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How do you get a rental car from insurance?

How can I have rental car costs covered by insurance? I was driving to work and hit another car while trying to make a lane change. I have filed a claim. I still need a car to drive to work. Will insurance pay for it?

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Phoebe Mah · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
“In some situations, a rental car will be paid for by insurance if your car is damaged in an accident. But a standard auto policy will not typically cover the cost if you were at fault.
However, if you elected to add on
rental reimbursement coverage
to your policy before the accident occurred, you’re in luck! The rental will be covered.
You have two options:
  • You can pay out of pocket and submit a bill to your insurance provider later. This will be the most convenient method to get back on the road.
  • Or you can contact your insurance company and let them handle the process for you. If you are strapped for cash and stressed out about dealing with the accident, it may be worth just filing a claim and waiting to hear back when the arrangements have been made.
Keep in mind that before you decide which rental car company to use, you should check with your insurance provider. Some prefer that you use certain rental car companies over others and will reward you with a discount for doing so.
It’s also worth mentioning that some insurance companies aim to work with specific auto body shops that allow customers to use rental cars for free
Geico
is one example. Check with your provider to find out more.
If you’re interested in learning more about your insurance options and would rather leave the hard work of gathering quotes to someone else, use the
Jerry
app. Jerry will help you design a policy that suits your needs and collect quotes from up to 50 top insurance companies in seconds for free!”
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Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.

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