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 replacement car 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 provider to another. In any case, should your car be stolen, or damaged in a collision, having coverage on the rental of a replacement car is very beneficial. This is not the same as renting a vehicle for travel and pleasure. In most cases, when there is a claim involved there will be guidelines and rules regarding the types of cars you can select, how the service will be paid for, and if dictated by your insurance agent, which company you can go through. In some collision cases where the fault of the accident is clearly established as belonging to the driver of the other vehicle, their insurer may be made to cover the cost of the service. It may take time for fault to be established in an auto accident and that may delay you getting the assistance you need if you do not have this valuable coverage as part of your own policy. The best way to ensure you can immediately get assistance when you need it is to make sure you have this coverage included in your policy. This way you get your replacement vehicle and if the other driver is determined to be at fault your provider can attempt to recoup the cost of the service from the other driver's policy. When it comes time to rely on this add-on coverage, how it will be paid for is up to the insurance and rental companies. It is best and easiest for you if the insurer 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 the companies and know the cost for the period of time you will have the car. In these instances the provider may draft a check for the amount and have you use it to pay the car rental provider. Another option is for the insurance agency to tell you to go and use an automobile within certain parameters and they will reimburse you up to certain amount per day that you have the car once you have returned it. Ask your provider about this valuable type of coverage, how much it costs if it is available and how they work with outside companies when a replacement vehicle is needed.