Usually, your personal Auto Insurance protects you when you are driving a rental car in the same way as when you are driving your own vehicle. However, it is always best to confirm your insurance coverage with your insurer in order to feel secure on the road. Even if it turns out you do not need additional insurance coverage, you might still want to purchase it in order to avoid filing a claim with your insurance provider or paying your deductible.

Common incidents might be covered in a different way by your personal Auto Insurance and the coverage offered by the car rental. If your personal insurance includes comprehensive and collision, you will be protected in the event of accidents, events out of your control, and glass damage. Since comprehensive and collision are optional coverages, make sure you have them on your policy; otherwise, purchase collision damage waiver from the car rental. It covers the same accidents, although it might not provide coverage in the event of driving on unpaved roads, speeding, or driving while intoxicated.

Your personal insurance has to include bodily injury and property damage liability coverage. This will protect you against the damages or injuries you cause, like hitting another car and injuring the driver and their passengers, or damaging someone’s property while driving your vehicle. In case you would like to purchase the liability coverage from the car rental, they offer supplemental liability coverage, but do so only if you want extra coverage or have low liability limits on your personal policy.

If besides Auto Insurance you also have Renter’s Insurance or Homeowner’s Insurance, those policies should cover your personal belongings, including those in your car. You can also purchase personal effects insurance from your rental car company if you do not want to pay your deductible or if you do not carry renter’s or homeowner’s policies.

Medical payments is an additional coverage which protects you and your passengers in the event of an accident. If you do not have health insurance and do not carry medical payments or personal injury protection coverage on your policy, consider purchasing personal accident insurance from the rental company.

Some drivers add insurance from the car rental company if they do not want to pay their deductible or file claims on their own insurance, if they want to extend their coverage and add protection missing from their policy, or temporarily increase their coverage limits. You can speak to your insurance provider directly and inquire them about your policy and available coverages in order to make sure you are fully protected when driving a rental car.