by nikhilg » Thu Aug 12, 2010 05:04 pm
I live in PA and dont have a car yet. I drive my roomate's car. My roomate has an insurance policy that is Full Coverage and I'm added as an additional driver on his policy.
I'm going to Hawaii for a vacation in September for a week and am renting a car. Do i need to also take insurance from the car rental company or would my roomate's policy cover me for collission, theft, liability etc.?
I would really like to save on the bucks and spend it on other places rather than insurance. If the roomate's policy does not cover me, what is the best approach so that i dont have a pay a lot for insurance.
Additionally, how much would full coverage insurance come up to daily?
Thank you for the information.
I'm going to Hawaii for a vacation in September for a week and am renting a car. Do i need to also take insurance from the car rental company or would my roomate's policy cover me for collission, theft, liability etc.?
I would really like to save on the bucks and spend it on other places rather than insurance. If the roomate's policy does not cover me, what is the best approach so that i dont have a pay a lot for insurance.
Additionally, how much would full coverage insurance come up to daily?
Thank you for the information.
Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 07:12 pm Post Subject:
You'd have the same coverage as he does on the policy... but you'd have to read the policy to know if it would provide coverage for the rental car. Some polices may exclude coverage for a rental unless it's used to replace a vehicle on the policy (some non-standard policies do this). My recommendation is to call the agent and ask about this.
If it does not provide coverage the only other option I know of is to pay the rental agency for coverage. This is expensive.
Note: I can't tell you the number of times I've heard people say "I have full coverage" only to find out it's the mandatory minimum required (no comprehensive or collision coverage on the policy).
Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 07:36 pm Post Subject:
thanks for you reply.
Can I purchase a policy on my name rather than paying the rental agency?
Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 07:38 pm Post Subject:
If you don't own a vehicle you can only purchase non-owners insurance... which you'd have a hard time finding (as I'm told) and would probably not be the best thing for you as you are already covered under your roommates policy.
I'd recommend checking with the agent for the policy you have to see if your current coverage transfers over the a rental vehicle.
Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 07:47 pm Post Subject:
If you had the regular, exclusive use of your roommate's vehicle, you could purchase something known as "extended non-owner" coverage. Normally, this is for persons who drive a company car.
You should be able to obtain a "non-owned auto" personal auto policy. This would cover you for any vehicle you drive, including rental cars. It is designed specifically for a person who does not own a car, but frequently has a need to rent one (such as an apartment dweller in New York City who travels a lot). Contact a local independent insurance agent for assistance.
Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 07:58 pm Post Subject:
This would cover you for any vehicle you drive, including rental cars
I think it might only include vehicles not available for your regular use. I might be wrong about this as I've only ever seen one claim under this type of policy.I don't think a non-owners policy would be the right choice for a one time rental use.
Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 12:25 am Post Subject:
I don't think a non-owners policy would be the right choice for a one time rental use.
No, it probably wouldn't. A NOP is intended mostly for business people that travel and rent vehicles, or for persons who drive a company fleet car, but not necessarily the same car every time.
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