Your car was totaled or is sitting in a repair shop after an accident that wasn’t your fault. You need a rental car to get to work, pick up your kids, and handle daily life. Your first instinct might be to file a claim through your own insurance, but that decision could cost you hundreds of dollars you’ll never get back.
Using Your Own Insurance Costs You Money
When you file a rental car claim through your own insurance, you’re typically responsible for paying your deductible. That could be $500, $1,000, or more coming directly out of your pocket.
But if someone else caused the accident, why should you pay anything? You didn’t do anything wrong. You were just going about your day when another driver’s negligence changed everything. The at-fault driver’s liability insurance exists specifically to cover these costs, including your rental car.
How to Get the Other Insurance Company to Pay
After an accident, the at-fault driver’s insurance company is responsible for covering your losses. This includes the cost of a rental vehicle while your car is being repaired or while you’re waiting for a total loss settlement.
Contact the at-fault driver’s insurance company directly and file a claim against their policy. Tell them you need a rental car and expect them to cover it. In most cases, they’ll set up direct billing at a rental company, meaning you won’t pay anything up front.
If the insurance company pushes back or tries to delay, don’t give up. They’re hoping you’ll get frustrated and just use your own coverage instead. Stand firm, you have the right to be made whole after an accident you didn’t cause.
Keep More Money in Your Pocket
Filing through the at-fault party’s insurance isn’t just about avoiding your deductible. It’s about keeping money where it belongs: in your pocket.
When you use your own insurance, you may also risk increased premiums at renewal time, even for claims that weren’t your fault. Some insurance companies view any claim activity as a reason to raise your rates. By keeping the claim off your own policy entirely, you protect both your immediate finances and your long-term insurance costs.
The bottom line is simple. The person who caused the accident should pay for all of your damages, including your transportation while your vehicle is out of commission. Don’t let their insurance company shift that burden onto you.
Let Us Handle the Insurance Companies
Insurance adjusters are trained to protect their company’s bottom line, not to help you. If the at-fault driver’s insurance is giving you the runaround about rental coverage or any other part of your claim, you don’t have to fight them alone.
Contact Noakes Law Group today for a free consultation. We’ll deal with the insurance companies so you can focus on getting your life back to normal. You pay nothing unless we win.