so, you wrecked your rental car!

​Recently a friend of mine, a pretty close friend had an accident in a rental car. Okay, it was me. I had an accident in a rental car! I admit it, it isn’t something I’m proud of but I did it. Maybe this is good therapy for me. So, I hit a pole in a parking lot with my brand new Toyota Corolla. And just to give you an idea how crummy this parking lot was, while I was going to lunch the next day I witnessed another person  hitting a different pole in the same parking lot! I just wanted you to know that the parking lot was a hazard and that this is not a reflection of my driving skills.
Back to the point of this post. People ask all the time if their auto insurance covers them when they rent cars. This sadly is not a yes or no answer. Some companies do cover you, other companies do not. The best option is to call your insurance company and ask. When they do cover you remember that if you wreck that rental you still need to pay your deductible. And, if that rental car is out of circulation for a month while it is getting fixed the rental company can try and bill you their “loss rental” income. If they could rent that car for 40.00 a day and it can’t be rented for 30 days, they could try to bill you 1200.00. That may be a little extreme. But just keep it in mind. Also, I use one of those travel credit cards to pay for the rental. Some have the benefit where they will pay your deductible. Once again check with your credit card company before you put it on their card. And yes, you still have an at fault accident on your driving record even if the accident isn’t in your own car.
What’s my take away on this one. Just be aware of what your auto insurance covers and doesn’t cover. Then you can make a knowledgeable decision when you get to that rental counter and either decide to buy the coverage from the rental company or decline it.  If you buy the coverage they usually cover from dollar one and it does make the claims process much easier.
​Call me today for your free insurance quote. 951-395-0754.