Vacation Rental Car Insurance Tips

As the word ‘vacation’ implies, this time away from home should be one filled with a healthy balance of fun and relaxation. Hassles while on vacation can really take the wind out of your sails, and if those hassles turn out to be huge, they can even ruin the entire vacation. c before they arise; understanding what type of coverage you’ll have while driving your rental car is one. Here are some vacation rental car insurance tips every traveler can use.

1. Check out your own auto insurance policy. It very well may be that you already have enough auto insurance coverage through your personal auto insurance policy. Carefully review your policy, and see what sort of coverage you have. If you’re not sure, contact your insurance agent or contact the insurance company directly, and ask them to help you understand what coverage you have. Why pay for additional insurance if you don’t need it?

2. Purchase insurance through the rental agency if you don’t have adequate coverage. If you don’t have collision auto insurance coverage you may want to purchase it through the rental service. Typically, auto insurance coverage purchased from your rental company will cost you $10.00 - $20.00 per day; although that margin can vary considerably in some parts of the country. If you are the at-fault driver in an accident, collision auto insurance will cover any damages to the other driver’s car. If your personal policy doesn’t have collision insurance, you should seriously consider purchasing it through the rental agency.


3. Don’t gripe too much if the rental agency requires that you purchase collision insurance through them. Many drivers don’t have collision coverage on their personal policies, and if they do, that policy may not necessarily extend to the rental car. As a precaution, many rental companies require that you purchase collision insurance through them regardless of whether or not you already have it. Don’t get too worked up if you have to. For a few more dollars a day, you can have peace of mind that should you unfortunately be involved in an accident where you are at-fault, you’ll have plenty of coverage.

4. Finally, if you are involved in an automobile accident, remain calm. Collect the other driver’s information, take pictures of the damage to their car as well as the damage to the rental car, and wait for the authorities to arrive. It takes all kinds of people to make the world go round, and unfortunately, not all of them are honest. If the other driver puts in a claim that includes damages that were not caused by the accident, you may need to use the pictures to prove you aren’t responsible for that damage.