I'm John Lofrumento, and I'm an Allstate agency owner in Clifton Park, New York. Like any insurance agent, I get a lot of questions about auto insurance. So today I'm going to answer some of the questions I hear all the time.
One question that comes up a lot is: If I rent a car, am I covered by my auto insurance? Or should I buy insurance from the rental car company?
Typically, the coverage on your personal auto insurance policy applies to a rental car. That means you may not need to purchase extra insurance through the rental car company.
If you have comprehensive and collision coverage on your personal policy, damage to the rental car because of an accident may be covered. If you only have liability coverage, damage to the rental car may be covered, depending on the circumstances of the accident.
A lot of people also ask about dropping their collision and comprehensive coverage. Especially if the car's paid off, or if it's an older model that isn't worth as much.
That choice is always up to the customer.
For example, there was this one customer who had a 14-year-old vehicle. It was worth about $3,000. With a $500 deductible, the maximum possible payout with collision or comprehensive coverage was $2,500.
That customer decided the premium he'd have to pay to keep the coverage on his policy wasn't worth it to him.
But I have other customers who feel that comprehensive and collision coverage are worth it.
Those are just a couple of the auto insurance questions we often get. As an agent, answering insurance questions is what I'm here for. It's my job to help people understand the protections their policies offer, at different moments in their lives.
