Car rental insurance

[mshanson3121]

So if you price a rental online, does that include rental insurance? Or is tht something you buy extra? How much is it?

 

[dioxide45]

So if you price a rental online, does that include rental insurance? Or is tht something you buy extra? How much is it?

Some contract IDs will include CDW (insurance), but most often this is an add on that you pick up at the counter.

 

[xlxo]

If you own a car, some allow you to transfer your car's insurance coverage over.

Some credit cards offer insurance too. However, you need to pay attention to the coverage.... which is higher? Is it enough?

Rental insurance depends on the vehicle you are renting. Economy car will be less than a minivan or SUV.

I wonder what percentage of people decline the rental insurance. A few things to pay attention to when the car is given to you...

• is the car wet from a recent car wash? A wet car can hide scratches... especially if a previous driver parked the vehicle against a thorn bush.
• pay attention to doors and other body parts for scratches.
• take pictures of the car front, back, sides, corners and possibly the windshield... especially if you see damage. They may blame you for a previous driver's stupidity.
• pay attention to low tire pressure. I got charged when an underinflated tire shredded on the highway.
• in addition to gas, pay attention to the windshield fluid. If your windshield is splashed by mud or accumulates with bugs. You want something to lubricate the wipers.

Pay attention to extra charges...

• is there savings getting your car away from the airport? I found one time it was cheaper to the airport for pickup because the cruise terminal rentals were all spoken for.
• is there savings returning the vehicle to where you originally rented it?

 

[North of Mouse]

So if you price a rental online, does that include rental insurance? Or is tht something you buy extra? How much is it?

We always opt out of the extra insurance - anything we are driving is covered with our insurance - they would like you to think you need it, but if you have your own insurance on your vehicle you do not need it.

 

[dioxide45]

Keep in mind that if you rely on your own car insurance, it will have a deductible. Many credit cards offer coverage, however a lot of them are secondary which will require you to file a claim through your own insurance first and then the credit card CDW will kick in and cover the deductible that you had to pay.

If you have different cards, check out the CDW coverage that they offer. Some have primary CDW. We use the Chase United Explorer card for all car rentals since it offers primary CDW coverage.