If you’ve rented a car, you might remember the moment where you stepped up to the counter and the rental company asked if you wanted to purchase the insurance protection plan. Did you panic or were you prepared?
Before you get to that counter Lawrence Kajy, the CEO of Kajy Law, suggests looking at your own insurance policy.
“The first thing I would look at is whether your own car insurance covers your medical bills if you’re injured in a rental,” Kajy said.
Many people assume their personal auto insurance covers them in a rental car, but there are gaps in coverage that could leave you financially exposed after an accident.
“If your personal deductible is higher than the rental car’s deductible, then you will be out-of-pocket for that,” Kajy said.
Something else rental car drivers might not know about is the potential to be charged for loss of value.
“If you were in a rental car crash and the vehicle has to be repaired, you could be charged for the days that it was in service where they would have had it rented,” Kajy explained.
“I think it’s safe to say if you’re at the counter and you haven’t reviewed your policy, just get the extra coverage. It’s peace of mind, it’s better coverage just in case your own policy doesn’t cover certain benefits or if you don’t have those benefits on your policy,” Kajy said.
Watch the video above for more insight on rental car coverage.
When it comes to driving, if you have a teenager in your family that’s getting ready to get behind the wheel, you could help them become a better driver by entering them in a contest to win a free driving course at Motor City Driving Academy, courtesy of Kajy Law. Click here to enter the contest.