What You Should Know About Rental Car Insurance
When you step off an airplane and into your vacation, rental car insurance is probably the last thing on your mind. You’re imagining the good times ahead, rather than the potential problems that could head your way. While you may be eager to get your vacation started, it’s important to take the time to understand the responsibilities of renting a car.
Here’s what you should know about rental car insurance before you take the keys.
At the Counter
When picking up your car, most companies offer several add-ons to choose for insurance coverage.
- A loss-damage waiver does not hold you accountable if you damage your rental vehicle such as getting a flat tire or weather damage.
- Supplemental liability insurance will pay for damage to another person’s property, and covers personal accident insurance. If you don’t have car insurance, you should probably buy the supplemental insurance.
- Personal accident insurance covers any personal injury to you in case of an accident. If you don’t happen to have health insurance, you should consider getting this type of insurance. Otherwise, you shouldn’t need personal accident insurance.
- Personal effects coverage covers the cost of any damaged or stolen items from your car.
Credit Cards and Auto Insurance
You may be thinking: is this really necessary? My credit card or auto insurance should cover all of this. And that is true — to a certain extent. When you pay for a rental car with a credit card, you will get some form of insurance. However, this typically won’t cover as much as you’d think; this person found that out the hard way.
If you have car insurance, however, most companies should be able to cover you similarly to the supplemental liability insurance above. In this case, you wouldn’t need to buy more insurance. Your auto insurance likely doesn’t cover the loss-damage waiver, so consider purchasing this add-on at the rental company counter.
What To Do Before You Go
Understanding the benefits and coverage of your pre-existing insurance is the best way to know what kind of rental car insurance you need. Before you rent a car, review your auto and credit card coverage and decide whether or not you need to buy insurance from the car rental desk. And if your auto insurance does not cover rentals, you should purchase one of the company’s insurance add-ons.
You should never risk driving without insurance, no matter what length of time you’ll be in a vehicle. Vacation should be a time filled with fun and fond memories. Protect yourself and make sure you’re covered.
Been injured in an accident at home or on vacation? The John Price Law Firm may be able to help. Contact us today for a free initial consultation.