U-Haul Truck Rental: What's Covered By Liability Insurance?

does uhaul have liability insurance when you rent a truck

U-Haul offers two protection packages: SafeMove and SafeMove Plus. SafeMove includes coverage for damage to the truck, damage to your cargo, medical coverage, and life coverage. SafeMove Plus includes the same coverages as SafeMove, with the addition of driver liability for twice the premium. Neither package is required to rent a U-Haul truck or trailer, but many personal auto policies do not cover rental trucks. U-Haul recommends that customers purchase a company-provided insurance policy to shield them from liability for any damage to the vehicle.

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U-Haul's basic insurance

U-Haul encourages its customers to purchase company-provided coverage to protect themselves financially from any damage to the rental vehicle. While purchasing additional coverage is not mandatory, it is generally recommended, as personal auto insurance policies often do not cover rental trucks due to vehicle size and weight restrictions.

U-Haul offers two protection packages: SafeMove and SafeMove Plus. SafeMove includes coverage for damage to the rental truck, cargo coverage, and medical and life coverage. SafeMove Plus includes all the benefits of SafeMove, plus driver liability coverage for approximately twice the premium.

It is important to carefully review the terms and conditions of any insurance policy before making a decision, as exclusions and limitations may apply. Additionally, it is worth checking with your insurance carrier and credit card company to understand the extent of your existing coverage before deciding whether to purchase additional protection from U-Haul.

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Safemove® and Safemove Plus®

Safemove® has four main components: a damage waiver, cargo coverage, medical-life coverage, and coverage for the U-Haul rental truck and everything inside it. The damage waiver covers most accidental damage to the rental equipment, including overhead and tire damage. It does not, however, cover collision with an overhead object, which is subject to a $250 deductible. The medical-life coverage provides the driver and passengers of the U-Haul rental truck with up to $1,000 of medical coverage in the case of an accident, and life coverage valued at up to $25,000 and $15,000 respectively. The cargo coverage protects your goods from collision, fire, windstorm, and overturn of the rental truck, with $25,000 worth of coverage on a one-way rental and $15,000 on an in-town rental.

Safemove Plus® offers everything that Safemove® does, with the addition of liability coverage. This includes supplemental liability insurance (SLI), which safeguards your personal insurance policy for the first $1 million of losses. This is important if your personal insurance does not cover rental trucks, which is often the case. Safemove Plus® also has a $0 deductible for overhead and tire damage, whereas Safemove® has a $250 deductible for such damage.

It is important to note that Safemove® and Safemove Plus® are subject to exclusions set forth in the U-Haul rental contract addendum. For example, they do not cover damage caused by misuse or abuse of the equipment or off-road use. They also do not cover theft of your owned motor vehicle, accessories, or personal contents in the towed trailer or rented truck.

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Personal auto insurance policies

U-Haul offers various protection packages for its customers, such as Safemove®, Safemove Plus®, Safetow®, Safestor®, and SafeTrip®. While these packages are optional, they are not liability insurance policies and do not provide comprehensive coverage.

Even if your personal auto insurance policy provides coverage for rental trucks, there may be limitations or exclusions. For example, your policy may only cover smaller rental vehicles, such as pickup trucks or vans, but not larger trucks. Additionally, your personal auto insurance policy may not cover certain types of damage, such as overhead damage caused by bridges or low-hanging obstacles.

In the event that your personal auto insurance policy does not cover rental trucks, or if you do not have a policy, you may consider purchasing supplemental liability coverage from the rental company. This coverage can provide protection up to a certain limit, typically $1 million, and will safeguard your personal insurance policy in the event of losses.

It is important to carefully review the terms and conditions of any insurance policy or protection package you consider purchasing to fully understand the extent of the coverage provided.

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Credit card coverage

Secondary rental car coverage typically means that your auto insurer pays the claim, and your credit card company will reimburse your deductible and other costs not covered by your personal policy. Primary rental car coverage, on the other hand, allows you to submit an accident claim directly to your credit card company without going through your personal insurance policy first. This can help you avoid paying a deductible and potentially seeing your premiums rise.

It's important to note that credit card coverage for rental trucks may have limitations and exclusions. For example, liability coverage is often excluded from credit card and/or rental car Collision Damage Waivers (CDW) or Loss Damage Waivers (LDW), meaning that damage to property other than the rental car or injuries to other people may not be covered. Additionally, credit card coverage usually has a limit on the number of days that you can take out coverage, typically up to two weeks (14 days) or a month (31 days).

Some credit card companies that offer rental car coverage include:

  • Chase: Sapphire Preferred® Card and Sapphire Reserve® Card
  • Capital One: Venture X Rewards Credit Card and some network cards
  • American Express: Secondary coverage on most cards and primary coverage through Premium Car Rental Protection
  • Citi: Dropped rental car coverage on most cards
  • Discover: Does not provide rental car coverage

It's important to carefully review the terms and conditions of your credit card to understand the specific coverage provided for rental trucks and any limitations or exclusions that may apply. Additionally, you should check with your credit card company and insurance agent before signing any rental contracts to confirm your coverage.

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Non-owner insurance policies

U-Haul offers its customers optional protection packages, such as Safemove® and Safemove Plus®, which are not liability insurance policies. These packages cover loss of use of the rental equipment and damage to the rental truck and your personal belongings, as well as medical and life coverage. Safemove Plus® is the only package that includes liability coverage, which covers you against any damage done to another vehicle.

If you frequently rent vehicles or borrow other people's cars, you may want to consider purchasing a non-owner insurance policy. This type of policy provides liability protection if you are legally responsible for damage or injuries in an accident. It covers bodily injury and property damage and is typically less expensive than standard car insurance policies. Non-owner insurance can be helpful if the car owner's liability limits are too low to fully cover the incident or if you're denied coverage under the owner's policy.

When renting a vehicle, you are required to have liability coverage. A non-owner insurance policy might be a more cost-effective option than purchasing liability coverage from the rental company every time. However, it is important to note that a non-owner policy will not cover any physical damage to the rental car. You may need to purchase additional coverage, such as a collision damage waiver, from the rental company to protect against this.

Before renting a U-Haul truck, it is recommended to check with your insurance carrier to see if your personal auto policy provides coverage for rental trucks. Many personal auto policies have weight restrictions or specifically exclude cargo vehicles, trailers, and vehicles over a certain weight. Even if your policy covers the rental, you must reimburse U-Haul for any damage upon returning the vehicle and then deal with your insurance company.

In summary, U-Haul offers optional protection packages that include damage and liability coverage, but these are not traditional liability insurance policies. For frequent renters or borrowers of vehicles, a non-owner insurance policy can provide liability protection at a lower cost than purchasing coverage from the rental company each time. However, a non-owner policy will not cover damage to the rental vehicle itself, so additional coverage may be necessary.

Frequently asked questions

U-Haul offers two protection packages: Safemove® and Safemove Plus®. Safemove Plus® is the only package that includes liability coverage, which would cover you against any damage done to another vehicle.

Many personal auto insurance policies do not cover rental trucks due to weight restrictions on rental vehicles. However, your personal insurance policy may provide additional coverage. Check with your insurance carrier before your rental.

No proof of insurance is needed to rent U-Haul equipment. However, if you decline Safemove® and damage the rental truck, you will be responsible for reimbursing U-Haul for any damage caused.

Safemove Plus® includes damage waiver, cargo coverage, medical-life coverage, and one million dollars in liability coverage.

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