Is it worth it to get rental reimbursement in my car insurance?

The process of getting insurance of any kind can be a mind boggler at times – and more so with car insurance. There is a wide variety of coverage plans for car insurance. While all of them look attractive, not all are necessary. Some plans are required by the state while others are not. Different states have different minimum requirements when it comes to car insurance as well. More than that, different people have different needs and you cannot say that if one person has this type of insurance cover, so should you.

One of the optional types of car insurance coverage is rental reimbursement. As the name implies, rental reimbursement coverage gives you financial assistance when you need to rent a car. However, it does not cover instances wherein you take your car to the garage for regular repairs. You can only get rental reimbursement from your insurance company if you do not have a car because it was damaged in an accident. In addition to this, you can also get reimbursement for a rental car if your vehicle has been damaged because of other causes which are covered by your insurance policy. Examples might be loss due to theft, and damage from natural occurrences, or acts of God. More often than not, your rental reimbursement policy will allot a daily allowance for a rental car.

So do you really need rental reimbursement as part of your car insurance policy? The answer depends on your resources and current situation. Imagine what would happen if indeed you got into an accident and you could not use your car. Would you be in a total jam because of the fact that you have no alternative vehicle? If so, then you should consider getting rental reimbursement, especially if you know that you would have to rent a car anyway.

On the other hand, if you have other cars that you can use in case your main car gets damaged, then there is really no sense in spending extra money on rental reimbursement. Another scenario would be if you had relatives or friends who would be willing to lend you their vehicles. In this case, there is no need to pay for something that you probably won’t be using in the future.

As no state requires motorists to carry rental reimbursement insurance, the decision is solely up to you. Analyze your needs and come up with possible options before deciding on whether or not to carry this cover.