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I have a valid driving license, but I don't own a vehicle and have no driving insurance. I will be traveling in Minnesota, Alaska and Seattle this month, and I plan to rent a vehicle for a few days in each city from various agencies. These agencies offer collision damage waivers, but they do not appear to offer additional insurance packages for personal liability.

I am concerned that I might get involved in a car accident and hurt myself or others. I'm looking to get myself insured but I can't find the right service. Websites providing personal liability insurance all appear require one to indicate a vehicle upfront, which I don't own.

How can I get myself properly insured for my and everyone else's safety?

Community
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Henry
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2 Answers2

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Virtually every car rental company will allow you to buy liability insurance which will protect you in the case that someone makes a claim against you for personal death or injury or property damage.

Sometimes it doesn't have an obvious name: Hertz calls it Liability Insurance Supplement and Avis Legal Liability, Third Party and Public Liability Cover. It is often described as coverage additional to your personal liability coverage but it can be bought if you have no coverage of your own.

Availability and details can vary hugely between states. In many states liability coverage must be included in the rental car price. In others you have to pay extra for it. A price of around $15-$30 a day seems fairly normal, but it varies a lot. I obtained a quote from Hertz at Minnesota St Paul's airport that charged $161 for supplementary liability insurance for a 7 day rental.

When you are considering car rental you should therefore 1) check to see if liability coverage is included in rental prices by law in the state where you want to do the rental 2) check with each car company to see what the price of the liability coverage is. This can almost always be done as part of the online booking process. Booking online for a specific location will also let you know if the product is available at your location.

Note that this is a different coverage from LDW and CDW (Loss/Collision Damage Waiver) and only protects you from claims made by other people.

DJClayworth
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You need to speak with a licensed insurance agent in your state, ask for non-owner car insurance and explain your situation.

This is relatively rare and people who buy it typically don't have a driving record, so the online self-purchase sites don't handle it. You basically need to speak to a human, but this product certainly exists.

Make sure to have the agent explain what it covers and what it doesn't. Generally, non-owner's is liability only, so the agent should advise you if you need to get the rental company's LDW or other travel policy.

user71659
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