Does auto insurance cover a rental car?

It’s summer and thoughts turn to vacation. Hotel and flight reservations and possibly a rental car. These days, most reservations are made online and once you have chosen the company you want to rent from, you will choose your pick-up and drop-off location, date, and size of the vehicle. At Johnsen Insurance in Baraboo, WI, we have a team of experienced independent agents who are always ready to help our customers find the perfect insurance. 

Generally speaking, the best answer to "does auto insurance cover a rental car" is yes, if you have the right insurance. Whether your particular auto insurance covers a rental car is something you need to verify with your insurance agent. 

If you have basic auto insurance, you only have liability and while that is as important when you are renting a car as it is when you are just driving your car, it is not enough to protect you. One kind of insurance the rental car companies will offer is excess liability coverage. If you are satisfied with the liability coverage that you have on your personal auto insurance, you can refuse this coverage with confidence. 

If you carry comprehensive and collision coverage on your personal policy and you have a relatively new vehicle, chances are your personal insurance will have a high enough limit to cover a rental vehicle. If you are in doubt, give your independent insurance agent a call to check. 

Another type of insurance the rental company will try to sell you is personal effects coverage. If you have a home, a condo or have renters’ insurance, you already have this insurance and don’t need to purchase it. 

If you don’t care about price and just want to relax and not worry about deductibles, the CDW offered by the rental car company provides that. 

Contact Johnsen Insurance in Baraboo, WI for all your auto insurance questions.