Do Insurance Companies Pay for Rental Cars?
Car accidents are a daily occurrence, and they often lead to serious injuries and damage to the vehicles involved. While your first priority is your health and ensuring that you aren’t injured, being unable to operate your car due to the accident can have a significant impact on your life. You may not be able to get to family functions, or might miss out on income because you can’t make it to work. Fortunately, in many cases, insurance companies will pay for rental cars.
Who Pays For The Rental Car after an Accident?
Who pays for a rental car after you are involved in a car accident depends on the circumstances. In some cases, you might be able to get the other driver’s company to pay, and if not, your own insurance company may pay. In unfortunate situations, you will be left to pay for the rental out of your own pocket.
Using The Other Driver’s Insurance Coverage
If you’re involved in an accident and the other driver is at fault, their insurance company should pay for your rental car. To make this happen, you must open a claim and work with the insurance adjuster to get your rental car. While this sounds like a good option, this can sometimes take days or weeks to complete. This means you could be carless for quite some time.
In this situation, you will have a daily limit for your rental. Make sure you know what it is before choosing a rental car, or you will have to pay the difference.
Using Your Own Insurance Coverage
When you purchase car insurance in California, you have the option to add rental car coverage to your policy. If it’s determined that you were at fault for the accident, you will need to file a claim with your own insurance company. They will still pay for your rental car as long as you decided to pay for this option. Make sure you speak with someone from the company about your daily limit so you don’t unexpectedly owe money at the conclusion of your rental.
In most cases, you can get a rental car through a company approved by your insurance, and the rental car company will bill your insurance directly. In some cases, you will rent your own car and be reimbursed up to your daily limit by your insurance company. There is usually a limit to the number of days your insurance company will pay for your rental car, as well. Make sure you know what it is so you aren’t stuck with a big bill at the end that you weren’t expecting.
When Your Claim is Denied
Unsurprisingly, insurance companies often try to do whatever they can to pay out the least amount of money possible. This often means denying a claim to pay for your rental car after an accident. If you believe the other driver was at fault and your claim by their insurance company is denied, you can dispute this decision. Unfortunately, this can take months to resolve, and you almost certainly need a rental car long before then. If this happens, your best bet is to speak with an experienced Los Angeles car accident attorney who can help you manage the situation. They can help you deal with the insurance company and then file a personal injury claim in civil court if necessary. If you weren’t responsible for the accident, you shouldn’t be stuck paying for the rental.
If you need assistance with a rental car or have other questions about car accident claims, contact us today to set up a free consultation.