People sometimes assume that every risk they have in their personal or professional lives is automatically covered somewhere on one of their insurance policies. Some examples include flood or data breach incidents. Neither are automatically covered on most policies.
Another risk people erroneously assume is covered on their auto policy is rental car protection. It can be covered on a personal auto policy, but it isn’t automatically provided. If you carry full coverage and add a rental car endorsement, your policy then will extend to a rental, provided it’s used for pleasure only. If you carry low limits of liability or a high deductible, you may want to amend your policy before your next rental to ensure adequate coverage.
Another consideration is loss of use. While your auto policy’s physical damage and liability coverage can be endorsed to extend to a rental car, the endorsement may not automatically cover income lost by the rental company while a damaged vehicle is being repaired. If the car normally rents for $75 per day and requires a 10-day repair, the loss of use is $750. Be sure you have loss of use coverage, also.
Simply stated, never assume you have coverage for something. Always ask your insurance agent for confirmation. That’s the case for rental cars and the loss-of-use provision. Getting a hefty bill for damage to a rental vehicle could ruin an otherwise perfect vacation!