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Rental car coverage
Drive-other-car coverage—rental cars
Does a business auto policy, endorsed with drive-other-car coverage, afford New York rental car coverage to the named individual on the endorsement?
Collision damage waiver
Has the collision damage waiver amount changed recently from $100?
Van seating capacity
What is the maximum number of passengers that a van can carry before it ceases to be a “rental vehicle”?
Rental car legislation
How does enactment of Chapter 656 of the Laws of 2002 (removal of cap, etc.) affect the insured?
Other states’ rental car laws
How does New York’s law compare with other state laws on rental cars?
Named nonowner policy
If the insured has a named nonowner policy, and does not own or lease an auto, is the policy going to include rental vehicle coverage?
Commercial policies
Everyone in my office was surprised to hear that the Rental Vehicle Coverage Endorsement is mandatory on commercial policies. Please confirm.
Commercial policies in individual name
Does the Rental Vehicle Coverage Endorsement apply to a commercial policy that insures vehicles used for business purposes?
Mandatory N.Y. rental vehicle coverage for an antique auto policy
Is an antique auto a “private-passenger motor vehicle”?
Sport-utility vehicles
What about a policy that only has a minivan (Dodge Caravan) insured under the policy? Are SUVs considered a private-passenger vehicle in order to qualify the policy for rental vehicle coverage?
Business use pickups
What if a personal auto policy insures only a pickup used for business purposes? Will this policy qualify for rental vehicle coverage?
Rental coverage—five or more vehicles
We have a few personal-lines clients who have five or more vehicles insured on a personal auto policy. These are not fleet situations. It appears they would not have the rental coverage. Would it be available to them by endorsement? The law states the company must provide rental car coverage for a personal auto policy with fewer than five private-passenger autos. Can a company add the coverage for a personal auto policy with five or more vehicles? I have an insured that has six private-passenger vehicles on their personal auto policy. Does this mean they have no rental vehicle coverage, as it is over five vehicles? Should I write a separate policy for the one vehicle so all will have coverage?
Fleet eligibility
If a sole proprietor insures three private-passenger autos on a commercial automobile policy and they were used to conduct sales, will this policy qualify for rental vehicle coverage? Does it matter if three trucks also are insured on that policy?
Duplicate coverage
If an insured has two auto policies, would both respond to a rental vehicle claim (e.g., one personal auto policy and one antique auto policy)?
Motorcycle rental
Would renting a motorcycle while on vacation be covered if you don’t have a separate motorcycle policy?
U-Haul rental
When someone is moving and they rent a U-Haul van, is there coverage on the personal auto policy for damage to the van? Is there a size limitation or is there just no coverage whatsoever?
Lowe’s or Home Depot trucks
I had a question about trucks rented from a retail store such as Lowe’s or Home Depot that isn’t in the business of rental, but they do rent trucks of different types and sizes. Would such vehicles be covered for physical damage under the Rental Vehicle Coverage Endorsement—New York?
Pickup load capacity
Is there a maximum load capacity for a pickup to be considered a rental vehicle?
Loaner cars
Where do loaner cars fit in with regard to the mandatory Rental Vehicle Coverage Endorsement, if our insured is driving one and gets in an accident?
Motor homes
If a group of friends rent a motor home to drive throughout the country, are they covered with their private-passenger auto policy?
Rental vehicle—coverage territory
Puerto Rico is not listed in the territory of the Rental Vehicle Coverage Endorsement. Does this mean there is no coverage there? Does this mean that in Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia, coverage is not extended, as they are commonwealths not states?
Coverage territory
A vehicle is rented within the U.S., its territories or possessions or Canada and it is involved in an accident while being driven outside the coverage territory. Will the New York Rental Vehicle coverage endorsement provide coverage?
Renting in Mexico
Is there an endorsement a New York resident can purchase to protect themselves while renting a vehicle in Mexico?
Unauthorized drivers
Would you please clarify the situation where a driver is not listed on the rental vehicle contract, but is given permission to drive the rental vehicle by the insured. We understood that the endorsement would provide coverage in this situation. Is this correct?
Who needs to rent the vehicle?
An individual from Connecticut rents a vehicle in Florida. She gives her daughter, who lives in New York and has a New York personal auto policy, permission to drive. The daughter gets into an accident. She is not a party to the contract with the rental car company. Will her New York policy respond?
Insured—student at college
Would the Rental Vehicle Coverage Endorsement protect the named insured’s son while renting a car while away at college?
Rental coverage—who is an insured
Is there a difference between commercial lines versus personal lines regarding who is an insured?
Rental term—extended vacation
What if the insured is going on an extended vacation for 45 days? How will the insured be covered for the rental car?
Rental term
What if an insured rented a vehicle while in Florida for the winter for 60 days, and didn’t renew the agreement after the 30-day limitation, then had an accident. Would their own personal auto policy provide coverage subject to their physical damage deductible?
Coverage limits
Does the property damage liability limit apply to the rental vehicle coverage?
Deductible
I have a personal-lines insured who has a New York auto policy with Company X. She rented a car outside of New York and was involved in a collision. Company X paid for the damage to the rental car under the collision coverage, subject to her $500 deductible. We were unaware of this claim until about a month ago, when she called. The rental company is telling her this claim should have been paid under her property damage portion of her policy, which means there should have been no deductible and the loss of use amount should have been covered.
Property damage liability coverage
Is rental car coverage provided by the property damage liability under the New York auto policy?
Loss of use
Is it true that New York rental-car companies cannot charge any additional fees for loss of use or for “loss valuations?”
Valuation
It has been brought to my attention that most personal auto policies cover the actual-cash value of the vehicle, while some rental agreements may obligate the renter to reimburse the rental company for the replacement value of the vehicle, or possibly a stipulated value. Seems this fact alone is enough reason to purchase the collision damage waiver?
Loss of use and fees
What if a New York insured rents a vehicle in another state that allows rental companies to charge for loss of use? Is there any coverage gap to justify purchase of a collision damage waiver?
Coverage territory—out-of-state rentals
I have heard in previous seminars that the insured would be wise to purchase CDW from the rental company when out of state. They stated that if you had a bad accident out of state that required you to attend a trial, etc., in order for your expenses to be covered, this is why they suggested purchasing the coverage.
Accident notification
An insured, while driving a rental vehicle outside of New York state, has an at-fault accident causing damage to both the rental vehicle and another vehicle. Since the rental-car company would be paying for both, the insurance company will not know of the accident; therefore, they will not be surcharged for an at-fault accident on their auto policy and it will not go on their motor vehicle reports. How would you counsel your clients in such a situation?
Substitute rental car
We had an insured rent a vehicle in Arizona from Enterprise and they told him that he should take out the insurance because, if he had any kind of fender bender, he would have to pay for the cost of a rental while that vehicle was getting repaired. This was quite upsetting to the insured and he really thought it was a scam. The insured didn't get the insurance, but just wanted to know if we had ever heard of this. They told him that at least four states (Texas, Arizona, California and I don't know the other one) highly recommend that you buy their insurance. Do you think they really needed to?
Duty after loss
In regard to duties after a loss, are you permitted to return the vehicle to the rental-car company even though it has not been inspected by the renter’s insurance company?
Credit-card coverage
What’s the best credit card to use to rent a vehicle?
Rental cars—vehicle-sharing program
My client has a New York personal auto policy and will be renting a vehicle in Florida. Turo is providing the vehicle on a vehicle-sharing basis. Will the New York rental car endorsement cover the vehicle they are renting?
Travel buddies
A customer of ours (they have a personal auto policy) asked the following question: We are renting a van to travel to Florida and are going with another couple. They will be listed on the rental contract as drivers, but the rental contract will be in our names. If there is an accident while they (the couple going with us) are driving, will our policy cover them? Or would theirs? Do we need to purchase the coverage the rental company offers?
Qualifying vehicle vs. the rental vehicle
Please review the provisions that relate to the INSURED vehicle(s) and those that relate to the RENTED vehicle.
New York rental car—credit-card coverages
I recently received a flyer from a credit-card company touting their new Rental Car Protection service for a flat fee every time you rent a car. It provides a set limit for coverage for damage and theft of the rental car, excess coverage protection for personal property in the car and it covers everyone in the car. Is this something I should consider the next time I rent a car?
Rental vehicle for family member
Our client has a personal auto policy. A 24-year-old daughter is listed as a driver and resides in the household, but is not a named insured. Is there coverage on the PAP if the 24-year-old daughter rents a vehicle while on vacation?