It’s a bad day. Your car is in an accident. The good news: you are ok and it isn’t your fault. Yup. I was just there this week.
The “other guy’s” insurance company provides you with a rental car. Now the question: Do you take the rental car company’s insurance? Why should you? They are paying for the rental and you didn’t cause the accident.
Well, gosh-forbid, what if your rental car is in an accident. Ok, I’ll admit that is really, really bad luck and maybe you should stay away from driving for a bit…
But seriously, this stuff happens. If you are in an accident with the rental car- typically your own car insurance would cover the repairs to the rental car but NOT the “loss of use.” What does this mean? This means, for the amount of time that rental car is getting repaired, the rental car company is unable to rent it to others so they are losing money. They often expect you to pay that! Read the fine print of the agreement.
How do you remedy that? You purchase the rental car company’s insurance policy which does typically cover loss of use. In some instances, some credit card companies do offer some support for rental car coverages. We recommend you speak to them directly about the details.
Who would have thought? Hopefully your insurance agent. If you are ever in an accident, your insurance agent should work closely with you to make sure you understand the claims process and the trade-offs on every detail, including items like “loss of use.”
Have questions? We are here for you- anytime. Don’t hesitate to reach out and we’d be happy to answer any of your insurance questions. We can be reached at www.keslarinsurance.com or 603-273-0953. Keslar Insurance Agency is an independent insurance agency offering business, home, auto and life insurance in NH and in ME.
