Are You Covered Under Personal Insurance When Renting a Car?

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Personal car insurance is mandatory in most states and provides financial cover for loss, damage or theft to your vehicle. Your personal insurance plan also gives you financial protection for liability and medical costs. The extent of protection is outlined in your insurance policy – be sure to check you’ve fully understood the extent of your protection before agreeing to a new contract.

What does personal car insurance cover?

Personal car insurance refers specifically to cover which applies to you and your vehicle only. This insurance type covers your day-to-day driving, from the work commute to weekend road trips. Typically, a policy will insure the vehicle’s owner, but can also be extended to cover one or two family members.

Your insurance policy will cover you for any vehicle damages sustained and cover medical bills. It will also cover liability if you are the cause of an accident – this will help pay for damage to other cars and destruction of stationary objects, as well as provide financial cover for legal fees and medical bills of other drivers or passengers involved.

The individual limits of your policy will be determined by you and outlined in your insurance policy contract. Remember - personal car insurance is separate from business car insurance, so if you are involved in an incident while driving for work, your personal policy will likely reject any claim.

Many personal car insurance policies cover you when driving a rental car. Generally, the same protections provided by your personal car insurance policy will apply to your rental car. Every policy is different. Speak with your insurance provider if you have any questions regarding eligibility before choosing to rent a car.

Can you boost your insurance cover?

Don’t worry if your personal car insurance policy doesn’t cover everything. Rental companies offer a few ways to boost your existing cover for peace of mind. At Hertz, we offer three added protections that you can purchase before you begin your rental.

Emergency Roadside Assistance

Not every journey goes to plan, so you may need roadside assistance. With each car rental, we offer 24/7 Emergency Roadside Assistance in two tiers – basic and premium. Our basic cover applies to any mechanical issues with the vehicle only. Premium Emergency Roadside Assistance gives you added financial support if there are any non-mechanical issues with your vehicle or if you are involved in an accident.

Liability Protection*

We also offer an optional Liability Insurance Supplement (LIS). This gives you protection of up to $310,000 to support any third-party claims. This could be used to support you if you cause any property or road sign damage as well as bodily injury when driving. Liability Protection is also extended to any other authorized drivers who are included in your Hertz rental.

Loss Damage Waiver (LDW)*

By purchasing our optional Loss Damage Waiver (LDW), you will have no responsibility for costs incurred by loss or damage to your rental vehicle. The LDW applies to your vehicle for the whole duration of your rental, even if you are not inside the vehicle. The LDW applies cover for incidents such as theft, loss of keys, vandalism and natural events.

Conclusion

Having added protection when renting a car offers peace of mind and helps you financially recover from any incidents which may not be covered by your personal car insurance policy. Always keep an accessible and up-to-date version of your insurance policy to check what level of cover you are offered when renting a car. Don’t worry if you need help choosing the right option for your rental. No matter your query – our customer service team is on hand to help answer any questions you have before, during or after your rental.