subject: US Car Hire Insurance – What to Look for When Buying Auto Rental Cover [print this page] US Car Hire Insurance What to Look for When Buying Auto Rental Cover
The wide open spaces of the United States can make for ideal fly-drive holidays. But renting a vehicle brings several insurance issues to the fore.
Choosing a policy
In most cases, you'll be restricted to a policy offered alongside a rental vehicle. This means you may need to consider the insurance on offer before choosing the rental firm you use. When weighing up the balance between premiums and the cover offered, it's worth remembering that while adjusting to driving on the right doesn't usually pose any significant dangers, there's arguably a slightly increased risk of a minor prang as you adjust. You should also bear in mind that in the event of a disputed crash, you may have to bite the bullet and decide that fighting your case in court won't be financially or practically viable.
The language barrier
Some of the terms used in US motor insurance are slightly different to the UK, or have different meanings.
Liability: This is equivalent to the "third party" element of the UK's third party, fire and theft: it covers a driver against damage caused to other vehicles and drivers. In most states this is the legally required minimum cover.
Collision: This adds on cover for damage to the insured vehicle in a crash where the insured driver gets the blame.
Comprehensive: This adds on cover for damage caused by events other than a crash such as theft, fire or hitting an animal.
Full coverage: Generally this is a combination of liability, collision and comprehensive cover. However, the precise details can vary from policy to policy, so it's well worth reading the small print.
Credit cards
When you pay the full cost of renting a car in the US with a Visa card, you will get free collision and loss damage coverage. However, to get this coverage you must turn down the collision and loss damage coverage offered by the rental firm, which it might not allow. The Visa coverage doesn't cover liability or damage to personal possessions.
Domestic drivers
Of course, another option if you have a friend or family member who resides in the US, is for them to do the driving. If they do leave their car behind and rent a vehicle for the trip -- such as a larger family car ---it's important to note that although they will already have their own insurance, this may not be sufficient for the rental firm. The firm may insist they pay an additional premium to cover the fact that the value of the rental car may be more than their own vehicle, meaning their own policy wouldn't cover it in the event of a write-off.
Across the border
Pay particular attention to the small print in your rental policy if you are considering a trip into Canada. You may well not be covered, and at the very least you will likely have to inform the rental company in advance. Be particularly wary as there may be a situation where the rental is legitimate across the border but the insurance is invalidated.
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