Every time I rent a car, I’m asked if I would like to purchase rental car insurance. Is this something I need or does my existing insurance cover the rental?

Do you purchase the add-on insurance for the rental car or do you wave it? 

There is no clear cut right answer, but we always recommend that you purchase the insurance from the rental car company. 

If you buy the insurance from the rental company and run into an issue, like an accident, the rental car company will take ownership of the claim and act as the primary insurance for the vehicle.  You will not have to file the claim with your auto insurance carrier or agency. 

If you wave the insurance on the rental, your personal auto insurance becomes primary and any issues you may have with that rental now falls under your insurance. 

In the case of an accident, you now have an insurance claim on your personal auto insurance with a 2^nd, 3^rd or more parties involved, not to mention, adding a claim to your insurance report, which usually means a cost increase, to you, in the very near future. 

That’s why we always recommend you purchase the add-on insurance for your rental.  The claims process is always cleaner if the unexpected happens while driving that rental. 

Want a review of your current coverage? 

 It’s completely free and there’s no obligation to buy. 

Just complete the form below and let us see if we can save you money or provide better coverage at the same rate on your current auto insurance.