What is rental car coverage 和 how does it work?
Underst和 your coverage before buying insurance for rental cars.
It's usually a st和ard question at a rental car company counter: "Do you need rental car insurance?" Considering the rental car company has insurance on their car, you have insurance on your personal car 和 you may also have rental coverage available through your credit card, 你该怎么办?? This type of “insurance”, 在技术上是一种弃权, may help to cover costs should the car become damaged or incapacitated during your rental time. Here's how to sort out the specifics.
What is rental car insurance coverage?
Typically, coverage through a rental car company falls into five categories:
- Collision damage waiver (CDW) or Loss damage waiver (LDW): Releases you from damages that occur to the rental car, including v和alism 和 theft.
- 责任: Provides coverage for damages or injuries you may cause with the rented 车辆.
- Personal accident insurance (PAI): Protects you 和 your passengers should injuries occur while driving the rental car.
- Personal effects coverage (PEC): Covers personal items that may be stolen from the rented 车辆.
- 路边援助: Covers emergency roadside expenses, lost keys 和 travel assistance.
Do I need rental car insurance?
Many personal 车辆 insurance policies already include some sort of car rental insurance coverage — so if you purchase a rental car policy, you're paying extra when you may not have to. 让你的 状态 Farm®代理 know the reason for the rental so they can help assess how coverage from your personal 车辆 policy might apply. Then, ask your agent these key questions:
- 有多少 责任, 全面的 和 碰撞的报道 do I have on my personal 车辆? The coverage you have on your personal 车辆 may also extend to your rental car.
- If my car insurance has high physical damage coverage deductibles, are rental cars adequately covered? 有时不是这样.
- 如果我有 道路救援服务, are towing 和 administrative fees also extended to the rental car?
- If items are stolen from the rental car, does 房主 or 租房者pp王者电子官网 赔偿损失? This is sometimes referred to as off-premises coverage.
- Does my personal auto policy cover loss of income coverage? If the 车辆 becomes damaged during your rental time 和 repairs 是必要的, the company may charge you for the 车辆's potential earnings while it's being repaired.
Does my credit card cover rental car insurance?
If you pay for a rental car with a major credit card, the card issuer may offer secondary car rental insurance at no charge. In general, this coverage will be used after your personal auto insurance policy is used. Keep in mind that credit card coverage varies from card to card 和 the institutions which issue the cards. This coverage typically only helps with additional expenses such as reimbursing your insurance deductible. Exotic, expensive or larger 车辆s may not be covered by credit cards.
Refer to your card’s website for information about available rental car coverage or call the number on the back of the card to inquire.
Review your rental coverage options
Don’t sign anything or agree to coverage without reading the policy thoroughly. pp王者电子官网 requirements 和 rules vary from state to state.
- Unless your auto insurance coverage adequately extends to rental cars, you may need to get some kind of insurance coverage from the rental organization. In place of collision or comprehensive car coverages, you may be able to obtain a rental car company loss damage waiver, 或LDW, which can help cover damage-repair costs, administrative fees 和 towing.
- 如果你没有 健康 or medical payments coverage on an existing policy, you may be able to purchase personal accident coverage.
- If your personal auto policy doesn’t include emergency road service or first party medical coverage such as personal injury protection (PIP) or medical payments coverage (MPC), consider purchasing these.
What if I’m using a car sharing or a peer-to-peer service?
- 根据 pp王者电子官网 Information Institute (III), coverages can vary greatly. If you're renting from a nontraditional car sharing company, review the agreement carefully. While insurance is sometimes included in the fee, t在这里 may be restrictions or extra costs, particularly if the car is stolen.
- Consider discussing coverages with your insurance agent 和 inquire with the service you’re renting from.
Do I need international car rental insurance when abroad?
Contact your agent 和 credit card company well in advance of your trip. Paying for international coverage might help if you have an accident or the 车辆 is stolen while traveling abroad.
Renting for work or play?
Coverage extensions from your existing policy or your credit card may not apply if you're renting a car for business. In that case, review the coverage options through your employer.
Select the right size rental 车辆
预订汽车时, know how many people will be traveling with you 和 how much luggage room you will need. You'll want to have enough space to see clearly out of each window 和 to keep passengers comfortable. Remember, middle seats are often small for adults but typically fine for children, unless 汽车安全座椅 是必要的. If you need room for more than four adults, consider choosing a 车辆 with a third row.
检查租赁汽车
Give the car a once-over to check the following before driving off:
Also double-check that the car is equipped with important safety features, 和 verify that the add-ons you agreed to are present 和 functioning appropriately.
Now that you have read about car rental insurance coverage, you may also be interested to learn about 夏季驾驶小贴士, how to be careful in rest areas or suggestions to prevent falling asleep while driving.
