Car Rental 101

There are a couple different scenarios that could require the use of a rental car:

1. You’re flying somewhere and will need a car when you arrive at your destination.
2. Your personal vehicle is undrivable due to a collision or mishap.

The insurance options for these two scenarios are very different.  Let’s take a look at the first one.  This is a situation where you are traveling and do not have your personal vehicle, so you rent a vehicle from one of the many available car rental services. 

Each state has its own set of rules.  Be sure to check the laws with the Department of Insurance for the state you are traveling to.  In Ohio, rental car companies cannot require that you purchase rental car insurance from them.  Nor can they imply that your current insurance policy won’t provide the same coverage they might be offering you.  Rental car company employees are also not necessarily qualified to evaluate your auto insurance coverage and cannot imply that they are.

Instead, many insurance companies extend physical damage coverage (Comprehensive and Collision) to a rented vehicle under certain conditions.  Before you travel, check with Kannel Insurance to see if your auto policy extends coverage to rental cars.

The second type of rental car insurance (sometimes called “Loss of Use”) is what you might need if your vehicle becomes disabled.  This coverage would activate if you’re involved in a covered incident that causes your vehicle to be undrivable.  At Kannel Insurance, all our companies offer this coverage.  There are different coverage levels ranging from $25/day to $50/day and, in some cases, more.

Check with Kannel Insurance on the availability of rental car coverage – if you are travelling and renting a car or if you have a covered loss to your vehicle. 

For more information, go to Auto Rental Insurance Guide | Department of Insurance (ohio.gov). 

Call us today to discuss these insurance options!