Rideshare coverage protects you and your vehicle if you drive for a ridesharing service such as Uber and Lyft. While ridesharing companies may provide some insurance that applies to drivers operating on their platforms, their coverage may be limited while you're waiting to match with a rider or when you have a passenger in your vehicle.
Many insurers, offer additional rideshare insurance that you can add to your personal auto policy to help fill coverage gaps. Please note, driving for Uber and Lyft, and transporting people is different than driving for Doordash, Grubhub, Amazon, etc.. and delivery packages or food. Check with your insurer to make sure you have the coverage you need.
Engaging in ridesharing activities opens you up to potential liabilities that your personal auto policy may not cover, so an insurer could cancel or non-renew your policy if they find out you're driving for a rideshare service and didn't notify them. Always contact your auto insurer before you start ridesharing to make sure you're not violating the terms of your policy, and to add rideshare coverage.
Important note: Some insurance companies don't offer rideshare coverage or only offer it in certain states. If yours doesn't, you can switch to a company that does or consider a commercial auto policy. In fact, some states and rideshare services may require you to purchase a commercial policy instead. Commercial insurance is typically more expensive, but in some instances it's the only way to obtain rideshare coverage.