Navigating Auto Insurance: Are Rental Cars Covered After an Accident?

Life doesn’t pause because you’ve been in a car accident. You still need to work, shop, run errands, and pick up the kids from school. A rental car can help keep your daily routines intact. But does auto insurance cover it, and who pays for it?

Auto Insurance Coverage for Rental Cars After an Accident

In Follansbee, WV, an at-fault state, the person who caused the accident is responsible for the other driver’s damages. If the other driver needs a rental car, the at-fault driver’s auto insurance covers it through liability coverage, but there may be limitations.

Our Mutual Insurance Partners team will communicate with the insurance provider to discover the limitations and report our findings to you. Some restrictions include the type of vehicle you can rent, how long you can use the rental car and the amount paid for rental car use. Some insurance providers do not pay for luxury car rentals, and you may have to settle for a car with basic features. The vehicle duration depends on the length of time your car will remain at the shop. Meanwhile, some insurance companies only pay a percentage of rental costs, leaving you to pay the remainder.

To avoid delays, you can tap into the rental reimbursement section of your auto insurance policy. This is an add-on rider for comprehensive and collision policies. We will pay and pursue the insurance provider to recoup our funds.

What If the At-Fault Driver is Uninsured?

In this case, you would need to use rental reimbursement to pay for it. If you don’t have that, you would have to pay out of pocket.

What If You Are the At-Fault Driver?

If you’re the at-fault driver, you would need to pay for a rental car out of pocket. However, you should use that first if you have rental reimbursement coverage.

Obtaining a rental car after an accident depends heavily on who caused it and that person’s insurance policy. Let Mutual Insurance Partners sort out the complications so you can concentrate on maintaining your daily routine. For more information, call or visit the nearest office serving the Follansbee, WV area.