If you are thinking about renting a car on your next trip abroad, there are some important things to understand in order to get the right type of insurance coverage on your rental.
Using Your Existing Insurance
Depending on where you are traveling to and who your current auto insurance company is, there is a chance that you may already be covered when driving a rental car abroad.
These days, an increasing number of car insurance companies have begun to include rental car coverage that essentially allows the insurance coverage from your vehicle to be transferred over to your rental car.
Of course, since auto insurance varies from country to country, it is important to check with the car rental agency in that country to ensure that your coverage will be adequate. In some cases, it may not be and you will need to purchase additional coverage during your trip.
Insuring the Car through the Rental Agency
If your current car insurance policy is not adequate for protecting your car rental abroad, then there are some other options that you will want to consider. Specifically, you will want to speak with a representative from the car rental company to find out what insurance options they offer.
Make note of these along with the coverage included with each one, then contact other car rental companies to do the same. This will allow you to compare quotes and figure out which company will offer the best deal not only on your car rental, but on the insurance you will need with it as well.
At the end of the day, you will want to purchase as much car rental coverage as you can comfortably afford. This way, you will be able to have the peace of mind in knowing that you are covered during your trip, which will allow you to enjoy a stress-free stay.
Traveling for Business?
If you are traveling for business, there is a good chance that the company credit card already includes rental car insurance coverage. The only catch to this is that you will need to actually use the company credit card to book the car rental. Many companies go with credit cards that offer this coverage, especially those who require their employees to travel and thus rent cars on a regular basis.
Look into this as an option if you are planning on traveling as a business expense. Regardless, you should be able to be reimbursed by your company for these expenses by providing a receipt and proof that you paid for the rental car and insurance during your trip.
The Importance of Rental Insurance Coverage
Having insurance on a rental car is just as important as having insurance on your personal vehicle. This is especially true when traveling abroad, as doing so often requires drivers to adjust to new traffic laws, thus increasing the chance of being in an accident and needing to file an insurance claim.
Be sure to keep the above tips in mind as you shop around for rental car insurance coverage. This way, you can ultimately find the hands down best deal on car rental coverage and enjoy the savings during your upcoming trip.
