Do I need Personal Accident Insurance for my rental car?

If you have a holiday/travel insurance, you should already have personal accident cover so no need to get one from the rental company.

You probably cannot get personal accident insurance for your car. You can buy medical insurance and evacuation insurance. It is the latter that might interest you most, but before buying check under which circumstances such an insurance would apply. For example: would you be evacuated if you had a broken arm? Medical care in Europe is relatively cheap, and the cost might even be covered by your own insurance. It is for me--we pay and then file for reimbursement.

Alec - I don't have travel insurance

Michael - there is an option to purchase personal accident insurance through the rental car company, however I don't think I need it because I have medical insurance

You have to ask your medical insurance company if it will cover emergency care abroad.

Thank you for your replies. Yes, I checked with my company (Blue Cross Blue Shield) and I am covered abroad.

Hi J,

>I am covered abroad.

Then you don't need PAI.

Do keep in mind that any passengers in your car will need their own insurance.

You can purchase PAI from rental car companies to cover you from injury in an accident.
But I also have BC/BS and never purchased it because of the medical coverage I have abroad.

If you are concerned about passengers you might check the company to see if PAI covers ALL the people in the car when in an accident. I am not aware if it does or does not. Otherwise, you do not need it.

personal accident insurance provides you with a benefit if you die in an accident, become disabled or are hospitalised. the nature of the benefit is usually a lump sum or a per day amount if you are in the hospital (e.g. €50/day for each day hospitalised). it is not medical insurance and does not reimburse for medical procedures.

You can get medical coverage for the complete period that you are away from a low-cost, "zero band" travel insurance policy for you and your family. "Zero band" means $0 cancellation insurance; the policy would just provide the medical, lost baggage, and other basic coverages. You might add $500 in trip cancellation coverage - this would provide a benefit if you had to deal with a trip delay or trip interruption that caused extra expenses. Travelex is highly regarded, so you might check out their website: http://tinyurl.com/26nrckf

Agree w/PP; travel insurance is a great investment. I have used Travelex and Access America; throighut the years I have have sent claims to both. Very satisfied with both companies. Travel insurance will not break your budget; not having it could.

I want to predict you. It's very important that you pay for your rental car with the card you've got your car rental insurance on. Otherwise it wouldn't work. And try to check all the options your cards have for travellers like insurances. If you know about them you can use them. I'm a Canadian so I use a comparison tool InsurEye for this purpose. I don't know where are you from but there are definitely some options in your country so you should investigate it. Sometimes it really helps.