What is and isn’t covered
Sports organizations occasionally rent vehicles for transporting athletes to out-of-town games and tournaments or officers to travel out of state on business. If a Non-owned and Hired Auto Liability policy is in place, it will not respond to damage to the rented vehicle itself.
There are three options available for insuring damage to the rental vehicle:
- Purchase Collision Damage Waiver from the rental car company. This is the safest course of action to follow as it will often pay for 100 percent of the damages. The cost of this coverage typically ranges from $15 to $30 a day.
- Purchase Hired Car Physical Damage from the sports organization’s insurance agent. Coverage typically costs $250 per year. However, this policy will not pay the following damages that are triggered by many rental car contracts:
- The difference between actual cash value and replacement cost in the event the vehicle is totaled.
- Loss of profits to the rental car company while the vehicle is out of the fleet being repaired.
- Diminution in resale value.
- Rely on credit card benefits for physical damage. The terms of credit card benefits vary greatly.
This is a complex area and consultation with an insurance professional is recommended prior to vehicle rental.
