When You Rent a Car, What Kind of Insurance Do You Have?

Whether you are on vacation, a business trip, or need a loaner when your car is in for repairs, it still must be insured. But what does that really mean?

Does your car need to have insurance to protect you in case you are in an accident and injure someone or cause property damage? Yes.

Does your car have to have insurance to protect you if you are injured? NO. That’s right, the only insurance that is required in a rental car is coverage to protect everyone except you.

You can and should protect yourself  by making sure you have insurance when you are driving a rental car by:

  • Confirming whether your personal insurance policy provides coverage, including liability, uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist coverage,
  • Confirming what coverage the rental agency or dealer is providing you,
  • Confirming what coverage your credit card (the one you used to pay for the rental) provides, and
  • Reading all waivers on the rental agreement before signing them

Why? Because having the right coverage is essential to protecting yourself if you are injured.

Consider a recent client. He rented a car from a dealer and never signed the waiver. He was injured by an uninsured driver. By not signing the waiver, he was entitled to uninsured motorist coverage, which protected him in case he was injured by a vehicle and driver that weren’t insured. Instead of nothing, he was fully compensated for all of his injuries and his pain and suffering.

Don’t take rental car insurance for granted!

Have questions? Were you injured in a motor vehicle accident. Give us a call at 610-446-3457 or click here to send us an email. We will help you!

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