Get a Rental Car from Your Insurance Claim

If you’ve been involved in a car accident, you might be wondering how you can get a rental car while your car is in the shop. In accidents that involve another driver, this process will change depending on who is held responsible for the accident. We’ll walk you through how to determine liability for an accident with multiple drivers involved, as well as how to get a rental car through insurance for any accident, whether or not you’re responsible.

Steps

Deciding Liability in a Car Accident

1. Obtain a copy of the police report. Contact the police when you’re involved in an accident, so they can help you get the information you need for insurance companies. In some states, like New Hampshire, calling the police is required by law when damages amount to $1000, which can happen even with a minor fender bender.
   • If there are personal injuries, call 911. On the other hand, if the damages involved are less serious, you can call your district police station. If you don’t know the number of the district police station, 911 can connect you to them.
   • You and the other driver will need to exchange several pieces of information, including driver’s licenses, vehicle registration cards, auto insurance policies, and current addresses. It’s also a good idea to get each other’s phone numbers, in case additional issues crop up.
   • If the responding officer doesn’t offer you a police report, contact the district police station. This will be extremely useful when processing the claim through insurance.
2. Take photos of the damages. Take photos both close-up to any damaged parts of your vehicle, as well as from farther away. Think of it as trying to tell a story with your photos, so include things like road signs near by, so that you can establish the location of the accident.
   • Don’t worry about the quality of your camera—if you have one on your phone, that should work just fine. You can always get more detailed images of the damage to your car later, if you have a better camera at home.
3. File a claim with your insurance company as soon as possible. If you have a smartphone, your insurance company probably has an app to help you navigate this process. You can also call your insurance company directly. Each driver involved should contact their insurance agency, which will send out their own insurance adjuster, the person responsible for determining liability in an accident.
   • You will need to provide your insurance company with the details of the other driver, as well as a description of your own damages. Send them any photos you took at the scene, as well as the police report when you get it.
   • Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota, Utah, and Puerto Rico have ‘no-fault’ insurance policies.
   • If you live in a ‘no-fault’ insurance area, each driver’s insurance company will cover their own losses. Everyone is responsible for their own damages, so you won’t have to determine who is responsible for the accident before getting reimbursed.
4. Wait for the insurance report. This can take a while, so you may have to be patient! Ideally, the claims will be settled and your insurance company will give you a rental car within 3-5 days. For more complicated accidents, such as when your car is totaled, this process could last longer than a month.
   • You can speed up this process by helping your insurance company with their investigation. Provide them with the police report, and take plenty of photos of the damages for documentation.

Renting a Car When You’re Responsible For Damages

1. Check to see if you have rental reimbursement insurance. Each state and insurance company will organize their policies differently, but this information should be provided to you when you purchase insurance. If you don’t have access to your policy details, you should call your insurance company.
   • Rental reimbursement insurance doesn’t just cover the cost of renting a car after an accident. Some insurance companies cover not only the cost of a car rental, but also any Ubers, Lyfts, or public transportation you take while your vehicle is in the shop.
   • If you don’t have rental reimbursement insurance, adding it to your plan for a future accident is easy and inexpensive.
2. Call your insurance company and ask to be provided with a rental car up-front. If your insurance doesn't give you a car right away, they'll likely reimburse you later. Different insurance agencies have different internal policies, and calling personally can give the agency the opportunity to make the process of getting you cleared for a rental as easy as possible.
3. Rent-a-Car according to your insurance company’s guidelines. If your insurance has agreed to provide you with a rental car up-front, they might have a specific rental company that you’re required to use. In any case, you should check-in with them before renting, so that you can be properly reimbursed.
   • The insurance company is responsible for providing you with a rental comparable to the damaged car. This means that if you need a pick-up truck for work, the company needs to provide you with a similar car, but not a luxury vehicle.
   • If your insurance company agreed to reimburse you, rather than pay for a rental up-front, you should make sure that they give you a timeline for when you’ll be reimbursed.

Renting a Car When Another Driver Is At-Fault

1. Collect information from the responsible driver. You will need to note down the driver’s name, address, insurance company, and policy information. Getting contact information from any witnesses is also a good idea, since the other driver’s insurance company may deny their responsibility.
   • If there is a responding police officer at the scene, they’ll help you collect this information. In addition, take as many photos as you can of the damages, as this will help your insurance company put together a report.
   • Nearly every state requires all drivers to have car insurance, except for Virginia and New Hampshire are exceptions. If you are involved in an accident with an uninsured driver there, you'll have to work out a personal agreement for payment with the other driver, or go to court.
2. Contact the responsible driver’s insurance company. Hopefully, the other driver’s insurance agency will provide you with a rental car in a timely manner, especially if you’re able to collect enough evidence to prove their responsibility (police reports, photos, witnesses). However, it’s possible that the other driver’s insurance agency will contest the claim, in which case you’ll need to be prepared to work with the agency for several weeks.
3. Reach out to your own insurance agency. If the other driver’s insurance won’t provide you with a rental car, you’ll need to have your own company advocate for you. Provide them with all the information you’ve collected, so that they can build a file and charge the insurance of the driver held responsible for damages.
4. Get your rental car. If the insurance agency of the negligent driver has agreed to pay for your rental up-front, follow their guidelines on which car you’re allowed to rent. Otherwise, you may have to pay the costs for a rental out-of-pocket, and seek reimbursement from the other driver’s company later. Contact your own insurance agency if you need further assistance.
   • When it comes to getting reimbursed by another driver’s insurance company, you may have to work with them for weeks to months. This is especially true if they’ll be covering any medical expenses. Be persistent!

References

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