How to Choose the Insurance for a Rental Car Wisely?

Car rentals are an increasingly popular service all over the world. Such companies can offer a wide range of different cars for different purposes. For example, the numerous ex-pats in a city like Dubai are eager to use car rental Dubai monthly. Tourists who travel to foreign countries are likely to use a rental car so that they are flexible on vacation and explore as much as possible. No matter what your purpose is, you should always take good care of the safety on the road. You should drive carefully and think about getting good insurance for a rental car.

There are 3 main types of insurance for a rental car you should consider:

• Collision damage waiver – the insurance which would cover the physical damage to the vehicle. Basic insurance of this kind almost never includes the damage to windows, lights, or tires. For the most vulnerable parts of a car, you will need extra insurance.
• Theft protection – the insurance of a vehicle in the event of a hijacking. It is important to remember that this insurance covers a possible theft of the car itself and not the theft of any items from the car.
• Third-party liability – the coverage of the expenses you could have caused to another vehicle or object in the event of an accident.

If you want to get extra insurance for a rental car, you usually have 4 main options.

Insurance for a rental car while booking online

Getting insurance online while booking your car is probably the best idea for those who want to save money. In a way, it works quite like booking hotels or flight tickets, so that booking in advance is usually the most affordable option. Also booking the insurance in advance gives you more time for a thorough study of different offers. However, this kind of insurance is not related to a rental company. It means that in the event of an accident, you will have to pay first and claim the expenses later. This option might turn out to be time-consuming.

Rental company’s insurance

Your rental company can often provide decent insurance. It’s their vehicle you are going to use, so their motivation is quite clear. Technically they offer a waiver, so they agree not to charge you for possible damage. The waiver works in the same way as insurance. This is usually quite an expensive option. The bigger damage you want to cover, the higher the cost. If you are not a very experienced driver or you are driving in a difficult or not very well-known location, this insurance will save you a lot of time and money.

Third-party insurance

You can always get excess protection insurance from a third party. Such companies can offer products designed specifically for rental cars, and you can adjust them depending on how long you use the vehicle. It can be a good solution for the clients of insurance companies traveling abroad. If you have to deal with a trusted insurance company, it solves the problem of a language barrier abroad, and you can get a better price for a company of your choice. However, with this kind of insurance, you will have to pay for the damage first and you will only be able to claim the expenses later.

A couple of final words

It is of course always an option to get no insurance at all. It is obviously the cheapest option, however, driving a rental car can be quite unpredictable, and there is a big chance that you will rent your car in a foreign country. At the end of the day getting reasonably priced insurance will most likely turn out to be the most reasonable option.