If you’ve been involved in a car accident that has left your car totaled or in the shop for repairs, one issue will be obtaining a rental car and who pays for it.
You ’ ll even need a manner to get around, and the price of a rental car can be expensive if you need it for a week or longer .
Provided the other driver was at-fault, their insurance company is responsible for paying your rental car circular until either your car is fully repaired or until they ’ ve paid you the current market measure of your totaled car. They besides must pay for a rental car that ’ s alike to the vehicle you were driving, so if you had an SUV, they can ’ t only pay for you to rent a compact cable car.
unfortunately, the process of being reimbursed for a rental car doesn ’ thyroxine always go angstrom smoothly as it should. The ideal situation for you is that the liable party ’ mho policy company takes duty for the accident right field away, which means they ’ ll besides immediately pay for your lease cable car. however, this is rarely the event. Unless the other repel hit you from behind, there will likely be a dispute regarding who was at-fault or how much each individual driver was at-fault for the accident .
Q: Insurance company giving you the run-around?
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A: When the other policy company either claims their driver wasn ’ thyroxine responsible or doesn ’ t make an immediate decisiveness, then they won ’ t pay for your lease car until the claims process is arrant and they ’ rhenium found at-fault. If your own cable car indemnity includes rental coverage, then this won ’ thymine be as much of a problem, because you ’ ll be able to use that to obtain a rental car. Your insurance company will then go after the early driver ’ south policy company for reimbursement of the money they paid for your rental cable car. Keep in mind that if your rental cable car coverage is only for a certain menstruation of clock time, you ’ ll need to pay out of pocket should you end up keeping the rental car past that time period .
If your car policy doesn ’ thyroxine include rental coverage and the other insurance party is denying province or not making an immediate decision, then you ’ re in a unmanageable site. You can choose to pay for a rental cable car out of scoop, provided that you have the money available or can put it on your credit circuit board. You are taking a risk when you do this, because if the other driver international relations and security network ’ metric ton found at-fault, then you won ’ triiodothyronine be reimbursed for your rental car.
If the other driver is found at-fault, their policy ship’s company will need to pay you, but the claims process can take time. For claims where both sides are diamond the other party was at fault, you could be waiting months for a resolution .
Q: Is there a way to be able to speed up the process and put more pressure on the other driver’s insurance company? A: When you don ’ t have a lawyer, you aren ’ t able to do much to pressure the early driver ’ randomness policy company, so they may take their prison term even if it looks like their driver was at-fault. With a lawyer and the terror of a potential lawsuit, insurance companies tend to work much more cursorily .
When the other party ’ s indemnity does pay for your rental car, you can typically keep it until the claim is resolved, either by your car being repaired or the insurance caller cutting you your check for the value of your car. however, laws do vary for this depending on your area, and each policy company will have its own policies.
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For your own security, you should document any communications between you and the indemnity ship’s company. Whenever possible, get what the policy adjuster tells you in writing so you have evidence, should you need it .
The best way to protect yourself in these situations is to consult with a lawyer a soon as possible after your accident to start putting imperativeness on the other insurance company. It ’ second besides ache to add rental reimbursement coverage to your car indemnity policy. This coverage typically doesn ’ triiodothyronine raise the cost of your policy much, often only increasing it by a couple of dollars per month, and it helps protect you in situations like this. You ’ ll be able to rent a car without spending your own money, regardless of whether or not the other party ’ randomness insurance company accepts liability right away or drags out the work .