Rental Car Insurance
 |
    15 years
|
Many of us here do a lot of travelling and I'm curious how you handle rental car insurance.
Most states in the US require drivers to carry proof of insurance. If you take out rental car insurance, the rental contract provides that proof.
If however, you rely on your home auto insurance, your employer or that provided by your credit card company, the required proof is more difficult to produce.
I had an incident recently in Colorado involving a rental car. I was stopped at a sobriety check point (no, I hadn't been drinking) and was asked for proof of insurance along with drivers license & registration. I showed the officer the rental agreement, which indicated I had paid for coverage, and he seemed satisfied.
I sometimes don't buy rental car insurance and rely on my home auto policy. I asked the officer how that would work. He said some form of physical proof is required. The card issued by your personal auto insurance, written proof of insurance provided by your credit card company or any other document indicating the coverage limits would be acceptable. Otherwise the driver would be cited for driving without insurance and the car would be impounded!
How many of us carry that kind of paperwork when renting a car?
The laws vary by state and are sometimes difficult to research. You can also be subject to the mood of the officer involved but it's something to think about when renting a car.
What I do
I have one of those small vinyl/plastic wallet inserts that has about 6 to 8 pockets. In that I carry a copies of my health insurance card, a list of prescriptions, doctor contact details, CoVid shot record, passport, and a few other items. I keep that insert in my suitcase. My wife also has the same info, with her specific details.
When packing, almost always that suitcase will be with me and the contents available.
By the way, these days you can likely get as many copies of your auto insurance card as needed through an online method.
John from PA
Insurance caed
Many of us here do a lot of travelling and I'm curious how you handle rental car insurance.
Most states in the US require drivers to carry proof of insurance. If you take out rental car insurance, the rental contract provides that proof.
If however, you rely on your home auto insurance, your employer or that provided by your credit card company, the required proof is more difficult to produce.
I had an incident recently in Colorado involving a rental car. I was stopped at a sobriety check point (no, I hadn't been drinking) and was asked for proof of insurance along with drivers license & registration. I showed the officer the rental agreement, which indicated I had paid for coverage, and he seemed satisfied.
I sometimes don't buy rental car insurance and rely on my home auto policy. I asked the officer how that would work. He said some form of physical proof is required. The card issued by your personal auto insurance, written proof of insurance provided by your credit card company or any other document indicating the coverage limits would be acceptable. Otherwise the driver would be cited for driving without insurance and the car would be impounded!
How many of us carry that kind of paperwork when renting a car?
The laws vary by state and are sometimes difficult to research. You can also be subject to the mood of the officer involved but it's something to think about when renting a car.
If you carry a phone with you. Just pull up the policy on your phone or the proof of insurance card. I keep copies of certain needed information on my phone in a locked file.
Charlie. Nuvi 265 WT and Nuvi 2597 LMT. MapFactor Navigator - Offline Maps & GPS.
My auto insurance covers rental cars
I have a screenshot stored in photos of my insurance card in case I am in an area without cell coverage. That should suffice for any LEO.
With God, all things are possible. ——State motto of the Great State of Ohio
.
.
I am OCD
Many of us here do a lot of travelling and I'm curious how you handle rental car insurance.
Most states in the US require drivers to carry proof of insurance. If you take out rental car insurance, the rental contract provides that proof.
If however, you rely on your home auto insurance, your employer or that provided by your credit card company, the required proof is more difficult to produce.
I had an incident recently in Colorado involving a rental car. I was stopped at a sobriety check point (no, I hadn't been drinking) and was asked for proof of insurance along with drivers license & registration. I showed the officer the rental agreement, which indicated I had paid for coverage, and he seemed satisfied.
I sometimes don't buy rental car insurance and rely on my home auto policy. I asked the officer how that would work. He said some form of physical proof is required. The card issued by your personal auto insurance, written proof of insurance provided by your credit card company or any other document indicating the coverage limits would be acceptable. Otherwise the driver would be cited for driving without insurance and the car would be impounded!
How many of us carry that kind of paperwork when renting a car?
The laws vary by state and are sometimes difficult to research. You can also be subject to the mood of the officer involved but it's something to think about when renting a car.
I always carry an extra copy of our car insurance in my billfold just in case I need it.
Over the years I have carried it I have never needed it.
Mary, Nuvi 2450, Garmin Viago, Honda Navigation, Nuvi 750 (gave to son)
oops
I assume my car policy does not cover rentals (I should check). I've believed for years that standard "gold card" credit card terms give adequate coverage for rentals and have never bought any optional insurance from a rental place.
It never occurred to me that a peace officer might expect to see some physical evidence of the "gold card" coverage.
I guess I should first check my auto insurance details, then try to find a document specifying the "gold card" rental coverage, and print something and place it in my travel briefcase in the travel documents compartment.
News to me.
personal GPS user since 1992
Credit card insurance, caution suggested
I guess I should first check my auto insurance details, then try to find a document specifying the "gold card" rental coverage, and print something and place it in my travel briefcase in the travel documents compartment.
News to me.
Depending on the card, the coverage can be primary or secondary; secondary meaning the card pays after your regular insurance covers things. Another alternative is to take out insurance through a travel insurance company. The one I use is Allianz Travel, not just for car insurance, but trip insurance in general, especially when I travel overseas where Medicare won't work. The car rental insurance can be very reasonable as compared to the rental car company offering. See https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/travel/rental-cars/cr...
John from PA
Good point! In a pinch I
Good point! In a pinch I guess I could pull it up on my phone.