out. There is no national scoreboard that stays current for long, because state filings change quietly. The only reliable check is a real quote with your own ZIP code. If one of the two is not offered where you live, your decision is made for you, and that happens more often than drivers expect.
Which periods they cover
This is the part that actually matters. Both endorsements are designed to keep your personal policy alive during Period 1, the app on and waiting stretch where the platform’s coverage is thinnest and your car damage is not covered at all. During Periods 2 and 3, with a passenger assigned or on board, Uber and Lyft carry up to 1 million dollars in liability, so your endorsement mostly plays backup there, with your own deductibles applying to your car. Ask each agent or quote tool one blunt question and get the answer in writing: exactly which periods does this endorsement cover? If the answer is fuzzy, that tells you something.
What it costs
Rideshare endorsements are usually cheap relative to the risk they close. Typical adds land around 15 to 30 dollars a month on top of the base premium, though some drivers pay less and some pay more depending on record, vehicle, coverage limits, and state. Do not compare the endorsement price alone. Compare the whole premium, Allstate total versus Progressive total, because base rates differ enough that a cheaper add on can still lose on the final number. Independent data on how insurers think about personal auto pricing is worth a skim if you want to understand what moves a quote, and the Insurance Information Institute keeps a solid auto insurance basics guide for exactly that.
Deductibles
Two deductibles can hit you in one accident, and drivers learn this the hard way. Uber’s contingent coverage in Periods 2 and 3 comes with a 2,500 dollar deductible for damage to your own car. Your endorsement usually lets your personal deductible apply during Period 1 instead, which is exactly why keeping that personal deductible low is worth real money. Allstate’s Deductible Rewards can chip away at it over time if you stay claim free. Allstate also says its Ride for Hire endorsement may help cover the difference between your personal deductible and the platform’s higher one, for example paying toward the gap between a 500 dollar personal deductible and the TNC’s 2,500 dollar deductible. With Progressive, the deductible you pick at quote time is the deductible you get, so choose it like you will actually file a claim someday, because someday you might.
Who each one suits best
Allstate tends to fit drivers who want an agent they can call, who already bundle home or renters insurance for the multi policy discount, and who like the idea of their deductible shrinking over time. It is also a natural pick if you drive for a smaller transportation network company and want a product that explicitly covers any TNC rather than naming two apps. Progressive tends to fit drivers who want the fastest quote, who are comfortable managing everything online, and who shop price first. If you already hold a Progressive policy and drive part time on nights and weekends, adding their endorsement is often the path of least resistance. None of that is a rule. Your ZIP code and driving record can flip the whole thing, which is why the quotes matter more than any article, including this one.
How to quote both in one sitting
You can get this done in under an hour if you stop researching and start quoting. Pull up your current declarations page so the coverage limits match apples to apples. Quote Allstate first, through an agent or online, and ask for Ride for Hire by name so it actually lands on the policy. Quote Progressive online and add the rideshare coverage on the quote screen, then read the period details before you move on. Then quote a third company, because two quotes is a coin flip and three is a comparison. Our look at State Farm’s rideshare pricing shows what a third data point often looks like: State Farm rideshare cost breakdown.
Compare total six month premiums, not the add on alone, and make sure the deductibles and liability limits match across all three quotes or the comparison is fiction. Ask each one the Period 1 question and get the answer in writing. Once you pick, adding the endorsement is usually a simple mid term policy change that takes effect fast: how to add a rideshare endorsement. One warning that matters: do not start driving for pay before the endorsement is effective. A claim during an undisclosed gap is exactly how drivers end up paying out of pocket for someone else’s bumper.
Questions drivers actually ask
Is Allstate Ride for Hire a separate commercial policy?
No. It is an endorsement that attaches to your personal auto policy, not a standalone commercial policy. You keep your existing limits and deductibles, and the endorsement simply extends them into your rideshare hours. If you need true commercial limits for full time driving, that is a different product entirely.
Does Progressive cover me while the app is on but I have no passenger?
That is the main point of the endorsement. The app on and waiting phase is Period 1, and the rideshare add on is designed to keep your personal coverage alive during it. Confirm the exact periods in writing on your quote, because state versions of the endorsement can differ.
How much does each endorsement cost?
There is no fixed national price, but most drivers see roughly 15 to 30 dollars a month added to their base premium. Your driving record, car, coverage limits, and state move that range up or down. Compare total premiums across companies rather than fixating on the add on price alone.
Can I switch from one company to the other mid policy?
Yes. Line up the new policy’s effective date with the old policy’s cancellation date so there is no gap in coverage, and make sure the rideshare endorsement is on the new policy from day one. Never cancel the old policy before the new one is confirmed in force.
What happens if I drive for Uber without telling my insurer?
Your personal auto policy likely excludes driving for pay, which means a claim during a rideshare period can be denied and the policy can be cancelled. The endorsement exists precisely to remove that exclusion. Tell your insurer before you drive, not after a crash.
The Bottom Line
Allstate Ride for Hire and Progressive rideshare coverage are two flavors of the same sensible idea: a cheap add on that keeps your personal policy honest while the app is on. Neither one replaces the platform’s coverage, and neither one is automatically cheaper. The driver who wins this comparison is the one who quotes both plus a third carrier, matches the limits, checks the Period 1 language in writing, and picks the lowest total premium with a deductible they can actually afford. Do that on a Sunday afternoon and you will know more than ninety percent of the drivers on the road. Then go drive, and stop thinking about insurance.