Just got into an accident last week, and I’m trying to figure out how long my insurance will pay for a rental car while mine’s in the shop. Anyone know how long they’ll cover it?
It depends on your policy. For me, insurance covered the rental until my car was repaired, which took about two weeks. But I’ve heard some policies only cover a certain number of days, like 30.
Micah said:
It depends on your policy. For me, insurance covered the rental until my car was repaired, which took about two weeks. But I’ve heard some policies only cover a certain number of days, like 30.
Exactly! Mine was only covered for 15 days. After that, I had to pay out of pocket. You should check the fine print of your policy to see what’s covered.
If you’re not at fault, you can try getting the other party’s insurance to pay for the rental. That’s what I did, and they covered it until my car was fixed.
RiskManagerRachel said:
If you’re not at fault, you can try getting the other party’s insurance to pay for the rental. That’s what I did, and they covered it until my car was fixed.
Good point! I was in the same situation. I had to negotiate with the other driver’s insurance to get them to cover the rental longer than my own insurance would’ve. It took some back and forth, but it worked.
Has anyone here opted for extended rental car coverage? My repairs took longer than expected, and I was stuck without a car for a week after my coverage ran out.
Lin said:
Has anyone here opted for extended rental car coverage? My repairs took longer than expected, and I was stuck without a car for a week after my coverage ran out.
Yeah, I added extended coverage to my policy just in case. It wasn’t too expensive, and it gave me peace of mind. Ended up needing it when parts for my car were delayed.
@Hayden
Sounds like it’s worth it! I might add that for the future. How long did the extended coverage last?
Lin said:
@Hayden
Sounds like it’s worth it! I might add that for the future. How long did the extended coverage last?
Mine covered up to 45 days, but check with your insurer since they all have different options.
If your insurance coverage runs out and you don’t want to pay for a rental, you can always use ride-sharing services or public transportation. Not ideal, but it worked for me when I was between cars for a few days.
@Ripley
Same here! I borrowed a car from my cousin for a week. Saved me the hassle of paying extra for a rental.
One thing I’ve learned: always communicate with your insurance company. I was able to get a couple of extra days covered just by explaining that the repair shop was behind schedule.
Morgan said:
One thing I’ve learned: always communicate with your insurance company. I was able to get a couple of extra days covered just by explaining that the repair shop was behind schedule.
That’s smart! I didn’t think to ask for more time. I’ll definitely be more proactive if this happens again.