There's liability coverage (you injure somebody, or damage their property, they sue you) and there is coverage for the car you are driving (comprehensive/collision, aka CDW or LDW).
Your personal automobile liability coverage will probably cover you while renting even though you don't have comprehensive or collision.
But if it doesn't cover you, Hertz does have liability coverage included:
"If renting in any other state in the U.S.A.:
Hertz will provide secondary liability protection from claims of injury by others against you resulting from an accident with the rental car. Your personal/business insurance is primary to the minimum state limits. In the event there is no applicable liability protection, Hertz, by default, becomes primary."
https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/reser...ES&EOAG=HNLT11
The minimums in Hawaii are:
- $20,000/40,000 Bodily Injury Liability (per person/total -- not your body, the other person's body)
- $10,000 Property Damage Liability (not the car you are driving, the other car)
What they try to sell you, Liability Supplemental, is if you need more insurance to protect your assets. But you have a $2,000 car, so you probably don't have millions of assets to protect, right?
(By the way, if you have the California minimum, you only have 15/30/5.)
http://www.moneyunder30.com/minimum-...ts-by-state#HI
Since you don't have collision/comprehensive for CDW/LDW, your personal automobile insurance won't cover the care you are driving.
But your Amex provides CDW/LDW for free:
http://www.americanexpress.com/us/co...I-DOC-CCSG.pdf
If you really wanted, to, you could add comprehensive and collision to your personal policy a week before you go to Hawaii and then take it off when you return from Hawaii. This would be very inexpensive.
But it sounds like you are covered.
