Rental cars are the perfect way for you to get around if you do not own a car or if you are visiting someplace new. Rental vehicles are commonly used to ferry items across a city or to get around while on vacation. The last thing you need when doing either of those things is to end up with a stolen car. It is bad enough if your personal vehicle is stolen, but when it is a rental car company’s car, then things get more complicated. Here is what you can do to protect yourself and what you can do if the worst does happen.
Plan Ahead
When you rent a car, you will have a few options for insurance. Get full coverage or make sure that you have full coverage either through the credit card you rent your car with or with the insurance you have for your own car if you have your own car. Having full coverage means that in the case of theft you are protected.
You also need to be smart. Do not leave the car running with the keys in the ignition or laying around. Being unable to present the keys can cause issues if your rental car is stolen.
Always ask your rental car company what their policy is regarding stolen rental cars.
Call the Police
The first thing you need to do if your rental car is stolen is to call the police. Report the theft to the police as well as any information that you have on personal belongings that were left in the car. This can include cell phones and luggage. Many rental cars have tracking devices installed in them, so the police may be able to track the car down that way and retrieve it as well as your belongings.
Call the Rental Company
Once you have called the police, you need to call your rental company to let them know what happened. When you do this, you should tell them that you have filed a report with the police and so that you will need information regarding the car, including identification numbers and tags, to communicate to the police. It also enables the rental company to work with the police to return the vehicle, as they can provide GPS information and further details regarding the car to help with retrieval.
Contact Your Insurance Company
Whether you have insurance through the rental company, your credit card company, or your own car insurance company, you will want to contact them so that you can start a claim. If you have insurance with multiple insurance providers, then you need to sort out who you have primary insurance through and who is your secondary insurance provider. Always sort out insurance before you go on a trip.
Get a Replacement Rental
If a car is stolen then the contract that you had with the rental company on that car ends so that you do not incur any additional charges on that car. That means you have to find a new car. Sometimes a rental company will not provide you with a new car, considering what just happened. Just stay calm and negotiate with them or find an alternative.
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