JadedTraveler

Situation: You rent a car when traveling on business for your employer. In the case I'm thinking about, all the travel expenses are reimbursed by your employer (or your client). In these cases you are covered by your employers insurance, such as for liability and maybe travel. If you are an indepensent consultant, you probably have your own business liability insurance.

Say you are pulled over in a traffic stop, or are involved in an accident, or there is damage to your vehicle, such as a breakin, and you have to show someone license and identification. What do you use as proof of insurance? Simply showing a police officer the rental car receipt (if you even have it with you) and telling him/her you are covered by corporate insurance seems like a very big leap of faith these days. So I'm curious what others do, or have done, in a situation like this?

ContinentalFan

I have a statement from the company issued by the writer of the policy. It works.

choptliva

What if it's not a business trip? If I turn down the rental company's insurance offer, because of coverage by say, VISA, (yes, I understand it's not primary), do I need to bring any other proof of insurance with me? Thanks.

swag

Credit cards typically cover property damage (LDW/CDW), which the cop shouldn't care about. What the government mandates is liability coverage.

choptliva

So i guess that would be under my own auto insurance. Does that mean I should carry the insurance card (for my car) on me when I rent? Just to be safe?

JadedTraveler

For personal travel, I would think yes, bring your own insurance card. I've done this in the past for personal travel, but not consistently.

choptliva

Thanks!

CrazyOne

Hm, I always thought one was okay in the rental as far as proof of insurance went, that just the rental contract was enough. I haven't ever bothered to carry info from the company policy (for biz travel) or from my own coverage (for personal travel). I'm talking as far as proof for being stopped by a cop who asks for it. If there's an actual accident or loss, you would need all the details of your coverage, sure, and I don't think it would be too difficult to get them in that event.

tev9999

I've had one accident with a rental car - I got rear ended while stopped at a red light in MSP. The police never asked for proof of insurance - not sure if they asked me for anything. They wrote a report and listed the other driver as at fault, even though she did not get a ticket. I picked up a copy of the police report the next day and gave it to the rental company (Enterprise I think) with their own accident report form. Where their form asked for insurance, I listed my company name as it was a business trip and I did not want to involve my insurance unless absoultly necessary.

I got a letter from Enterprise a month or so later saying they were going after the insurance company of the girl that hit me. Never heard anything about it after that.

hindukid

I would think that rental contract should be enough. I'm almost positive that all states require rental agency to have some minimal liability insurance. Whence why you are never asked for proof of it. Therefore anybody in a rental car would have liability insurance. When I got a ticket in a rental, I showed the cop the hertz contract and that satisfied him.

wahooflyer

Rental car companies provide basic liability insurance by law in all states except California, Georgia, and Alabama. In most states, however, this coverage is secondary to one's personal auto insurance (meaning the rental company only pays if you don't own a car or are not on anyone's auto policy).

cpx

A rental agreement should suffice in most cases.
As some of FTers have already mentioned the basic liability is covered
by the rental car company (but its secondary to your own insurance)

If you are pulled over, all you need to show is the rental agreement.