Is It Necessary to Buy Car Rental Insurance at the Counter?

Pennygem

Driving uninsured is not a smart move, but neither is throwing away money. Find out if you need to pay for extra coverage at the rental car counter. Pennygem’s Justin Kircher has the answer.

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00:00Traveling certainly adds up, and the last thing you'd want to spend extra funds on is

00:08something you don't use on your trip.

00:10Assuming you haven't sent a Buick to that graveyard in the sky, hopefully that means

00:14rental car insurance.

00:16But if you want to know whether or not to say yes when the person at the rental counter

00:19asks if you'd like additional insurance, the answer is maybe.

00:23Forbes writes that experts agree you should have some form of insurance, citing examples

00:27of individuals paying hundreds of dollars for damages, or worse yet, being on the hook

00:32for replacing a car, leaving them in financial ruin.

00:35The publication points out that rental agents are trained to sell you their insurance policy

00:39for a reason — it's priced at a premium.

00:42While it usually covers most of the damage to a rental vehicle, you may already have

00:45insurance you didn't know about.

00:47This will take some research on your part, but U.S. News & World Report suggests checking

00:51with your auto insurance provider to see if you're already covered for rentals.

00:55Forbes points out that specific sites like InsureMyRentalCar.com are a less expensive

01:00way to go and can offer more coverage than at rental car companies.

01:04Travel insurance can also provide some limited protection, but the publication says that

01:08some credit cards will also provide rental car insurance.

01:12Forbes does say this can sometimes be a bureaucratic headache, as secondary insurance can be provided

01:17after you file a claim with your auto insurance provider.

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