Hi there,
we are going to hire a car for 4 weeks and although our personal travel insurance includes vehicle excess equivalent to approx US$2000, we do not have car insurance. The company we are looking at 'Fox Renta Car' states that they have optional insurance. we are unsure as to what cover we need.
What do people recommend? We are on a tight budget however want to take the necessary precautions, and don't want to be stung with last minute costs.
cheers
I have heard that the credit card company you rent the car with will cover the car rental insurance but do give them a call and check,you might also want to talk with your current car insurer as sometimes your coverage is good for rental cars,again give em a call,Car rental insurance from my experience runs around 5 to 10% of total cost.
As said above, if you have Visa or Mastercard "Gold" or higher, it usually covers the insurance for most countries, US should be for sure
I wonder if travel insurance would cover your rental car? It may be less expensive than what the rental company charges. I have used insuremytrip.com in the past to compare trip insurance policies. It cant hurt for you to check it out!
Rental car insurance in the USA is generally known as one big scam and is not true insurance at all. If you own a car at home and it is insured, this insurance generally will also cover a rental (check with your insurance carrier). Personally, knowing that insurance is 100% optional, I decline all of the time, but I have a near-perfect driving record and no accidents. I have no idea if the rules are different for foreign nationals, but if you come from a country where you drive on the right side, I would think that insurance is a very good thing to have. A 4 week rental qualifies for long-term rental rates, so you might want to go with a larger company such as Enterprise or Budget. Be sure to check the restrictions of your rental before you drive or reserve that car - since many rental locations are franchised, they do not want you driving too far out of their area. I know of one company that actually puts GPS units in their cars to track your trip, and will fine you if you go out of the restricted area. (Here in the Pacific NW for instance, Enterprise restricts rentals to 2 or 3 local states).