From the Pix Me archive — originally published April 19, 2019. Some details may have changed since.
Owning a vehicle on a holiday visit adds extra adventure and fun to the trip. Cities like Las Vegas which has so much to offer, gives a sophisticated car rental services, right at the airport gates. It is a convenient option. With this service, all car rental companies try to upsell you the rental car insurance. This insurance puts all responsibility for any damage to the vehicle, on the renter, even if the accident was caused by a third party. This may help in saving tens of thousands of dollars that you may owe to the car rental company.
Though buying separate rental car insurance is optional, yet it is highly recommended. But before you fell for the marketing skills of the rental car associate, check if you already possess the rental car insurance from other sources.
Where Can You Look for Rental Car Insurance?
Now that you need rental car insurance, you should know the direct and indirect sources which can make the rental car insurance available for you.
- Automatically with your automobile insurance policy
Some of the individual automobile insurance policies automatically cover rental car insurance for policyholders. You should check with your agent and insurance documents if they mention the coverage for rental car insurance. Since laws & policies differ from state-to-state, you must verify with the agent whether your automobile insurance policy holds valid for the place.
- From your credit card issuer
Some of the major credit card companies offer you rental car insurance coverage whenever their card is used for making payments for rental reservation. In this case, the insurance will only cover the damages that are not covered by your own car insurance policy.
If you purchase separate insurance from a rental car company, the coverage offered by the credit card agency will be considered null.
- Through specialized rental car insurance companies
And the third source is buying the rental car insurance from the company who specializes in such category of insurance policies. You may save many bucks if you choose to buy a policy from these specialized rental car insurance companies rather than buying directly from the Las Vegas car rental companies.
How Much Coverage Can I Purchase
The minimum insurance coverage law applies for all registered car owners, including rental companies, in the state of Nevada.
- minimum insurance coverage of $15,000 for the death or bodily injury to one person,
- $30,000 for the death or bodily injury of two or more people in the same accident,
- And $10,000 for property to damage in a single accident.
The post-accidents claim can sometimes become litigious. If there occurs any disagreement, you can always approach a car accident attorney for fair compensation.
In case of an Accident
In case of an accident, the rental insurance policies may offer a higher amount of coverage than the minimums.
Nevada is a “fault” state. Apart from getting collided with another vehicle with your rented car, there are other fears as well, such as getting hit by a taxi while walking on the strip. In Nevada, you have the freedom to pursue a personal injury claim against the negligent driver even before seeking compensation from your own insurance company.
The decision you need to make is about the amount of coverage you might need. It can be determined by the potential damage to the rental car, to you and to the fellow passengers. In case medical bills exceed the limits of the car rental insurance plans, you can support your expenses with existing automobile and health insurance policies.
