Quote:
Originally Posted by sa226
Anyone with recent experience renting in California? I'm seeing now that California rentals no longer include liability insurance as part of their standard contract, or if they do it's the state minimum which is not even close to enough.
Also reading anecdotal stories of some rental companies not accepting insurance from outside the US, eg. Personal Iinsurance SEF27 endorsement.
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Well, just got back from California. The tl;dr version of this:
- Check your booking to see what it says about insurance
- Bring your car insurance paperwork as well as your pink card with you.
All prices below are USD.
The place we rented from originally, when we got there they first of all told me that they didn’t have the car we reserved- so I was being downgraded. That is unless I wanted to pay for an upgrade. I declined and said I would just take the compact car they were offering. Then they said that insurance was mandatory, and that “California law” said that they could not accept out of country insurance. I would then have to pay $50 per day extra for insurance. (My rental cost was around $100 for the whole weekend.) Looking at their terms on Expedia where we rented, it only said this:
Your rental may have mandatory insurance requirements that result in additional charges at the time of rental.
I of course declined the rental and went to another place. There I was told that while they strongly recommended insurance, it wasn’t required. I asked them for a price for a rental and it was going to be around $400. She suggested that I book online, as an online booking would be cheaper. I was able to get them for closer to $300, but found another place that was $140 so I booked there.
That company did have the following on Expedia’s site:
Your rental may have mandatory, local insurance requirements that result in additional charges at the time of rental. However that had a hyperlink to explain it further:
Spoiler!
Insurance products available upon request. Emergency roadside assistance: all contracts will be automatically enrolled in the emergency roadside assistance (ERA) program at surcharge of only 3.99/day. Key services (locked in car), jump starts and gas service (in case you run out of gas) will be provided at no cost. If customer prefers not to participate, they must decline participation upon rental and be responsible for any *service fees* in the event said customer requires any of the services listed above. L.D.W - Loss Damage Waiver * - is an optional product, it is a waiver of Economy Rent A Cars right to collect from the Renter for damages caused to the rental vehicle over the deductible amount. Deductible varies by vehicle. L.D.W. charges are: $11.00 to $25.00 per day. L.D.W. *All Waivers will be void if the terms of the rental agreement are violated. All of the products or waivers listed will become null and void in the event of negligence while driving or while in possession of the rental vehicle such as driving the vehicle across beaches, rivers, etc, or driving under the influence of liquor, drugs or any other substance that could impair the drivers ability to operate the vehicle. Other negligent acts include, but are not limited to, leaving the keys in the ignition with the vehicle unattended, falling asleep while driving, ignoring traffic signals or police officers. --written proof-- If Renter wishes to decline L.W. Liability Waiver or L.D.W. Loss Damage Waiver and rely on their own personal insurance, the Renter must provide written proof from their insurance company, specifically stating coverage is effective in the country of United States for the duration of the rental agreement for third part liability. A minimum security deposit of $300 USD will be required, if customer does not accept L.W. then L.L.W will automatically be required.
When I got there I did not have my insurance paperwork with me. However I contacted my insurance company and they emailed me copies of my pink slips. The agent did accept the pink slip and copied some info from it; I would imagine the name of my insurance company and my policy number.
The company that ended up saving the day for us was Economy rentals in San Diego. If you book with them, they are offsite from the main rental location so they will send a shuttle or an Uber. You will need to call them when you land. However I would definitely use them again the next time I rent. They were friendly, professional and understanding. The cars were slightly older (I think mine was a 2021 Mazda 3) but that doesn’t really matter as much to me when renting.