TVDE insurance in Portugal — Uber, Bolt and Free Now
A private motor policy does not cover carrying passengers for payment. We compare the insurers that underwrite TVDE and come back with like-for-like quotes within one working day — for one car or for a fleet.
TVDE insurance quote
Fill in the essentials. We reply within one working day.
What the law requires
Ride-hailing in Portugal — legally transporte individual e remunerado de passageiros em veículos descaracterizados, or TVDE — is governed by Law 45/2018 of 10 August. The vehicle must be attached to an operator licensed by the IMT, and the person driving must hold a valid TVDE driver certificate.
On the insurance side the law requires two separate and cumulative covers. The first is motor third-party liability, compulsory for any vehicle, but which here must expressly contemplate carrying passengers for payment. The second is personal accident cover for the passengers carried, required specifically by the TVDE regime.
This is where most of the trouble starts. An ordinary private policy excludes carriage for hire and reward. If the accident happens during a platform trip, the insurer can argue that the risk was materially different from the one declared and decline the claim, leaving the driver personally liable. The policy has to declare TVDE use from the outset — not after the first claim.
- IMT operator licence
- Valid TVDE driver certificate
- Motor third-party liability declaring professional use
- Personal accident cover for passengers carried
- Vehicle roadworthiness test (IPO) up to date
- Workers’ compensation insurance where drivers are employed
Essential cover
These are the covers without which the activity is not compliant. None of them is optional for anyone driving on a platform.
Motor third-party liability
Covers damage caused to others. The statutory minimums are €6,450,000 for bodily injury and €1,300,000 for material damage per claim. The policy must state professional use for carriage of passengers.
Passenger personal accident
Required by the TVDE regime. Responds for death, permanent disability and treatment costs of the passengers carried, regardless of whether the driver was at fault.
Workers’ compensation
Compulsory where the operator employs drivers. It covers the driver as an employee — something neither motor liability nor passenger accident cover does.
Driver protection
Where the driver is the policyholder, this cover responds for the driver’s own bodily injury, which third-party liability by definition does not.
Cover worth adding
Not required by law, but in TVDE the car is the tool: losing it means losing the income it produces.
Own damage
Impact, collision and overturning to your own vehicle. Effectively unavoidable on a leased or financed car, because the finance agreement usually requires it and the outstanding balance does not disappear with the vehicle.
24h roadside assistance
Towing and breakdown recovery with no distance excess. In professional use the difference between assistance from km 0 and from km 25 is a real one.
Replacement vehicle
Keeps income running during repair. Check the number of days and whether it applies to mechanical breakdown as well as accident.
Glass cover
Frequent and quick to repair. Bought as a standalone cover, it avoids claiming on own damage and worsening your claims record.
Theft and fire
Available separately from own damage. Relevant for anyone who parks on the street overnight.
Loss of income
A daily allowance while the vehicle is off the road. Not every insurer offers it on TVDE — where it exists, it is one of the covers with the most practical effect.
The mistakes we see most often
Driving on a platform with a private policy
The most expensive mistake and the most common one. The exclusion is invisible until the claim is filed, by which point nothing can be done about it.
Assuming the platform covers you
Uber, Bolt and Free Now arrange their own cover, with scopes and limits they define. It does not replace the vehicle’s policy or the operator’s legal obligations.
Forgetting workers’ compensation
An operator with employed drivers must hold workers’ compensation insurance. Its absence is a separate infringement and leaves the operator exposed to the benefits owed to the employee.
Insuring a fleet as a pile of individual policies
From three vehicles up it almost always pays to group them into a fleet policy: one renewal date, one claims history, one negotiation.
Not declaring the real operating area
Rating depends on where the vehicle habitually circulates. Declaring one city and working in another is a misstatement the insurer can rely on.
How we work
Understanding the risk
We look at the vehicle, the driver, the operating pattern and the current policy if there is one. This is where the gap between the declared risk and the real one shows up.
Going to the market
We take the same risk, described the same way, to several insurers. As an ASF-registered insurance intermediary we do not represent one company — we negotiate with all of those that underwrite the risk.
Side-by-side comparison
You get the quotes in a single table: sums insured, excesses, exclusions and premium. Comparing premiums without comparing exclusions tells you nothing.
Issue and claims
We handle issuance and stay as your point of contact if you have a claim. Notification, loss adjustment and follow-up through to payment go through us.
We compare the market
Frequently asked questions
Does my private car insurance cover Uber or Bolt trips?
No. Private policies exclude carriage of passengers for hire and reward. To drive on a platform the policy must declare TVDE use, which changes both the rating and the underwriting terms.
Which insurances are compulsory for TVDE?
Motor third-party liability with professional use declared, and personal accident cover for the passengers carried. If the operator employs drivers, workers’ compensation insurance is added to that.
How much does TVDE insurance cost?
It depends on the vehicle, the driver’s age and licence history, the operating area, annual mileage, claims record and the covers chosen. We do not publish price tables because an average figure applies to nobody in particular — the quote is built on your data.
I drive but the car belongs to the operator. Do I need my own cover?
The vehicle policy is the responsibility of the registered owner, normally the operator. Check what that policy does for you, though: third-party liability protects others, not the driver. Driver protection or workers’ compensation is what responds for your own injuries.
Do all insurers accept TVDE?
No. Not every company underwrites it, and those that do apply different criteria on vehicle age, licence seniority and claims history. Knowing where the risk can be placed is part of the intermediary’s job.
Can several TVDE vehicles go on one policy?
Yes, through a fleet policy. It usually makes sense from three vehicles up and simplifies administration, because there is then a single renewal date and an aggregated claims history.
I am not yet resident and have no NIF. Can I be insured?
A Portuguese NIF is required to register a vehicle and to issue a policy on it. Residency is a separate question. If you are still going through that process, tell us at what stage you are and we will confirm what can be issued now and what has to wait.
How long does a quote take?
We reply within one working day of receiving the vehicle and driver details. Issue after acceptance is usually same-day.
TVDE insurance in Portugal: complete guide for Uber, Bolt and Free Now drivers
Insurance for TVDE drivers in Portugal (Uber, Bolt): what's mandatory, what it covers and how to insure your vehicle. Independent insurance intermediary, free quote.
Read article
Fleet insurance: 5 mistakes that inflate the premium without improving coverage
Managing a business fleet requires a meticulously crafted policy. Discover the 5 most common mistakes and how to save up to 30% on your annual fleet insurance premium.
Read article
Car insurance for expatriates in Portugal: what you need to know
Foreign plates, no-claims history and licences explained. How to insure your car when moving to Portugal. Adler & Rochefort, Lagos.
Read articleRequest a
TVDE quote
Send us the vehicle and driver details. We compare the insurers that underwrite TVDE and come back with the quotes side by side within one working day.