WHO PAYS FOR MY RENTAL AFTER A CAR WRECK?

AFTER A WRECK, YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT HOW YOU WILL GET AROUND…

And more importantly, who will pay for it.

This is a very common concern for drivers after car accidents.

Like most things, there is not a one-size-fits-all answer. Who will pay for your rental vehicle depends on a few things.

So if you are in a car wreck and have rental coverage on your insurance policy, then you are covered by your insurance whether the wreck was your fault or not, or if the other driver does not have insurance (which is unfortunately common in Louisiana).

You will likely be required to pay the rental company upfront, but you will be paid back by your insurance company within a few weeks.

Now, if you don’t have rental coverage on your policy, you will have to pay for your rental out-of-pocket if the wreck was your fault or if the other driver is uninsured (which is why having rental coverage is a good idea).

If the wreck was not your fault and the other driver is insured, it could take days or weeks for their insurance company to approve a rental vehicle because they have to first determine liability. In other words, they have to be sure their driver is at fault.

In this case, you have a few options:

  1. If you have rental coverage, you can get a rental through your own insurance company. They will later seek reimbursement from the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
  2. Pay for the rental out-of-pocket until the at-fault driver’s insurance company approves a rental for you. You can then get reimbursed for your rental expenses by the other driver’s insurance company.

No matter what, you will likely have to pay for the rental vehicle out of your own pocket at first and then later get reimbursed by either your insurance company (if you have rental coverage) or by the at-fault driver’s insurance company.