A logical place to start is that if you own a car with insurance, that same plan will likely extend to covering your rental car when away from home domestically. The two major forms of insurance are loss damage waiver (LDW) which covers damage to the vehicle itself and liability insurance which covers damage to other cars, people, and property that you might impact in at-fault collision.
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By the very nature of car insurance, it’s virtually a given that your personal policy will have the liability component covered. Most policies, but not all, also incorporate LDW. If you’re not sure, this is something that you’ll want to verify with your insurance company in advance to make sure you’re protected from financial exposure if the rental car is damaged or stolen.
Similarly, before relying on your personal car insurance to cover a rental, you’ll want to check the deductible, which is the amount of money that you’re obligated to pay out of your own pocket before funds from the insurance company kick in. The most common amount for a car insurance deductible is $500, but deductibles can range from approximately $100 up to $2,000. If your deductible falls on the higher end of that spectrum, you might want to consider the alternative options discussed below.
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