What are the insurance options in the USA? How does the US differ from most other countries?
The first major difference is that rentals in the US do not always include CDW at the time of booking (as explained in our Rental Guides, CDW - or Collision Damage Waiver - waives most of the rental car damages in the event of an accident). Instead it is available at the rental desk. This is because Americans (and Canadians) are covered by their own car insurance (in most other countries car insurance is tied to the vehicle rather than a driver). RentalCover's CDW is available for Americans and visitors to the US and is equivalent to those sold at the desk, for up to 50% less.†
Secondly, CDW policies are typically zero - or low-excess (called a "deductible" in the US), meaning the amount to pay in the event of an accident is smaller than other countries if you have CDW. Our "Extra Protection for USA" covers that amount for US visitors and also includes roadside assistance, which is also at the rental desk for up to 50% extra cost.†.
Thirdly, if you have an accident in the US and are found to be at fault, you are liable if there are damages to other vehicles or injuries to other people. Unfortunately, those costs can be significant because rental companies are only required to carry a small amount of third-party liability cover for their vehicles (the amount differs from state to state). Supplemental Liability Insurance ("SLI") mitigates the third-party liability risk. Equivalent options are available for US residents and visitors alike and are sold by rental companies and RentalCover.
US rental cars typically have a lower excess (called a 'deductible' in the US).
it is not mandatory for car owners (i.e. the rental companies) to insure hired cars nor is it mandatory for them to insure the drivers against third-party personal & property damage (this is called "Liability Insurance" or "Supplementary Liability Insurance"), nor personal injury to the driver (called "Personal Accident Insurance"). Those responsibilities fall to the renter. This is not the case in the EU, Australia, NZ and most other countries so it is important that you understand the options and purpose of each insurance product that you will be offered by the rental companies! The other main difference to other countries is that the rental companies do not offer "Super CDW", "Super LDW" or equivalent "premium" insurance products. When sold in Europe and most of the World, these products are designed to reduce your excess towards zero from an amount that is usually between €/£/$1,000-4,000. In the US all rentals are sold with either the renter being liable for the full amount of the vehicle, or there is zero deductible excess: there's nothing in between! Our "Extra Cover for USA" fills the considerable "out of pocket" costs that still remain even when there is no deductible excess.
CDW/LDW
From March 2016 onwards, RentalCover will be selling CDW for US residents from AON. When you purchase CDW from rental companies it is usually called "LDW" if it includes theft protection, so RentalCover Protection is equivalent to LDW. The only difference between a CDW offered independently by us versus the policy offered at the rental desk is that your insurance company (AON) will handle the payments to the rental company for any damages, whereas there is no reimbursement/recovery process if you purchase the rental company's CDW/LDW.
It is important to know if your booking contains CDW or LDW! If it doesn't have it already and you are a US resident, you can buy it from RentalCover. If you are not a US resident, we always advise that you make sure your car booking includes CDW/LDW from the rental company.There are differences in how the websites of rental companies present CDW/LDW to international drivers vis-à-vis their agents (an "agent" might be an airline, hotel or a price comparison site):
1. For international drivers, the vast majority of websites will automatically include CDW or LDW. If for some other reason CDW or LDW is not automatically included, it will be available at the rental desk. Please read carefully when booking and check your car confirmation!
2. If you book from within the US or are a US resident, CDW/LDW will not be included by default. You can buy RentalCover Protection from RentalCover and save approximately 50%† or add it at the rental desk. Sometimes you can add it on the website at the time of booking. Most US domestic travellers can rely on their credit cards or personal motor insurance, however the excess on those policies often outweighs the cost of rental vehicle repairs.
SLI (Supplementary Liability Insurance)
Rental companies also offer insurance for third party property and third party personal that is usually called SLI ("Supplementary Liability Insurance") or LIS or simply, "Liability". SLI provides coverage for claims relating to third parties, namely third party property and third party injury. These policies have coverage limits so you should be conscious of how much is reasonably needed in the event of a major accident and/or negligence. Given the potential liability we always stress to drive carefully in the US and always purchase SLI from the rental company.
At the time of writing, RentalCover does not sell SLI.
Please also refer to our "What is SLI?" FAQ
Theft Protection
Theft Cover is also called Theft Protection and it may or may not provide coverage to arson and vandalism, depending on the protection. There will always be limitations surrounding negligence. We encourage you to read the relevant terms to check if your RentalCover Protection includes theft. Note also that RentalCover's "CDW" and "Extra Cover for USA" policies include theft, arson and vandalism.
PAI (Personal Accident Insurance)
PAI provides coverage to you and your passengers for personal injuries up to a certain limit. PAI might be automatically included when an international driver books a car on either the rental company's website or via the website of an agent/airline/price comparison service. Please check the RentalCover limits if you have or intend to have personal accident insurance to determine if the cover is adequate. Check out our "What is PAI (Personal Accident Insurance)?" for examples and further detail.
Roadside Assistance
RentalCover's "Extra Protection for USA" includes free Roadside Assistance and it provides coverage to related costs such as callout fees, towing, fuel top-up, tyres, windscreen repair, etc., plus the considerable out-of-pocket costs that you might incur (such as impound storage fees, key loss/replacement, headlight/battery repair/replacement, fire and theft, "relocation fees" to get the vehicle back to its intended destination, card fees that are applied along the way, administration/processing fees for accidents, and "loss of use" fees that are charged while the vehicle is off the road being fixed).