Rental Car Insurance

[Wr3ck3d]

I realize that people here may not know the answer, but I am hopeful! I plan on calling my insurance company on Monday to get the proper answer... anyways!

5 of us are renting a van for a weekend trip to Montreal. One person is renting the van as the sole driver. Does anyone know if it's normal that my personal policy would cover me on that van or is it something that is probably not covered?

Appreciate the feedback!

[Arrgh]

When you buy insurance, there is an option to extend your coverage from your own car to a rental car. If you chose to pay for that option, then you are covered for a car that you rented.

When it's your friend that rented the car as the sole driver, the contract between the rental company and him, is for him to be the sole driver. You won't be convered. In case if you drove and got in an accident, your insurance won't cover you as you are not even allowed to be driving that car anyway, as per the rental contract. If you had rented the car, your insurance can cover that car, but since you didn't rent the car, well you are not covered.

[i6s1]

With credit cards, generally minivans are covered but full-size vans are not. (Ford E-series, Chevy Express, etc)

Don't bother phoning your insurance company, you need to phone the driver's company.

[apachekeith]

Almost every insurance policy covers you for a rental car up to usually $40,000-$60,000. As long as you are from North America & you are renting in NA you are covered. Your credit card will normally provide even more coverage depending on the card. Read your policy(not the pink card but the actual policy)as well as your CC T&C's, it is in there.
I've rented cars all over North America & it will be in your policy, just read it. If you are over 25 you should be covered for any car you drive including rentals up to a certain amount.

[Arrgh]

Almost every insurance policy covers you for a rental car up to usually $40,000-$60,000. As long as you are from North America & you are renting in NA you are covered. Your credit card will normally provide even more coverage depending on the card. Read your policy(not the pink card but the actual policy)as well as your CC T&C's, it is in there.
I've rented cars all over North America & it will be in your policy, just read it. If you are over 25 you should be covered for any car you drive including rentals up to a certain amount.

NO, you may not have that coverage. You have to pay extra for that coverage and if you do not choose to pay for that, you are not covered.

Everyone's policy is different. If the OP did NOT pay for that coverage for his/her own car insurance, there will be NO coverage.

I know at the time of renewal, I go over all the coverages with my insurance agent. There is always that item where I choose to pay a few dollars extra for that coverage. I also have gold card that provides coverage, but I pay a few dollars in my own car insurance, just in case. If I chose not to pay a few dollars more, my own car insurance would not have that coverage.

[Arrgh]

Don't bother phoning your insurance company, you need to phone the driver's company.

What good would that do? The OP already stated the friend rented the van as a sole driver. If the rental contract only allows that one driver, it doesn't matter if that driver's own insurance covers that van rental or other drivers. Other drivers are NOT allowed to drive that van anyway, according to the rental contract. The driver's friend would NOT be covered, simply due to the fact only the driver is the only contractually allowed driver.

If you are the insurance company, would you pay money to cover something you don't need to cover?

[itIsI]

The fact that you are not listed as a named driver on the rental contract does not automatically mean that you won't be covered by other insurance. The following is from TD Visa CDW insurance

"Insured Person" means: (1) You the Cardholder, who presents himself (herself) in person at
the Rental Agency, signs the rental contract, declines the Rental Agency’s CDW or its equivalent
and takes possession of the rental vehicle and who complies with the terms of this Policy.
(2) Any other person who drives the same rental vehicle with Your permission whether or not
such person has been listed on the rental vehicle contract or has been identified to the Rental
Agency at the time of making the rental, however, You and all drivers must otherwise qualify
under and follow the terms of the rental contract and must be legally licensed and permitted to
drive the rental vehicle under the laws of the jurisdiction in which the rental vehicle shall be
used.

I am not saying that the OP would be covered but it is possible.

[Arrgh]

The fact that you are not listed as a named driver on the rental contract does not automatically mean that you won't be covered by other insurance. The following is from TD Visa CDW insurance

"Insured Person" means: (1) You the Cardholder, who presents himself (herself) in person at
the Rental Agency, signs the rental contract, declines the Rental Agency’s CDW or its equivalent
and takes possession of the rental vehicle and who complies with the terms of this Policy.
(2) Any other person who drives the same rental vehicle with Your permission whether or not
such person has been listed on the rental vehicle contract or has been identified to the Rental
Agency at the time of making the rental, however, You and all drivers must otherwise qualify
under and follow the terms of the rental contract and must be legally licensed and permitted to
drive the rental vehicle under the laws of the jurisdiction in which the rental vehicle shall be
used.

I am not saying that the OP would be covered but it is possible.

There are different ways of renting a car. Many car rental companies have loyalty programs that you can sign up for free, and often they automatically extends your spouse as an additional driver free of charge. In that case, the spouse is covered. In these situations, if you don't elect to pay that extra money, then other drivers are not allowed to drive. If I'm the car rental agency and an accident is caused by someone not allowed to drive, I certainly would not pay the repair/medical bills.

Most rental agreements, if not specifically "extended" by the loyalty programs, or the corporate code or rental promotion codes, only covers ONE driver. They want to charge you for the additional driver, usually at $10 or more each day.

So at the time of rental, unless that particular rental contract was "extended" by either the loyal program, or the corporate/promote code that specifically covers the additional driver(s), then any additional driver(s) are NOT allowed/included in that rental contract.

If in doubt, think from the insurance company's point of view. If an accident happens and someone tries to make a claim for you the insurance company to pay, wouldn't you want to make sure you only pay for the claim if the driver is covered. If you find the rental contract was for one sole driver, why on earth would you go and pay for the other driver who was not even allowed to drive the car in the first place. One can continue to argue, but would the insurance company pay?

[itIsI]

Whether an insurance company will cover drivers not declared on the rental agreement depends upon the terms of the insurance contract.

The extract that I posted for TD Visa CDW/LDW explictly states that the driver does not have to have been declared so I would expect them to honor that - anyone driving with my permission is covered for CDW/LDW.

Whether that undeclared driver would have third party liability is a different question since that it is not covered by the visa card. But if I also have a third party policy that covers undeclared drivers that it would Ok for them to drive.

Basically check your insurance coverage to see who is or is not covered.

[Arrgh]

To be sure, I'd suggest the OP to ask the friend doing the rental, to add an extra driver to the contract. Find promotion codes, or join the rental company's frequent renter program (they're free), to find ways to not have to pay for the additional driver. That way at least you can be "legally" driving the van.

[JWL]

First, the TD terms are not the same terms that are on all credit cards.

Second, make sure you have BOTH types of insurance covered:
1/ Collision. It may be covered by your credit card if it offers it and if you used your card to pay for the rental, or if your friend's credit card covers you. It is VERY unlikely to be covered by your car insurance.
2/ Liability. It may be covered by your car insurance, but it varies with each policy.

You have to understand what your situation is for each type of insurance.

[99bimmer]

The coverage you need from your insurance company is the
OPCF27 form .

This is from an insurance FAQ site

The scenario: You’re in another city on business and rented a car for the week. After a meeting, you’ve returned to the spot where you parked the car only to discover it’s gone. Turns out somebody stole the car. You’re already picturing the fit the customer service representative is going to have when you go back to the rental location to explain …

So what Ontario Policy Change Form (OPCF) provides you with the ability to add extra insurance to your Ontario auto policy coverage for this situation?

The form: The OPCF 27 is the right choice for this scenario. Also known as the “Legal Liability for Damage to Non Owed Autos”, the OPCF 27 provides you with physical damage coverage (collision and comprehensive coverage) for you and your spouse, including all listed drivers on your policy, in the event of loss or damage caused to all rented and non-owned vehicles.

Details of the OPCF 27 include:

This form will extend your policy to cover third-party liability, accident benefits, uninsured automobile and direct compensation-property damage coverage whenever driving the rented vehicle.
The OPCF 27 will cover you anywhere in Canada and the continental United States.
You will need to already have physical damage coverage on your auto insurance policy in order to purchase the OPCF 27.
This form carries a policy limit ranging between $25,000 and $50,000.
The cost of the OPCF 27 ranges from $30 to $50 for a one-year policy term.

[mjjrules]

When you rent a car, and don't buy insurance from them, how do you prove to them you are covered by your own policy or by credit card coverage?

[JWL]

When you rent a car, and don't buy insurance from them, how do you prove to them you are covered by your own policy or by credit card coverage?

You don't have to prove anything to them. You don't have to have insurance.

[Wr3ck3d]

Thanks for the replies all!

To be sure, I'd suggest the OP to ask the friend doing the rental, to add an extra driver to the contract. Find promotion codes, or join the rental company's frequent renter program (they're free), to find ways to not have to pay for the additional driver. That way at least you can be "legally" driving the van.

That's what we ended up doing - Extra $40 for an additional driver.. oh well!