Renting a Temporary Replacement Vehicle

You have been in a collision and your car is going to need a number of repairs that may take some time, but being without a vehicle may mean missing days at work or important appointments and you cannot afford to miss them. Many auto insurance companies will offer to cover the cost of a renting a replacement vehicle up to a certain amount of money per day. This is a great service that insurers provide and may be something that is provided as benefit or may be an option that you pay extra for, that differs from one insurer to another. In any case, should your car be stolen, or damaged in a collision, having coverage on the rental of a replacement vehicle is very beneficial.

Renting a replacement vehicle is not the same as renting a vehicle for travel and pleasure. In most cases, when there is an insurance claim involved there will be guidelines and rules regarding the types of vehicles you can rent, how the rental will be paid for, and if dictated by your insurance agent, who you can rent the replacement vehicle from. In some collision cases where the fault of the accident is clearly established as belonging to the driver of the other vehicle, their insurance company may be made to cover the cost of your replacement rental.

It may take time for fault to be established in an auto accident and that may delay your getting your replacement vehicle if you do not have replacement coverage as part of your own policy. The best way to ensure you can immediately get a replacement rental vehicle is to make sure you have this coverage included in your insurance policy. This way you get your replacement vehicle and if the other driver is determined to be at fault your insurance company can attempt to recoup the cost of the rental from the other drivers insurance.

When it comes time to rent your temporary replacement vehicle, how it will be paid for is up to the insurance and car rental companies. It is best and easiest for you if the insurance company can be billed directly by the car rental company. This is not always the case however. In some cases the insurance company may already have deals worked out with rental companies and know the cost for the period of time you will have the rental. In these instances the insurance company may draft a check for the amount and have you use it to pay the car rental company. Another option is for the insurance agency to tell you to go and rent a vehicle within certain parameters and they will reimburse you up to certain amount per day that you have the vehicle once you have returned it. Ask your auto insurance company about replacement vehicle coverage, how much it costs if it is available and how they work with car rental companies when a replacement vehicle is needed.

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