Rideshare-related claims jump 96% in 2025: Verisk

Commercial auto claim volumes, which rose steadily from 2021 through 2024, finally dropped in 2025, according to Verisk's latest ClaimSearch Trends report. Claims fell 5%, dropping from 1.94 million to 1.84 million, though claim activity was still 14% higher than in 2021. Personal auto declined from previous years, as well, falling 8% to 31.6 million claims in 2025. 

The report, which analyzed claims volumes in both property and auto insurance, found that claim volume trends declined across policy types in 2025.

"A decline in claims doesn't mean risk is retreating — it means it's shifting. The underlying loss patterns outlined in the report point to fewer widespread events and more concentrated, complex losses. That shift is evident in wildfire claims driven by smoke damage and high-value properties, as well as in commercial auto exposure fueled by the gig economy," said Shane Riedman, president of anti-fraud analytics at Verisk. 

The rapid expansion of commercial vehicle usage related to the gig economy — seen in ride-hailing and food-delivery platforms like Uber or DoorDash — has driven the five-year surge in auto claims, according to Verisk. Gig-related commercial auto claims rose 96%, increasing from 89,000 in 2021 to 175,000 in 2025. While non-gig-related claims increased at 15% between 2021 and 2025, gig-related auto claims skyrocketed in the same period: ride hailing claims increased by 66%, and those related to food delivery jumped 300% in volume. Gig-related claims now make up 10% of total commercial auto claims, gaining four percentage points within the past five years.

"We're also beginning to see early signals in autonomous vehicle claims," said Riedman. "While AV-related claims remain relatively small, they are beginning to introduce new considerations around liability and severity that insurers will need to monitor closely as adoption continues to evolve."

Use of autonomous vehicles increased in 2025, according to Verisk, noting higher deployment in cities like San Francisco, Phoenix and Austin. Recently, Uber announced that it would invest $10 billion in autonomous vehicle purchases, with plans to launch robotaxi services in at least 28 cities by 2028. Uber has also formed partnerships with multiple autonomous vehicle operators, including Rivian and Lucid. While Waymo is the top autonomous vehicle ride-hailing company, competitors include General Motors' Cruise, Amazon's Zoox and Tesla's Cybercab.

The report found that the volume of claims related to self-driving vehicles quadrupled from 100 claims in 2021 to 400 in 2025, and claims of autonomous ride-hailing vehicles increased by 20 times during the same period.