I will be renting a car from LAX in a few weeks. I will be using an Australian consolidator to make the booking which, hopefully, means that all the bankrupting (third party liability), very expensive (eg collision damage) and just expensive (eg wheels, glass, underside and roof of vehicle) items are covered.
Super Cover including damage to wheels, glass, underside and roof of vehicle – Zero Excess
Collision Damage coverage which limits potential vehicle damage liability to an excess of approximately USD 0.00.
Lost [sic] Damage Waiver. Presumably they mean Loss Damage Waiver
Theft Protection excluding excess of approximately USD 0.00.
Third Party Liability Insurance for injuries or damages to persons or things outside the vehicle.
Extended Liability Protection.
Supplementary Liability Insurance.
Sales and State Taxes.
Vehicle Licensing Fee (VLF)
Vehicle License Fee: Included in rates.
Unlimited Kilometers.
Basic 24 Hour Roadside Assistance for mechanical breakdown only. Which includes tyre repair and replacement (Service fee of USD45 + TAX), towing costs and glass repair and replacement. (Driver Fault is not covered by basic roadside).
However, there are three items that I'm not sure are covered and one item that I know isn't covered.
Loss of use – If you return a rental car with damage, "loss of use" is a dollar amount charged daily by the rental agency while the car is out of service for repair. If you purchase the optional collision damage waiver coverage from the rental agency, loss of use may be covered.
Diminution of value – Loss of value of vehicle after an accident
Administration fees
Q1. Are these items covered by the Loss Damage Waiver (LDW)?
Q2. If the rental terms and conditions don't include LDW but they do include Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) are these items covered?
- Basic 24 Hour Roadside Assistance – Towing for breakdown only. Driver Fault is not covered by basic roadside assistance.
Earlier this year I had a blown radiator and had to be towed 80km (160km return for tow truck). It cost RACWA nearly $600 for the tow (say AUD4/km = USD5/mile). My concern is that because most car rental locations are franchises if I have an accident and the car has to be towed 100s or 1000s of miles back to the rental location I could be liable for a very large amount. For example, St Louis to LAX is 1800 miles * USD5/mile = USD9000.
Q3. Is my concern about the vehicle having to be returned to the rental location correct?
Q4. How much does towing cost in USA?
Some companies offer Roadsafe Assistance (RA) – An optional item which covers towing in the event of an accident, lock-out, flat tyre, fuel and battery service during your rental.
I can't find a definitive reference to Roadsafe Assistance but the Oz company call centre told me it costs USD9 + tax + airport surcharge but he couldn't give me any more details. Since I will be renting for 62 days this would be over USD800 (AUD1000).
When I was researching a previous non-taken trip I recall that I found that there was a USD1000 cap on RA towing costs but I can't find any mention of this.
Q5. Is this correct?
I have investigated alternative ways of reducing / removing the risk of towing costs.
My RACWA membership gives me reciprocal membership of the AAA (American Automobile Association). The AAA website indicates that this should provide 3 miles of towing (Whoopee Doo!). I may be able join AAA for about USD60 which would provide 100 miles of towing.
https://www.racq.com.au/travel/holiday-preparation/driving-o…
http://www.aaa.com/PPInternational/Benefits_Intl_to_US.html
I have looked at third party car rental insurance web sites such as https://www.rentalcover.com/. They want AUD556 to provide AUD4000 cover that includes towing after accident. They also include all the items covered by the rental agreement so I would be double paying. If items 1 to 3 aren't covered by LDW or CDW it may be worthwhile taking out this cover.
I have looked at some of the UK car rental insurance web sites that have fantastic rates of say GBP70 for 12 months cover but they won't cover non-EU residents.
Q6. Can you suggest a car rental insurance website that either only covers towing costs or one that covers everything as cheaply as the UK website?
Q7. Can you suggest a US roadside assistance company that would provide the towing cover I (think I) require?
LOL driving in LA, you will need all the insurance you can get. The people there drive like they are playing Daytona in the arcades.
Just book from Hertz (LAX has one) and when you pick up the car, say you want full coverage including towing. You can actually call them right now and inquire about your questions. There are many small rental companies and I think its not worth the hassle. Your level 2 protection is travel insurance, just make sure it covers rental car accidents.
Have fun driving on the left side, I turned onto on coming traffic twice and got the middle finger from other drivers.