Damage

If you intend to rent a car for the next ride, knowing what to do in the event of an accident and who is responsible for paying the car rental damage will save you worry, time and money.

What should you do if you have an accident with a rental car?

Getting into an accident at any point in your life can cause a lot of stress. Knowing what to do when you get into a rental car accident will make it a lot smoother and save you thousands of dollars. You're going to take all the appropriate steps to prevent disagreements over who accounts for the damages.

Step 1 - Check on everyone involved in the accident

First and foremost: make sure that you, your passengers, and everyone else involved in the accident are all right. If someone has been critically injured, you should call 911 right away. Check the conditions of the vehicles and see if you need to clear the area because of hazards such as fire or downed power lines.

Step 2 - Take pictures and share contact information

Get contact and coverage details from the other drivers involved in the crash. Collect the names of all passengers and eyewitnesses. Notice the manufacturers and models of all the other vehicles involved and their license plates.

Before moving the rental car somewhere, get details about the site of the crash, including street names, and take pictures of something of interest on the scene. You should also take photos of any car rental injury, as many insurance companies are requiring you to upload photographs online when filling a claim.

Step 3 - Contact the rental car company

Next, please contact the rental car company. Typically, you can find a phone number on a sticker in the glove box or anywhere else inside the car. They're going to tell you how to proceed and answer insurance questions like "What do I do, I've damaged my rental car?"

Step 4 - Contact your auto insurance company

Please contact your personal insurance provider to remind them of the accident. You may want to ask the following questions:

• Is the insurance firm going to contact the police to file an accident report?

• Do you have a collision and comprehensive coverage of your policy?

• What's the deductible?

Step 5 - Determine who's responsible for paying for car rental damage

How much you have to pay depends on your auto insurance policy as well as whether you have bought extra insurance through the car rental service.

If you haven't acquired a damage protector, such as loss damage waiver, your insurance company will usually pay the car rental company if your policy provides first-party coverage. This means that no matter whether the accident was your fault or not, you'll have to pay your policy's deductible to the car rental company.

If you don't have a car rental insurance policy, you're always going to have to pay for any extra days you were entitled to have a rental car, even if you can't use it.

If you have acquired extra policies or a car rental insurance waiver from your car rental company, your claim will be dealt with differently. Not all plans are the same but some provide maximum coverage of accidents. You will only need to pay the policy fee to the car rental company as well as the deductible from you own insurance policy.

Before you drive

Want a good tip on a road trip? Inspect your rental car thoroughly before you leave the lot.

Car rental companies keep records of their vehicles so that they can track and compensate you for any damage. They use the check-out form when you move your rental car off the batch and then the check-in form when you put it back. By comparing these two types, they can see any improvements in the state of the car.

Take your own photographs and videos during the inspection. This will provide you proof to deal with disputes in the event of car rental damage. Photos shield you against any wrongful claims for damages, a common source of complaint among car rental customers.

There are a few tips to consider:

• Take time-stamped photographs and videos of the interior and exterior of the car.

• Focus on areas that are susceptible to damage.

• Get close pictures of the doors and bumpers on the exterior of the car, the floorboards and the inside dashboard.