Who pays, how long, and how it's arranged.
When your car is in the shop after a collision, you still need to get to work and run your life. Whether a rental is covered — and who pays for it — depends on your policy and who was at fault. Here's how rental coverage works during a repair in Maryland, and how we make the logistics painless.
Airpark Auto Collision of Gaithersburg — 7615 Rickenbacker Dr, Suite C, Gaithersburg, MD 20879. Call (301) 908-0606
If another driver caused the accident and their insurer accepts liability, their property-damage coverage generally pays for a reasonable rental while your car is repaired — at no cost to you. The rental should be a comparable class of vehicle, and coverage continues for the reasonable time the repair takes. The main downside is waiting for the at-fault insurer to accept liability.
If you carry rental reimbursement coverage (sometimes called rental or transportation expense), your own insurer pays for a rental up to a daily and total limit while your car is being fixed. Check your declarations page for the limits — a common example is something like $30–$50 per day up to a few hundred dollars total. If you don't carry this coverage, a rental during a first-party claim is out of pocket.
Rental coverage is capped by dollars per day and by total amount or number of days. Long repairs — especially structural work or jobs delayed by back-ordered parts — can outrun a tight rental limit. That's why an accurate repair timeline matters: we track your rental limit against the expected completion date and warn you early if there's a gap so you're never caught off guard.
We work directly with the major rental companies and your insurer to line up your rental around your drop-off, so you're not stranded. Bring your claim number and we handle the coordination — pickup timing, comparable vehicle class, and direct billing to insurance wherever possible. Our goal is one smooth handoff instead of three phone calls.
If another driver is at fault and their insurer accepts liability, their coverage pays. If you file through your own policy, your rental reimbursement coverage pays up to its limits. Without that coverage on a first-party claim, the rental is out of pocket.
For the reasonable time the repair takes, subject to your coverage's daily and total limits. Structural repairs or parts delays can exceed tight limits, which is why we track your timeline against your rental cap.
Check your declarations page for 'rental reimbursement' or 'transportation expense.' It's an optional add-on, so not every policy includes it.
Yes. We coordinate with major rental companies and your insurer around your drop-off so you're not stranded, and we bill insurance directly where possible. Just bring your claim number.