Yes, rental car insurance can cover a cracked windshield. Your personal auto insurance, your credit card company, or a rental car company can provide coverage if the windshield on your rental car gets cracked, chipped or otherwise damaged.
Depending on which option you use for rental insurance, damage to the rental car, injuries to the renter and their passengers, items inside the rental car, and any injuries or damage the renter causes to others may be covered. Whether you use your own auto insurance or get coverage from a rental company or your credit card company, it’s important to check the terms and conditions or call a customer service representative about the details of the coverage. Some insurance providers explicitly state whether windshield repairs are covered while others don’t.
Rental Car Insurance That May Cover a Cracked Windshield
Collision Damage Waiver From the Rental Company
A collision damage waiver, also called a loss damage waiver, relieves customers of financial responsibility for damage to the rental. The rental company will take on the expense for the damage. Damage waivers may cover repairs to a windshield, depending on the company. It’s best to double check your paperwork or contact the rental company to see if windshield repairs are included with your damage waiver.
For example, windshield repairs are explicitly included with Enterprise’s collision damage waiver. On the other hand, Avis and Budget do not specifically state that windshields are covered by their collision damage waiver on their website, despite this coverage being included, according to customer service representatives.
Personal Auto Insurance
Since personal auto policies usually extend coverage to rental cars, your personal auto insurance can also repair a cracked windshield on a rental if you carry comprehensive or collision coverage. Your comprehensive insurance can cover windshield repairs if the damage was caused by something like road debris or hail. If the windshield is damaged by hitting another vehicle or an object like a tree, collision insurance can cover the cost to fix it.
In either case, you would have to file a claim with your insurance company for the damage to the rental car and pay a deductible.
Credit Card Companies
If rental car insurance is among your credit card’s benefits, repairs for a cracked windshield on your rental may be covered, unless windshield or glass repairs are excluded by your credit card company. Each credit card company has their own terms and conditions when it comes to what they cover.
In addition, you have to decline the coverage offered by the rental company and pay for the rental with the credit card that has the insurance for it to apply. Moreover, the coverage from your credit card won’t apply until your personal auto insurance is billed and the limits have been exhausted first.
For more information, check out WalletHub’s guides on rental car insurance and windshield replacement coverage.
This answer was first published on 02/21/23. For the most current information about a financial product, you should always check and confirm accuracy with the offering financial institution. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company.
