Your personal auto insurance may cover rental cars, but it's crucial to understand your policy's specifics before declining additional coverage at the rental counter. Enter your zip code below for a free quote and see how much you can save by switching to A-MAX!
Does My Auto Insurance Cover Rental Cars?
Your personal auto insurance policy’s liability coverage may extend to rental cars, but you should confirm this with your insurance company or insurance agent before you rent a vehicle. Understanding your personal auto insurance policy and its coverage limits is essential to determine if you need additional rental car insurance. Rental car insurance can provide financial protection and peace of mind when driving a rental car.
Personal Auto Insurance Coverage for Rental Cars
When you purchase your car insurance policy, you select your coverage limits for liability and property damage as well as the deductibles for your comprehensive and collision coverage. Other coverages selected may include personal injury protection (PIP), medical payments (MedPay), and uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM) coverage. If you rent a vehicle, your insurer may extend these coverages to the rental vehicle as well, but it is important to make sure of this before you rent a car. Here is a better understanding of what these coverages entail.
Liability Car Insurance Coverage
Liability insurance is the coverage you purchase to protect the other drivers on the road. This coverage is required in all but two states in the U.S. and each state has a required minimum amount of liability coverage that you must purchase for your vehicle to drive legally. Liability coverage includes bodily injury coverage, which will pay for injuries of those in another vehicle you may get into an accident with, or a pedestrian. Liability coverage also includes property damage coverage, which would pay to repair another person's vehicle or property if you damage it in an accident.
Collision and Comprehensive Insurance Coverage
Collision and comprehensive insurance can pay to repair or replace a rental car after problems like accidents, theft, or vandalism. When purchasing your policy, you select deductible amounts for both of these coverages. Your deductible is the amount of money that you will pay out-of-pocket after an accident before your insurance company will cover the rest of the claim.
Personal Injury Protection and Medical Payments Coverage
Personal injury protection and medical payments coverage cover medical expenses if you or your passengers get injured while in your vehicle, or a rental car.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage
If your personal auto policy includes uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM) coverage, your policy will cover your and your passengers' injuries from an accident with an at-fault driver who does not have car insurance or does not carry enough liability coverage to respond to your injuries.
While medical payments and personal injury protection will extend to you and your passengers regardless of what car you are driving, your other coverages may not cover you when you rent a vehicle.
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Understanding Rental Car Insurance Coverage
Rental car insurance coverage is protection you can purchase directly from the rental car company to provide coverage while using their vehicle. It may protect you if you’re involved in an accident, theft, collision, or other covered events.
Rental car insurance can provide financial protection and peace of mind when driving a rental car and you must purchase it if you do not have a personal auto policy of your own. Understanding your personal car insurance policy, if you have one, and its coverage limits are essential to determine if you need additional rental car insurance. It's important to note that the liability coverage you purchase from a rental company may only be for the minimum liability limits required by the state in which you are renting the vehicle. If you opt to purchase the insurance coverage from your rental car company, you may be covered for less than if you defaulted to your own personal auto policy while driving the rental vehicle.
Compare your personal auto insurance policy’s coverage limits with the rental car company’s coverage limits. Consider purchasing additional rental car insurance if your auto insurance policy has limitations or exclusions.
If your personal auto insurance policy only covers you for liability coverage, you will need to purchase a collision damage waiver (CDW) from your rental car company to cover your rental car if it’s damaged or stolen.
Credit Card Rental Car Insurance Benefits
Many credit card companies offer rental car insurance benefits if you use their card to rent the vehicle. Check your credit card issuer to see if your benefits include rental car insurance. Some credit card companies will cover the comprehensive or collision deductible on a claim covered by your personal auto insurance policy, but they do not typically provide liability insurance coverage. For this, you would need to either default to your personal car insurance policy or purchase the rental car insurance from your rental car company.
Non-Owner Car Insurance
Non-owner car insurance is a liability policy for people who don’t own a car. It may provide additional protection when driving a rental car. Unfortunately, non-owner car insurance only provides liability coverage. If this is the type of personal auto policy that you have, you will still need to purchase the collision damage waiver (CDW) coverage from your rental car company, which will provide the comprehensive and collision coverages for the vehicle you are renting.
Homeowner's and Renter's Insurance
Home, condo, and renters insurance cover your personal belongings for theft, even when stolen from a rental car. Check your policy to see if it includes off-premises coverage.
Travel Insurance
Some travel insurance companies include coverage for rental cars. Check your policy to see what is covered by your travel insurance policy to avoid purchasing coverage that you don't need from your rental car company.
Car Rental Insurance Coverage FAQs
Q: Will my personal car insurance policy cover a rental car?
A: Most car insurance carriers will extend all of the coverages on your car insurance policy to a rented vehicle if you have full coverage (liability, comprehensive, and collision) on at least one of your vehicles. It is important that you check with your insurer to confirm this before declining car rental insurance with your rental company.
Q: How much liability coverage does my rental car company provide?
A: If you purchase liability coverage through your rental car company, the coverage will typically default to the minimum liability coverage required by the state you are renting the car in. This may not be enough protection for you if you are in a serious accident so consider buying a higher coverage limit or defaulting to your personal auto insurance to cover the rental car while you're driving it if your insurer will cover it.
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