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Here's the setup
I haven't owned a car in over 20 years and will need to buy one shortly for retirement. In the past whenever I needed a car I would rent one for a day and pay the outrageous rental car insurance amount. I will be moving to my new home and will need a car from day one, but I don't want to be rushed into buying one for a couple of weeks or a month.
Is there some type of insurance policy I can get (not from the rental agency) that will cover the rental car until I make my car purchase?
Here's the setup
I haven't owned a car in over 20 years and will need to buy one shortly for retirement. In the past whenever I needed a car I would rent one for a day and pay the outrageous rental car insurance amount. I will be moving to my new home and will need a car from day one, but I don't want to be rushed into buying one for a couple of weeks or a month.
Is there some type of insurance policy I can get (not from the rental agency) that will cover the rental car until I make my car purchase?
While it would be unfortunate to total a rental car without insurance you are worried about the wrong thing. Liability.
Since you don't have personal car insurance you have zero liability coverage.
So what if you total a $15,000 car but create a multi million dollar liability situation because of your accident.
While you can get the car covered by using the right credit card you still need liability coverage which might be offered by the rental agency.
As a former agent (and still licensed, but working in a different part of the insurance industry), I would advise the following-
Contact at least wo Independent Insurance Agencies to get a quote on a "Non-Owned Auto Policy'". The agents will have access to numerous insurers and some of them should offer this type of policy. That will cover your liability.
For physical damage to the rental vehicle, you should use a credit card that provides rental car coverage for free! Youi may already have one, but if not, I know that most Chase VISA cards include this feature. You must rent the car with that card and follow all of their rules (most exclude luxury and exotic cars, some exclude anything valued over $50k,etc; they usually put limits on the duration of the rental (max of 15 or 30 days) but you can always return it and rent another one if you reach the time limit). When the rules are followed, the credit card insurance usually pays without much hassle.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I used to pass on the rental company insurance, but after talking to my regular car insurance agent, I will get it when traveling. The reason is that your insurance will not cover the "loss of use" which rental agencies now charge for damaged vehicles. In other words, the renter has to pay not only the repairs, but also the rental money the agency loses while the car is in the shop being repaired. If the body shop has to order parts, that can be a huge amount.
If you have an Amex card, look into signing up for their rental car insurance program. For around $25-$30, you get very good coverage for 30-40 days per rental. See this thread for more discussion on the issue: http://www.city-data.com/forum/car-i...surance-3.html
Here's the setup
I haven't owned a car in over 20 years and will need to buy one shortly for retirement. In the past whenever I needed a car I would rent one for a day and pay the outrageous rental car insurance amount. I will be moving to my new home and will need a car from day one, but I don't want to be rushed into buying one for a couple of weeks or a month.
Is there some type of insurance policy I can get (not from the rental agency) that will cover the rental car until I make my car purchase?
some credit cards cover their customers in rental cars
you may already be covered... for the deductible (that's all you need)
the rental car counter clerk is not a clerk... they are a commissioned salesperson
their job is to upsell you, prepaid gas, insurance, gps, even a model upgrade... the car already has insurance, it's the law in all 50 states.. you are only on the hook for the deductible, same as you would be for your personal car
every time i book a rental car i request a sub-compact.... when i get to the counter they offer me a great deal on a mid-size.... i say no and end up with the midsize anyway cause they don't have any sub-compacts at most locations
crooks
then they push the insurance and all the extra crap the get paid on... just say no
call your credit card companies and find out which if any cover your use of a rental car..... many do
their "add-on" policy will only cover the deductible... and only if it's NOT covered by another policy (your auto insurance or Credit Card member services)
the last time i rented a car the "clerk" pitched the guy in front of me about being responsible for the deductible and he fell for it and bought the policy...... I then asked him how much his deductible is on his car at home.... he had no idea
Last edited by azsportpilot; 02-15-2016 at 04:27 PM..
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