Have you ever wondered if you really need to get the insurance coverage the rental car sales person is pushing on you for your vacation? Of course you have. The rental person says it only costs this amount per day as well and is really convincing that this will save you the hassle just in case you are in a car accident. However, you have heard that your car insurance might cover your rental car.
Does your car insurance cover your rental car?
Generally, yes, your car insurance policy will step in and cover the rental car you are driving. Your collision coverage will cover you if you run into something, your liability coverage will cover you if you damage someone else’s car, and your comprehensive coverage will cover any other damage caused by a rock, thievery, etc. In addition, your personal injury protection coverage will step in to pay for your medical costs and your uninsured or under insured motorist coverage will protect you in case the person that hit you doesn’t have insurance or only has a minimum policy limits coverage.
Reasons to buy the rental car coverage? Therefore, why would you want to buy the rental car coverage that this rental car salesman is trying to sell you? You really wouldn’t want to buy this coverage because it is duplicate coverage. If you don’t have insurance, your insurance has specific language preventing short term usage cars like a rental, or you want extra coverage because you don’t have comprehensive coverage or collision coverage on your insurance. These are some of the reasons you may want to buy the rental car insurance, which is generally for people that don’t have their own insurance to cover everything.
Next time you are on vacation, you may be able to saver $100’s because of not purchasing duplicate coverage if you choose not to buy the rental car insurance. Make sure you check your policy to see if your insurance coverage covers short term usage vehicles and doesn’t preclude your insurance following you to this car.
If you are injured by someone in a car accident and they were driving a rental car, their own insurance coverage will stand in and cover the car accident in most cases. If they said they didn’t buy the extra insurance, you can tell them their own insurance will cover their car accident. Call today for a free consultation if you need a Seattle personal injury lawyer.