I recently had a client whose vehicle was totaled by another driver in a bad crash. Initially, the police officer failed to give a ticket to the other driver because of conflicting stories. Thankfully for my client, there were several witnesses who gave statements finding the other driver at fault. Ultimately, the other driver's insurance accepted liability and my client was given a rental car.
Unfortunately this process took several weeks. My client did not carry any rental car coverage and was stranded at home without a vehicle and without any way to get to his doctors appointments or even the grocery store. My client also did not have the money to afford renting his own car in the mean time. If my client had car rental coverage on his own policy he would have been able to get a car right away without penalty to him.
It is very important that you understand the implications of refusing to buy rental car insurance. If you are in an accident where there is no rental car coverage available through the other driver's insurance, then you will have to pay out of pocket (generally, if you purchase rental car coverage through your car insurance policy it covers $30 a day for 30 days).
There are several situations in which drivers can benefit from purchasing the rental car insurance. The story above is just one of these unfortunate situations. Some other situations include where lack of car rental insurance coverage could cause problems for you include:
- Accidents where you are found "at-fault"
- Accidents with an uninsured driver
- Accidents with an excluded driver
- Accidents with a hit-and-run driver
Bottom Line: Rental car coverage costs very little, but can really make a difference when needed.
Attorney Jennifer Gore Cuthbert