Whether it’s for business or leisure purposes, if you’re planning to take a trip and it involves driving, rather than taking your own car, how about renting one instead? That way, you don’t have to worry about putting more mileage on your own vehicle and, should you experience a flat tire or breakdown along the way, the rental company, rather than you, is that one who is held responsible.
And if you do decide to rent a car, we have just one more suggestion: be sure to get some rental car insurance. That way, should your things end up being stolen from the vehicle or you experience a collision, you won’t be held liable. Plus, you won’t have to go through the hassle that oftentimes comes with filing an insurance claim through your personal insurance company.
However, before you fill out all of the paperwork with the rental car company, we wanted to provide you with a list of five things that you should know as it directly relates to getting rental car insurance. That way, you can travel knowing that you are well protected.
See if your own policy covers rental coverage. You don’t want to spend extra money on rental car insurance if your personal car insurance will cover you. So, before doing anything else, call your car insurance agent to discuss the details of what is listed within your policy, and if it includes adequate coverage when you’re driving a rental car.
Be aware of the different kinds of rental car insurance that’s available. Just like there are different kinds of personal car insurance, there is also a variety of rental car insurance too. They include a collision damage waiver (which you usually don’t need if you have this on your own car), liability insurance (which covers medical expenses and damage done to someone else’s car if you have an accident), personal accident insurance (which covers the renter and the passengers’ medical bills in case of an accident) and personal effects coverage (which reimburses you if your items are stolen).
Discuss with the agent how long you are needing the rental for. Something that’s important to keep in mind is that if you plan to keep the rental for longer than a week or so, then you need to discuss that with the rental car insurance agent. The reason why is because there can sometimes be limitations within their own coverage if you have one of their cars for an extended period of time.
Ask your credit card company if they offer auto insurance benefits. Say that you live in Florida and you’ve been looking on the internet for online car insurance quotes in Florida for rental cars. If you haven’t found the kind of coverage at the price that you want to pay, you might want to contact your credit card company. That’s because there are some that offer collision and theft protection for their customers.
Get non-auto insurance if you don’t personally own a car. If you don’t personally own a car, but you want to rent a car for a trip, there is something that is known as a non-owner auto insurance policy. It gives you great coverage, plus it tends to come with other benefits too. For more information on rental car insurance, contact a local car rental company within your area.
