Liability Insurance Options for U.S. Car Rental

[Gringo80]

I'll be renting a car in the U.S. in January. I'd appreciate recommendations for purchasing auto rental insurance other than from the car rental company. I especially need Liability insurance. TIA

 

[steveinbsas]

I'll be renting a car in the U.S. in January. I'd appreciate recommendations for purchasing auto rental insurance other than from the car rental company. I especially need Liability insurance. TIA

Based on my own experiene, all US car rentals always include liability insurance and it is not optional. Unless something has changed, collision insurance is optional but is usually provided by the credit card company, at least when a US issued card is used to pay.

I don't think having a separate liability policy will add additional protection as it probably isn't legal to make insurance claims for an auto accident from more than one insurer.

If you are injured in an accident for which you are not at fault, you can sue the other party and most likely collect damages fro ttheir insurer, based on their liability coverage, but I am not sure if, in that case, the car rental company will provide any assistance.

 

[Gringo80]

Based on my own experiene, all US car rentals always include liability insurance and it is not optional. Unless something has changed, collision insurance is optional but is usually provided by the credit card company, at least when a US issued card is used to pay.

I don't think having a separate liability policy will add additional protection as it probably isn't legal to make insurance claims for an auto accident from more than one insurer.

If you are injured in an accident for which you are not at fault, you can sue the other party and most likely collect damages fro ttheir insurer, based on their liability coverage, but I am not sure if, in that case, the car rental company will provide any assistance.

Its my understanding that the car rental companies are required to include a token (small amount) of liability insurance. I should have said that I need a liability policy with higher limits.

 

[steveinbsas]

Its my understanding that the car rental companies are required to include a token (small amount) of liability insurance. I should have said that I need a liability policy with higher limits.

I found this in a google search:

RentalCover.com — Save On Your Rental Car Insurance

Great value collision damage protection for 50% less than you'd pay at the rental desk. Save up to $134 per week!… Get an instant quote →

www.rentalcover.com

 

[lunar]

I found this in a google search:

RentalCover provides complete protection against theft and costly damage to your rental vehicle, all at significant savings

This is NOT liability insurance. It's more like an alternative to CDW.

Its my understanding that the car rental companies are required to include a token (small amount) of liability insurance.

I believe that in states where carrying liability insurance is required by law, the minimum required coverage is included in the rental price.Rental companies cannot operate otherwise.

 

[carride]

If you already own a car in US, plus also have liability insurance to cover driving that car, then you are covered to drive a rental car without needing to purchase insurance from a US rental company. Before I travel I always call my insurance company and they confirm I am covered and email me a dated letter to show to rental company. This is what I have done many times when traveling back to anyplace USA that is not located where my car is parked. My insurance company has also confirmed it is not possible to purchase a policy without owning a car, though not clear if that is different for each state.

 

[steveinbsas]

This is NOT liability insurance. It's more like an alternative to CDW

The link I provided was at the top of the Google results when I searched for "additional liability insurance coverage for car rental." Perhaps it appeared at the top because the insurer paid for it to appear there.

Scrolling down the list in the same search, I found this:

https://www.avis.com/en/products-and-services/protections/additional-liability-insurance.

If Gringo80 wants to rent from a company orher than Avis, he can start his own search and/or contact other car rental companies for additional information.

 

[on the brink]

State-mandated liability insurance is included in rentals. In VA it was just US$100,000, enough to cover a fender-bender but little else.

Last year I rented a car from SIXT, which included US$ one milliion in liability insurance. This company was then a newcomer to the Washington area, and eager to expand to new markets. It is worth checking their rates.

The Washington National Airport branch provided good service, and a spotless car with just 2000 miles on it.