After a collision or a theft, the repair can take days or weeks. Your auto policy may pay for a replacement car in the meantime, and CarmaCars can bill your insurer directly for the part it approves. This guide explains how it usually works in Ontario and what to ask your adjuster. Your own policy and your adjuster have the final word on what is covered.
Is a rental covered?
It depends on the claim and your policy:
- If another driver was at fault, your own insurer usually handles your claim for the damage to your car, and that can include a replacement car while it is repaired.
- If you were at fault, or no other driver was involved, a rental is usually covered only if your policy includes loss of use coverage, an optional endorsement many drivers add.
Ask your adjuster early: whether a rental is covered, for how many days, and up to what amount a day. Those three answers decide how much the insurer pays.
What to send us
When you send your request, add in the notes:
- your insurance company and the claim number,
- your adjuster's name and how to reach them,
- the number of days approved and the daily amount, if you know them.
We confirm the car and the dates with you, contact the adjuster if needed, and send the invoice for the approved part to the insurer.
What you still provide
A replacement rental is still a rental. You need an Ontario G2 or G licence, a credit card in your name for the deposit, and your signature on the rental agreement. You also need coverage for damage to our car before pickup, one of the three options on our requirements page; your adjuster can tell you whether your own policy extends to the rental.
What you may pay yourself
The insurer pays what it approves. You pay anything beyond that, for example:
- days after the approval ends, if the repair runs late and the approval is not extended,
- a car above the daily amount the insurer allows,
- fuel, tolls, tickets and other charges during the rental.
If the repair is taking longer, tell your adjuster and us before the approval ends. Extra days are yours to pay unless the insurer extends the approval.
Choosing the car
Adjusters often approve a car of a size similar to yours, up to a daily amount. Tell us the amount, and we suggest cars within it. If you want a larger car, you can pay the difference yourself; the offer shows what the insurer pays and what you pay.
Delivery to you or the body shop
We can deliver the car to your home, your work or the body shop, so you are not left without a car between drop-off and pickup. When your own car is ready, we collect ours from wherever suits you, or you bring it back to our location at no charge.
Returning the car
Return the car with the fuel it had at pickup, and take your things out. We check it with you and photograph it, as at pickup. Charges that arrive later, such as tolls or parking tickets, are yours, not the insurer's, and are charged to the card on file with their administration fees.