How does third party damage work on a rental car?

How does third party damage work in a rental car? See the rules for Movida car rental, Unidas car rental and others!

Are third-party losses covered by the insurance company or the driver who rented the car? Do I have to pay a deductible? Read on to find out everything you need to know about third-party damage to a rental car.

Suffering an accident with your car usually brings up many questions. But these questions are even more pressing when the accident happens with a rented vehicle. After all, does the insurance company cover third-party claims or not?

To begin with, it is important to note that insurance companies are aware of the risks of an accident occurring. That is why most of them already have insurance for their vehicles.

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

Typically, users pay a fee for this insurance cost. The fee is included in the rental price, and the rental company ensures that the costs are shared 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 an accident, the insurance company may not pay for the damages.

The same applies if the accident is intentional. In this case, the user will be responsible for the repairs, both of the rental car and of the other individual involved in the accident.

These rules are from Susep (Superintendence of Private Insurance), which oversees insurance companies in Brazil.

Some rules also vary by insurance company and are listed in the vehicle rental agreement. Therefore, it is essential to read the document. car rental, or even motorcycle rental, before driving off.

This way, you can be sure that you will be protected while using your car. rent cars.

What to do after the accident?

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

Once these steps have been completed, the driver must contact the car rental company. This is because some companies require the user to go to the rental company.

There, he will need to sign a document with notice of loss. The 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 agency, you must file a police report. The report will list all the details of the accident. It will serve as proof of the incident.

What happens after a third party accident in 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 through Movida rental of cars, Unidas car rental or other car rental company vehicle rental.

This means that your car will be repaired by a garage. The only cost the driver has, in this case, is the deductible.

The deductible is part of the cost of car repairs that the user must pay to the garage. 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 you need to use your insurance for a third party, there is no deductible. In other words, if your car insurance is used to repair another vehicle in the accident, you will not have to pay a deductible.

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

The practice of charging is abusive for any company, whether it is Localiza car rental, the Unidas car rental and others.

It is also important to note that the deductible only applies to partial losses. When there is a total loss (where the costs of repairing the vehicle are greater than 75% of the value of the car), the deductible cannot be charged by the insurer.

Another case in which the consumer does not pay anything is if the other user is at fault for the accident, and if he/she accepts blame. In this situation, it is his/her insurance company that will pay for the repair of the damage to the vehicle.

Now, if the perpetrator flees and it is not possible to locate him, it is necessary to activate the insurance of the rented vehicle again. Including paying the requested deductible.

Did you see how easy it is to resolve a third-party claim on a rental car? To be sure of the steps to follow at your car rental company, read the rental agreement carefully. car rental.

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

What coverages are included in rental car insurance?

To protect the vehicles, the car rental company hires an auto insurance company. However, the plan is usually the most basic. Therefore, if the driver who rents a car wants to have a more complete plan, he or she can purchase additional coverage.

In this case, the customer may choose to purchase a plan from the same insurance company or another. In general, this is quite common among companies, whether it is Localiza car rental, Movida car rental, Unidas rental or another car rental company.

But be careful, because there are rules and if they are not followed, the insurance company is not obliged to pay compensation for the loss. Some of the reasons include: breaking traffic laws, driver misconduct, intentional loss, and others.

Among the coverages that are usually included in car insurance plans are: collisions, theft, robbery and damage to the bodywork. As we mentioned above, if you want to include additional coverage, such as personal accidents, damage to third parties and others, you can purchase it from any other insurance company.

Tips to prevent problems when renting a car

First of all, it is important to consider reading your car rental agreement before signing it. Ask the car rental company questions until everything is clear and question any clauses that you do not agree with.

This way, you can avoid many future problems, especially with car subscriptions.

Understand that even though it is 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.

Also, inspect and take photos of the vehicle before leaving the car rental agency to identify any defects you find. This will help you if the company claims that you were responsible for the damage.

Please note that these tips apply to any car rental company, as well as to motorcycle rentals. They also apply to monthly car rentals, including subscription cars and car rentals for Uber.

Therefore, when renting cars or renting a motorbike, never trust the company 100% just because it is renowned. It doesn't matter if you're renting a car from Localiza, Unidas Rent a Car or another.

So, now you know how third-party claims work for rental cars. However, if you have any questions when looking for a car to rent, talk to your broker.

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