If you ’ ve ever rented a car, you ’ ve probably been asked at the rejoinder whether you ’ d like to buy lease car policy. rental car insurance can cover the costs if you get into an accident with your rental car, and can cover any damage you do to the rental cable car itself. You can get lease car policy directly from the agency, through a third-party insurance company, or even as an supernumerary benefit with your credit wag. ready to shop car indemnity ? Start calculator

You ‘ll about surely be offered extra coverage when you rent a car. Deciding whether or not to purchase the rental caller ’ s extra policy can be confusing — is it necessary coverage or are you being upsold ? The answer is, it depends. many drivers are already covered while driving a lease car, either by their regular car insurance policy or through a recognition circuit board. But in some cases, purchasing coverage from the lease agency is a dear idea. Let ’ s go over what the rental agency is actually offering, and whether you should spring for any of their extra coverage. Key Takeaways

  • rental car indemnity is optional coverage you can purchase in case you have an accident while driving a rental vehicle
  • If you have your own car insurance policy, it likely extends to cover lease cars besides
  • many credit cards besides offer limited coverage for lease cars, indeed check to see if you ‘re covered that manner

What is rental car insurance?

When you rent a car through a rental company, it will include the minimum sum of liability coverage required in that state. The rental car ship’s company besides offers extra coverage you can purchase at an extra cost per day. Like with standard cable car policy, these coverages offer different types of auspices. When you rent a car, you ’ ll be offered four chief categories of coverage to add on to your rental :

auxiliary liability policy ( SLI )

just like in a regular car indemnity policy, liability policy covers the costs of any damage or injuries you cause while driving the car. If you ’ re the at-fault driver in an accident while driving your rental car, liability indemnity will cover the other driver ’ s repair bills and medical expenses. If you have your own car insurance, your indebtedness coverage probable extends to a lease car, and you may not need to purchase auxiliary indebtedness .

Loss price release ( LDW )

besides called the collision wrong release ( CDW ), this international relations and security network ’ t technically indemnity coverage. alternatively, it ’ s an upfront monetary value that means you won ’ metric ton be financially creditworthy if your rental car is damaged while in your caution. If you don ’ t purchase this, you could be on the addict for any scratches, dents, or other damage to the rental car, deoxyadenosine monophosphate good as extra costs like towing or administrative fees. You might besides have to pay what are called “ loss-of-use ” fees, meaning the rental agency will charge you for the time spent repairing the car, since they ’ ll theoretically lose money by not being able to rent out the car while it ’ randomness in the shop. If your personal car indemnity policy extends to cover rental cars, then your comprehensive examination coverage and collision coverage may extend to cover wrong. Keep in judgment that you still have to pay a deductible like you would if the wrong were to your own vehicle. If you don’t have your own car policy policy, you may want to consider adding the LDW to your lease car so you aren ’ thyroxine on the hook for damage or larceny .

personal accident insurance

This is an extra coverage that pays out if you or your passengers are injured in an accident while in the lease cable car. however, if your own car policy includes personal injury protective covering ( PIP ) or aesculapian payments coverage, you ’ ll be covered for injuries sustained in a car accident. If you have robust health policy, you can credibly skip adding personal accident policy to a rental car .

personal effects coverage

This covers the monetary value of replacing your personal belongings if they ’ rhenium stolen from inside your rental car, including clothing, cellphones, computers, and other valuables. But if you have renters policy or homeowners indemnity, your personal items will already be covered and you can skip this one, besides .

How much does rental car insurance cost ?

merely like standard car insurance, the price of lease car policy can vary by state, by lease car ship’s company, and by how much coverage you choose. here are some average ranges for each component of rental car policy :

  • auxiliary indebtedness indemnity ( SLI ) : $ 8 to $ 12 per day
  • Loss wrong release ( LDW ) or collision damage release ( CDW ) : $ 20 to $ 30 per day, if purchased from the rental car company. Some third-party insurers, like Allianz and Traveler, crack collision indemnity for less than $ 10 per sidereal day
  • personal accident policy : $ 3 per day
  • personal effects coverage : $ 2 per day

For “ broad coverage ” rental car policy, expect to pay between $ 33 to $ 47 per day on top of the price of the rental car .

Does car indemnity cover lease cars ?

If you have your own car indemnity, it ’ s probably that coverage extends to rental cars. If you cause an accident in your rental cable car, your liability coverage will cover the costs just like if you were driving your own car. If your lease car is damaged, your comprehensive examination and collision coverage will pay for the damage it — but you ’ ll have to pay your deductible barely the same. Wondering how to tell if your car policy covers rental cars ? Check the “ definitions ” section of your car indemnity policy. When rental car indemnity is included in your policy, you ’ ll see that “ covered vehicle ” includes any fomite rented by you ( in summation to all the other types of vehicles you may drive that are covered ).

Be aware that if you buy rental car policy from the rental car company, your indemnity company may treat that as your primary coverage. Your car policy may besides exclude certain rental cars, like luxury vehicles, and it will typically only cover rental cars on U.S. dirty. If you ’ ra uncertain about whether your policy includes this coverage, call your cable car policy company. Genius tip off If you file a claim with your car policy for a car accident in a rental car, your rates may go up, equitable like if you filed a claim for an incidental involving your own fomite .

What about rental reimbursement coverage ?

many car policy policies include what ’ s called rental reimbursement coverage, besides called substitute transportation coverage, or loss-of-use coverage. This is not the like thing as rental car insurance. rental reimbursement covers the cost of renting a car while your own car is in the patronize after a covered loss. Say a snow-clad tree arm fell on your car, damaging its hood. comprehensive examination coverage will cover the cost of the damage, and if you have rental reimbursement coverage, that will cover the price of renting a surrogate fomite while yours is being repaired. rental reimbursement coverage normally comes with a per-day limit and an overall limit – so it may cover, say, $ 50 per sidereal day up to $ 1,500 entire for a rental cable car. rental car policy is typically not paid for by rental reimbursement coverage .

Can I rent a car without indemnity ?

Yes, if you don ’ t have a car or car indemnity and you want to rent a car for a trip, you can still rent a car, and you may not need to purchase rental cable car indemnity. If you pay for your rental car with a citation calling card, the calling card may offer you a specify amount of indemnity coverage on the lease. The insurance offered by your accredit circuit board is normally collision damage release coverage, not liability coverage. In most cases, if you buy the lease car company ’ south policy product, your credit tease ’ s CDW benefits will not apply. To access the coverage through your credit card, you need to charge the monetary value of the rental car to your credit card ; if you get into a embrace accident or the car is stolen, the credit batting order caller will reimburse you up to a certain dollar measure. Some credit cards besides offer towing coverage .

Which recognition cards offer rental car indemnity ?

Credit tease car rental indemnity is typically considered secondary coil coverage, meaning it can step in and fill in the gaps where your primary car insurance doesn ’ triiodothyronine cover the costs. however, depending on your card and the state where you rent a cable car, credit cards can besides serve as your primary insurance when renting a car. Some credit cards that come with lease car indemnity include :

  • Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve cards
  • Chase Hyatt and Chase World of Hyatt cards
  • Chase United Explorer and United MileagePlus cards
  • Chase Amazon Rewards Visa Signature cards
  • American Express Green, American Express Gold, and American Express Platinum cards
  • American Express Hilton Honors and Starwood Preferred Guest cards
  • American Express Delta SkyMiles cards
  • Mastercard
  • capital One Visa Platinum calling card

Frequently Asked Questions

​​Is it necessary to buy rental car insurance?

Whether you should buy lease car indemnity depends on a few different factors, including whether or not you have a car insurance policy of your own. Your car policy may already cover your lease car, american samoa well as any injuries or damage you ’ re responsible for. But if you don ’ t have your own indemnity, you can get coverage for your car and any damage you cause through the rental cable car company.

Do rental companies charge you for scratches?

If your rental car gets scratched, dented, or damaged in any other means, you may be on the crochet for the costs. You can purchase a collision damage release, to cover the costs of damaging the rental, for $ 20 to $ 30 a sidereal day. If you have your own car policy policy, your comprehensive or collision coverage may cover wrong to a rental cable car. You ’ ll have to pay a deductible first, though, and it won ’ t be worth filing a claim if the price is less than your deductible .

Who pays for your rental car after an accident?

Your car indemnity will be able to help you pay for a replacement rental car if you have rental reimbursement coverage. If your car is damaged by a cover risk, let ’ s say a tree falls on it and dents the hood, lease reimbursement coverage will pay for irregular department of transportation expenses while your cable car is being repaired in the shop. If the damage was caused by regular wear and tear or a mechanical breakdown, however, your car policy won ’ thymine traverse it .

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