Damage to the rental car , whether caused by your own fault or by someone else, is not covered by the rental price. It is therefore advisable to take out additional insurance when booking or on site when picking up the car.
liability risks
You, the renter, are responsible for any damage to or loss of the vehicle, whether at fault or not. Liability only applies to damage caused by forces of nature or fire (unless caused by an accident = collision) ( accidental fire or acts of nature beyond your control ). The amount of liability includes the market value of the vehicle ( your responsibility will not exceed the greater of the retail fair market value of the car or is manufacturers buyback program value at the time it is lost or damageda reasonable charge for loss of use) . The risk from the level of liability can therefore quickly exceed the value of the actual trip to the USA.
CDW / LDW
One avoids this liability if, when renting the vehicle, one pays for the so-called CDW ( collision damage waiver = fully comprehensive insurance with reduced liability, sometimes also with exemption from liability) or SCDW (Super CDW = fully comprehensive insurance with no or with a low excess) or LDW ( loss damage waiver = fully comprehensive insurance with exemption from liability, even in the event of theft). With offers from European tour operators , it is usually included in the rental price, i.e. included ( included).
The case concerns the exclusion of deductibles for accidental damage. This is not an insurance, but a contractual arrangement with the landlord! When renting in New York, however, there is always a deductible of US$ 100. Completion of CDW/LDW is always recommended.
LIS / EP / ALI
The so-called LIS ( Liability Insurance Supplement = increase in liability coverage) or EP ( Extended Protection ) or ALI ( Additional Liability Insurance = higher liability coverage) or SLI ( Supplemental Liability Insurance ) offer improved insurance protection. It can be booked later when picking up the rental car (but possibly not in Texas) and costs approx. 11 US$ per rental day (incl. tax = tax). The insurance increases the coverage of the statutory liability insurance to US$ 1,000,000 for personal injury and property damage per insured event.
In our opinion, this insurance makes sense, even if comprehensive insurance cover is already guaranteed by a European insurer (this is what individual tour operators offer). The insurance also covers claims by the lessee against a guilty party involved in an accident if the latter is uninsured or underinsured or not known because he committed a hit-and-run (up to US$ 100,000). In these cases, the vacationer is otherwise liable to the landlord himself because there is no insurance cover.
Personal Accident Insurance
It is a well-known fact that passenger accident insurance is hardly ever needed in Germany. If the other party is to blame, his insurance company will pay, if you are to blame, your own motor vehicle liability insurance is liable. As a rule, damage is only reimbursed if you are injured yourself or if the accident was caused by a road user (cyclist, pedestrian) who is insolvent and has no private liability. Taking these limitations into account, depending on the group of participants, personal accident insurance (PAI ) can make sense when traveling in the USA.
Baggage Insurance
For luggage insurance (PEP = Personal Effects Protection or PEC = Personal Effects Coverage ), the statements on passenger accident insurance apply accordingly. It only makes sense in exceptional cases. The PAE ( Personal Accident and Affects Coverage ) is a passenger and baggage insurance, which does not, however, also insure personal items such as glasses and cameras.
ESP
The ESP (Personal Sickness Protection) covers emergency medical treatment.
Credit card insurance
Car insurance benefits, the credit cardsgrant their owners, as a rule, only apply if the rental car was paid for with the corresponding card. The liability and comprehensive insurance cover for rental cars abroad is usually an additional insurance. The statutory basic insurances prescribed in the respective country must also exist. In the USA it should also be noted that different minimum amounts of coverage are prescribed depending on the state.
If you want to rely on your credit card-linked insurance as insurance cover, you should therefore compare the scope of insurance with a minimum and sensible car insurance cover in order not to unexpectedly end up in an insurance gap, which can be very expensive, especially in the USA with its high amounts of damage.
legal protection
It makes sense to take out traffic legal protection insurance, which also applies to the USA, because you are moving in a country with foreign traffic rules and a foreign legal system . In addition to insurers, such types of insurance are also offered by automobile clubs and credit card companies.
loss of insurance coverage
All insurances and exclusions of liability do not apply if precautionary measures are violated.
According to the rental agreements , when leaving the car:
- all keys removed ( remove keys ),
- all doors and windows and the trunk must be firmly closed ( lock all doors, close all car windows and the trunk )
or you will be responsible for any loss! So: don't park the rental car with the (partially) open windows, even on hot days!
It is not uncommon for property damage to the rental vehicle to occur abroad. Regardless of who caused the accident, there are some important points to consider. In the event of an accident, the first thing to do is call the police. Both the documentation of the damage and the correct settlement of the damage are essential for the landlord. If there are difficulties in understanding, an interpreter can be contacted by telephone to clarify the situation more easily. Immediate contact with the rental car provider is also extremely advisable. If the vehicle is not a total loss and a claim for a replacement has to be asserted, the journey can be continued.
Prohibited Uses of the Rental Car
- Leaving the vehicle to an unauthorized driver
- intentional destruction or damage or abetting theft
- Driving outside of the US or Canada
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- any criminal use
- overloaded
- paid transport of persons or things
- Driving without a seat belt
- Driving off paved roads .
In the event of violations of these provisions of the rental agreement , the liability of the authorized driver applies as explained in detail under Liability risks and loss of insurance cover, unless LDW, PAI, PEC or LIS occur.