Reader’s Question:

Most of the time I rent a car while on vacation, do I always need to buy insurance when I rent a car? Is this not covered by my own policy?

Riley

Austin, TX

Great question, Riley. Thanks for asking. When renting a vehicle under the State of Texas contract, the daily rate includes both Loss/Damage Waiver (LDW), which covers all damage to the rental vehicle if it was rented under the state contract, and Liability coverage. If you rent a car from a non-contract rental car vendor, car insurance may or may not be included in the base rental rate. You must inquire at the time of your rental if the contract includes a car insurance coverage. If not, you must purchase the Loss/Damage Waiver (LDW) and Liability insurance.

If you have fully insured your own car, including collision and comprehensive coverage, and rent a vehicle for pleasure only, you do not need to buy extra insurance from the rental company. In fact, your basic rental fee by law will include liability coverage for damage or injury to others. However, different rules apply when you rent a car for business purposes, so check with your car insurance agent for details.

Q: Is Austin TX non owner SR22 available?

A: Yes, Austin TX non owner SR22 car insurance is available. It’s a special category for people who need SR22 insurance but who don’t have cars. A lot of people, despite not owning a car, do use others regularly, and so if they want to get their license back, then they need to have SR22 car insurance for non owner drivers.

Austin TX non owner SR22 is different from regular insurance in a few areas. For one, the coverage is more limited. Rather than being able to choose your coverage, you can only get liability and change the limits. If you crash someone else’s car and they have insurance on that car, then their insurance will cover it first, and after that yours will kick in if they don’t have enough coverage.