How does a third-party accident on a rental car work?

How does a third-party accident on a rental car work? See the rules for Movida car rental, Unidas car rental and others!

Are the third party's losses borne by the insurance company or the driver who rented the car? Should I pay a deductible? Follow the text and find out everything you need about third-party accidents in a rental car.

Suffering a car accident usually raises many questions. But they are even greater when the accident happens with a rented vehicle. After all, does the insurance company cover third-party claims or not?

To begin with, it must be said that insurers know the risks of an accident occurring. Therefore, most of them already have insurance for their vehicles.

This way, if any problem occurs, the insurance company pays the losses, whether the Movida rent of cars, United rental or other.

Users generally pay a fee for this insurance cost. The fee is included in the rental price, and thus the rental company guarantees the sharing of costs with users.

In any case, the rules for using coverage, especially for third parties, are strict.

For example: if the renter driver breaks traffic laws and causes the accident, the insurance company may not pay the damages.

The same happens if the accident is intentional. Therefore, the user will be responsible for repairs. Both the rental car and the other individual involved in the accident.

These rules are from Susep (Private Insurance Superintendency), which supervises insurance companies in Brazil.

Some standards also vary by insurer, and are listed in the vehicle rental contract. Therefore, it is essential to read the document car rental, or even motorcycle rental, before driving away.

This way, you will be sure that you will be protected while using the car at rent cars.

What to do after the accident?

After an accident or other accident, the driver of the rental car must signal the location and check that there are no victims.

Once these steps have been taken, he needs to contact the car rental company. This is because some companies ask the user to go to the rental company.

There, he will need to sign a document with a notice of accident. Registration must be done within a maximum of 24 hours, or the insurance may not be valid.

In any case, before going to the rental company, you must file a police report. In the BO, all accident data will be listed. It will serve as proof of the occurrence.

What happens after a third-party accident involving a rental car?

If the driver who rented the vehicle is responsible for the accident, he will need to activate the rental company's insurance, either due to Movida rent of cars, Unidas car rental or other car rental company vehicle rental.

With this, your car will be repaired by a workshop. The only cost the driver has, in this case, is the deductible.

The deductible is a part of the car repair cost, which needs to be paid by the user to the workshop. The other part is paid by the insurance company.

Some car rental companies charge an extra fee when renting the car, thus exempting the user from the excess.

If it is necessary to claim insurance for a third party, there is no deductible. In other words, if your car insurance is called upon to repair another vehicle in the accident, you will not need to pay a deductible.

If the car rental company makes this requirement, contact the Consumer Protection and Defense Program (Procon) in your city.

The charging practice is abusive by any company, whether car rental Localiza, a United car rentals and others.

It is also important to highlight that the deductible only exists in partial losses. When there is a total loss (in which the vehicle repair costs are greater than 75% of the car's value), the deductible cannot be charged by the insurer.

Another case in which the consumer does not pay anything is if the other user is to blame for the accident, and if he takes the blame. In this situation, it is his insurance company that will pay for repairs to the vehicle's damages.

Now, if the perpetrator runs away and it is not possible to locate him, it is necessary, again, to activate the rental vehicle insurance. Including paying the requested deductible.

Did you see how easy it is to resolve a third-party accident on a rented car? To be sure of the step-by-step instructions at your car rental company, read the vehicle contract carefully. car rent.

It is important to know all the rules of the business before driving the car, whether the rules of the United, Moved, Find car rentals and more.

What coverage is included in rental car insurance?

To protect the vehicles, the car rental company contracts with an auto insurance company. But generally, the plan is the most basic. Therefore, if the driver who rents a car wants to have a more complete plan, he can take out extra coverage.

In this case, he may choose to take out a plan from the same insurer or another. In general, this is quite common among companies, whether it is Localiza car rental, Movida car rental, Unidas locadora or another car rental company.

But be aware, as there are rules and when they are not complied with, the insurance company is not obliged to compensate for the loss. Among the reasons: breaking traffic laws, driver misconduct, intentional accident and others.

Among the coverages that are usually part of car insurance plans are: collisions, thefts, robberies and damage to the bodywork. As we mentioned above, if you wish to include additional coverage, such as personal accidents, damages to third parties and others, you can contract with any other insurance company.

Tips to prevent problems when renting a car

Firstly, it is important to consider reading your car rental contract before signing it. Ask the car rental company questions until everything is clarified and question any clauses that you do not agree with.

This way, you will be able to avoid many future problems, especially when purchasing a car subscription.

Understand that even though you are one of the best car rental companies, such as Movida, Unidas, Localiza car rental and others, it is important to pay attention to the contract.

In addition, analyze and take photos of the vehicle before leaving the car rental office, of any defects you find in the vehicle. This will help you if the company claims that you were responsible for the damage.

Know that these tips are valid for any car rental companies, as well as for motorcycle rentals. They are also used for monthly car rentals, including subscription cars and car rentals for Uber.

Therefore, when renting cars, or renting a motorcycle, never trust 100% on the company just because it is renowned. It doesn't matter if it's Localiza car rental, Unidas Rent a Car or another.

So, now you know how a third-party accident on a rental car works. But, if you have any doubts when looking for a car to rent, talk to your broker.

*Published in: 04/01/2019 and updated on 02/14/2023.