Car Rental Insurance – What Does It Cover?

Where to get car rental insurance that covers a rental car while in use is a wild card. It can be purchased at the car rental counter quite easily, but with planning, the driver can check their own regular car insurance policy for car rental insurance provisions already being paid for. Obviously, nobody wants to pay for the same coverage. Sometimes, in addition to car rental insurance being found on many insurance policies already in place, major credit cards offer protection against theft and damages as well. Before going to the car rental counter to rent the vehicle and hit the road, call both the insurance company and the credit card company to check.

Even if car rental insurance coverage is known to be on the policy or the credit card, benefits can change, so a check of the latest is in order. Car rental insurance offers several options, from whatever source it may be. One of these options is a collision damage waiver. This provision puts the liability for collision damage coverage from the driver to the car rental company, meaning the rental company would pay for the damages instead. Liability insurance coverage in this case is typically covered by the driver’s personal insurance policy.

Personal accident insurance will cover ambulance and medical related bills for people hurt in an accident in the rental car, but it is likely that personal health insurance and/or personal injury protection plans are already in place to cover such expenses. One option that is not always present in regular car insurance plans but that is a good idea in the case of car rental insurance is personal effects coverage.

This particular type of coverage protects the consumer against the loss of personal property in the vehicle due to theft. Laptops, cash, cameras, golf clubs and the like are protected against theft under such a policy. However, in the interest of being cost-effective, it is probably a better idea to purchase what is termed as a floating policy under the consumer’s home or renter’s insurance policy. This will give insurance coverage for valuable personal property at home, in the vehicle, on vacation, wherever the property may be.

By being prepared ahead and knowing exactly what kind of car rental insurance protection is provided by personal car insurance already purchased or by major credit card companies, this will reduce any impulse buying of expensive and temporary car rental insurance coverage while doing up the paperwork to rent a car. If renting a car is something the driver does on a regular basis, it is even more important to know all the information  of the car rental insurance protection coverage. The preparation and information gathered in advance will save the consumer both time and money. Time, in that there is less paperwork to do in the car rental process, and money in that there are not double payments going towards the same thing. Paying for a service once is plenty.