How Much is Dollar Rental Car Insurance?
Last Updated on October 20, 2022
When you rent a car from Dollar, you can use your own insurance or buy Dollar’s rental car insurance.
Dollar, like most rental car companies, offers a range of insurance products at different prices, including a loss damage waiver, personal protection plan, and more.
Depending on the coverage, you could pay anywhere from $5 to $50 per day for Dollar’s rental car insurance.
Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about Dollar’s rental car insurance and how it works.
Table of Contents:
- How Dollar Rental Car Insurance Works
- Available Dollar Rental Car Insurance Coverage Types
- Do I Need to Buy Dollar Rental Car Insurance?
- How Much Does Dollar Rental Car Insurance Cost?
- How to Check Dollar’s Rental Car Insurance Pricing
How Dollar Rental Car Insurance Works
Dollar offers rental car insurance to all drivers. You can buy multiple types of car insurance coverage for your unique needs.
Typically, your ordinary car insurance policy covers you when renting a vehicle. If you already have car insurance – say, with GEICO or any other third-party insurance company – for your personal vehicle, then that insurance should extend to cover your rental car.
However, you can buy rental car insurance through Dollar to avoid making a claim on your own insurance policy.
Or, if you don’t have a personal car insurance policy (say, if you don’t own a vehicle or don’t drive), then you may want to buy Dollar’s rental car insurance regardless.
Available Dollar Rental Car Insurance Coverage Types
Dollar offers a range of rental car protection packages and insurance options at different prices.
Here are all of the coverages available with Dollar:
Loss Damage Waiver (LDW): Dollar, like most rental car companies, offers a loss damage waiver (LDW), which is an optional service covering all vehicle damage to the Dollar rental car, regardless of fault. As long as you’re not in violation of the rental agreement, you should not have any responsibility for damage to the rental vehicle. You pay a one-time fee at the time of rental if buying the LDW. You might want to buy the LDW if you don’t have a personal auto insurance policy. If you buy the LDW, you can also avoid making a claim on your personal insurance policy, which could lead to higher rates. Some drivers like to buy the LDW simply for peace of mind.
Liability Insurance Supplement (LIS): Dollar offers a liability insurance supplement that covers you for up to $1 million (or $2 million in California and Florida) of additional liability protection for bodily injury and property damage claims against you. If you damage someone’s property or injure someone else while driving your Dollar rental vehicle, then this coverage can protect you up to a certain limit ($1 to $2 million). Many drivers already carry $1 to $2 million of liability coverage on their personal policy, which could make this coverage unnecessary. However, it may be the right choice if you have low liability limits or don’t have a personal auto insurance policy.
Personal Protection Package (PPP): Dollar offers a bundle of insurance coverages called the Personal Protection Package (PPP). The Personal Protection Package provides additional coverage for certain damages in accidents while also covering any possessions inside your Dollar rental car. Coverages include:
- Personal Accident Insurance (PAI): Personal Accident Insurance covers you and your passengers for medical expenses, ambulance expenses, and accidental death benefits during the rental. It also provides 24-hour per-day coverage throughout the rental period, regardless of whether you’re in the vehicle. Passengers in a Dollar rental vehicle are only covered for accidents that occur when occupying the Dollar vehicle.
- Personal Effects Insurance (PEI): PEI covers the personal effects of the renters along with the personal effects of any member of the renter’s immediate family traveling with the renter (assuming the immediate family member permanently resides in the renter’s household). If someone breaks into your Dollar rental car and steals your luggage, for example, then Dollar’s PEI will cover the loss of your items. PEI covers up to $1,500, and it covers claims even if your homeowners insurance policy already provides coverage.
Protection Plus (Available Only in Canada): Dollar offers an additional rental car insurance option called Protection Plus (PP) to renters in Canada. PP provides limited benefits to the authorized driver and passengers of the vehicle during the rental. It covers accidental medical expenses, ambulance expenses, accidental death, repatriation, rehabilitation, legal defense, emergency roadside service, towing, mechanical breakdowns, and loss of personal belongings. You must meet certain terms and conditions to apply this coverage.
Do I Need to Buy Dollar Rental Car Insurance?
All of the Dollar rental car insurance coverages listed above are optional. Depending on your current insurance coverage and unique needs, you may or may not want to buy Dollar’s rental car insurance.
Some of the things to consider when buying Dollar’s rental car insurance include the following:
Do you have a personal auto insurance policy? If you already have a personal auto insurance policy, then you may not need to buy Dollar’s rental car insurance. Most personal auto insurance policies extend coverage to rental cars. That means you have the same coverage in your rental car as you do in your ordinary vehicle.
Do you have adequate coverage on your personal auto insurance policy? Do you have full coverage car insurance with high liability limits? If you have a minimum liability policy without collision or comprehensive coverage, then you may be underinsured when renting a vehicle. In this situation, it may be in your best interest to buy Dollar’s rental car insurance. If you have full coverage car insurance with high liability limits, on the other hand, you should have adequate coverage for your Dollar rental car.
Do you want to avoid making a claim on your personal auto insurance policy? Your personal auto insurance policy provides coverage for Dollar rental cars. However, you may need to make a claim, pay a deductible, lose your safe driving discount, and pay higher premiums after an accident. If you buy Dollar’s rental car insurance, then the claim stays off of your personal policy entirely.
Do you have homeowners insurance to cover your belongings? If you have a homeowners or renters insurance policy, then that policy should cover any possessions – like luggage – in your Dollar rental car. That means you can safely turn down Dollar’s Personal Protection Package (PPP) because you’re already covered.
Do you have a credit card with rental car insurance? If you pay for your Dollar rental car with a credit card, then you may have additional insurance coverage through your credit card company. Most credit card companies offer secondary coverage when renting a vehicle, which means they cover additional damages not covered by your insurer.
Do you value peace of mind? Regardless of whether you have personal auto insurance, you can get peace of mind with Dollar’s rental car insurance. When you buy the loss damage waiver (LDW), for example, you are not responsible for virtually any damage to the vehicle.
How Much Does Dollar Rental Car Insurance Cost?
Dollar does not provide upfront pricing information for its rental car insurance because prices vary widely.
You could pay anywhere from $5 to $50 extra per day for your Dollar rental car insurance depending on your state, the type of vehicle you’re renting, and the types of protections you select, among other factors.
Generally, Dollar’s loss damage waiver costs $10 to $30 per day. Additional insurance products and coverages could cost $10 to $20 per day.
How to Check Dollar’s Rental Car Insurance Pricing
Dollar’s rental car insurance costs vary widely between customers based on many factors. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to check how much you’ll pay for your Dollar rental car insurance.
After confirming your rental with Dollar, check your confirmation email. Dollar should list specific pricing information for each of the insurance coverages listed above.
Alternatively, you can call Dollar’s customer service to ask about insurance pricing. Dollar should be happy to tell you exactly how much you’ll pay for this coverage upfront.
By contacting Dollar or checking your confirmation email ahead of time, you can avoid being surprised at the Dollar rental counter when picking up your vehicle.
Final Word on Dollar Rental Car Insurance
Dollar, like most rental car companies, offers a range of insurance products and services to renters.
Priced anywhere from $5 to $50 per day, Dollar’s rental car insurance can provide you with extra peace of mind and valuable coverage. It can also help you avoid making a claim on your personal insurance policy. Or, it can provide coverage if you don’t have a personal auto insurance policy.
To learn more about Dollar’s rental car insurance and how much it costs, contact Dollar or check your confirmation email from Dollar today.
