When people go on vacation or travel, they rent cars, and they want to know if their current coverage is going to extend to the rental car. This is an important concern as it is getting seemingly more and more expensive to buy the rental car insurance company’s coverage. So, here’s the answer:
3 Things That Must be True for Your Car Insurance to Cover a Rental Car
If all of these following three things are true, then your coverage will most likely extend, and you will not need to buy the rental car company’s coverage.
- You are renting a vehicle within the US or Canada.
- You have comprehensive and collision coverage on at least one of the vehicles on your primary auto insurance policy.
- The vehicle that you are renting is an actual everyday car or even a pickup truck (not a moving van or truck such as a U-Haul).
If you’re travelling outside the US or Canada, buy their insurance because you are going to need it.
If you only have liability coverage, it will not do you much good because it usually will not extend to cover damage to the rental car.
If you are renting a vehicle to move, and it’s a big box truck or van, typically, that coverage will not extend your auto insurance company coverage will not extend to that type of vehicle.
Unfortunately, your car insurance will most likely not cover a rental car if any one of the three factors we just mentioned are not true. However, not all situations are the same so if you have any additional questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to give your Puyallup independent insurance agents a call or email. We’d love to help!
Should I just purchase rental car insurance anyway? What are the benefits of purchasing the rental car coverage?
Here are some of the benefits of electing to purchase rental car insurance in addition to your own insurance.
- Your deductible would not come into play.
- Accidents would also, most likely, stay off your record
It’s important to remember that the rental car company will have your credit card on file. This is one of the main reasons we suggest at least considering paying for the rental car company’s extra coverage, even if your insurance will extend to cover you.
What we often see happen with many clients is they will bring the rental car back, think everything is fine, and then all of a sudden they get a call a couple of days later from the rental car company saying: “Hey, there’s a ding on the bumper that wasn’t there before. It’s going to cost $800 or $900 to repair. You have two days to file a claim with your car insurance, or we’re going to charge your credit card for the damage.” Unfortunately, this happens more often than we care to admit which is why we advise our clients to purchase the extra coverage, if they can, for some peace of mind.
Most people choose not to buy the extra rental car insurance, but it can definitely be a good idea that will save you a lot of time, money, and headache.
PNW Insurance Group is an independent and local insurance agency here in Puyallup, Washington which means we are able to find the most competitive prices for you. The best part is that we can help save you lots of time and money because it doesn’t cost any extra for you to purchase your insurance through us! Give us a call or send us an email and we’ll get you started today!