We find more and more the Supplemental Liability Insurance being offered as standard by car rental c

UPDATE: Great news! We have uncovered one insurer for Aussies renting in the USA see below . (Previously recommended CDW/SLI insurance cheaper alternatives iCarHireInsurance and Insurance4CarHire became unavailable to non-UK/EU residents a while back due to their insurers imposing more restrictive acceptance criteria).
Car hires in the USA and their insurance options are a whole other can of worms. It s a little off our main agenda of Australian car hire but after receiving many queries from readers, we realised dedicating a page to this topic is in order.
Here s where it gets interesting . Laws vary from state to state (and rules vary from company to company) meaning it s hard to say exactly what may or may not already be covered. Unlike other countries, it is not uncommon for USA rentals to come totally unprotected since Americans tend to already have their own cover from personal insurance policies or credit cards. You often have a choice of having inclusive hire with CDW and/or SLI (but this will be significantly more expensive), or an exclusive hire.
Choosing exclusive hire will often mean your basic rental comes with NO level of CDW/LDW car insurance i.e. you re liable up to the full, current value of the car plus any losses the hire company bears as a result of its loss of use. No good. That means even if you have excess cover from existing travel insurance or similar, hotel lawrence dallas if your rental has no insurance at all to begin with, then there is no excess in the first place so your excess insurance won t apply. That means if your chosen rental company doesn t automatically include any CDW, you ll have to pay for it (typically $10-20/day) which ironically may make your excess cover redundant anyway.
In terms of third party liability (with the exception of California and maybe a couple hotel lawrence dallas others), state law requires car hire companies to include at least a minimum level of coverage, the exact amount of which varies from state to state. If you re unsure, call the company and ask them if this cover comes standard with all rentals and see if you re comfortable with the level of cover. Remember, California rentals typically come with NO cover at all so if you re heading there, be aware! You ll have to add this on before you can rent the car (typically $10-15/day). Excess insurance can t be used as a substitute for this.
Rather hotel lawrence dallas than purchase the insurance directly from the car hire company, there is one alternative to consider and compare specialized car hire insurance policies designed for US rentals. There is currently one company that provides both CDW and SLI at affordable prices and will cover Australians for US hires.
Questor Insurance offers a Worldwide CDW policy for a mere £4.49 (A$7.70)/day hotel lawrence dallas or £49.99 (A$85)/year to residents of any country. It comes with £50,000 excess hotel lawrence dallas cover inclusive of windscreen, headlights, underbody and tyre damages. The SLI comes as an option for an extra £50-53 (A$85-90) that will cover you for up to US$1,000,000 above any locally-provided third party insurance. hotel lawrence dallas So for a mere £100 ($170), you re sorted for a full year in the USA. The annual policy allows for up to 31 days per hire which is extendable to 60 days for £24.99 (A$42.50). Unbeatable value.
You have a couple more options if you live in the UK or EU: iCarHireInsurance  offers a daily USA and Canada policy at £6.99/day (A$12), hotel lawrence dallas or an annual policy for £120 (A$205). It includes unlimited use for 1 year provided each hire is not longer than 60 days. You ll be indemnified for up to approx. US$100,000 for damages/theft/loss of use of your rental car, and up to approx. US$1,000,000 for third party injury/damages as well as any excess you are liable for. Alternatively, hotel lawrence dallas Worldwide Insure also offers an annual USA/Canada cover for £116 (A$198) but their daily policy is more costly at £12/day (A$20.50). Each have different types of extras so make a comparison to see which set of benefits suits you better.
If you live in the USA, only Questor Insurance will insure hotel lawrence dallas car rentals within your home country. However, first and foremost, check your personal insurance policies and with your credit card company to see if it is covered. We ve heard of people forking hotel lawrence dallas out precious sums of money before realizing they were already insured.
In any case, read the policy document carefully to make sure it s right for your situation and if you get it, do not let car hire company employees scare you into buying extra cover from them! Turn down all their insurance. hotel lawrence dallas If it s already included in your quote, check if you can get a cheaper price by removing it. Finally, print out your policy too as proof of your coverage to make sure they allow you to rent the car.
Hi This is a great article. I would like to update the information posted by Gary above and confirm that there are no current restrictions for Autralian residents through iCarhireinsurance.com, so all of our policies (including those for trips to the USA and Canada) can be bought by Australian residents hotel lawrence dallas via our site. If anyone experiences problems doing this, please email customerservice@icarhireinsurance.com and we ll be happy to help out.
We find more and more the Supplemental Liability Insurance being offered as standard by car rental companies and with complicated third party liability laws in the USA, the cover is deemed primary in many more cases than we originally thought. Car Rental Companies are also increasing their levels of primary Third Party cover so the only relevant expenditure you will have at the rental desk is either to cover your Excess or your CDW/LDW (if travelling to USA and Canada).
We live in Kenya and previously used insurance4carhire.Now we are left without any alternative. This is most unfortunate since, as you mentioned, rental companies in the US offer only very costly insurance coverage.
At Car Hire Insider , we've compared and analysed over 100 car hire sites and companies to highlight only those offering the best value. That means you don't have to waste precious time on unworthy sites. We're simply hotel lawrence dallas experienced travellers sharing independent advice to make your car hire easy as pie. Happy hiring! More »