120+ more)
)
3+ years writing about auto, home, and life insurance
7+ years in personal finance and technology
Featured in
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
Licensed auto and home insurance agent
4+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
NPN: 20564519
Featured in
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
Licensed property and casualty insurance agent
10+ years editing experience
NPN: 20461358
Featured in
Updated
Out-of-state drivers renting a car in Florida likely won’t need to buy additional insurance coverage at the rental counter. An existing personal auto policy or credit card with rental car benefits may provide enough protection.[1]
Every car in a Florida rental fleet already has the state’s required minimum coverage, meaning you can legally drive your rental car off the lot. But you may want to consider additional insurance if you have no auto policy of your own, a policy with a high deductible, or low coverage limits.
The right choice depends on the coverage you already have and how much financial risk you’re comfortable taking on.
Florida law makes the rental company’s insurance primary unless the rental agreement says otherwise.
When Florida residents rent a car, the personal injury protection (PIP) coverage from their auto insurance policy extends to the rental vehicle.
Credit card rental coverage typically applies only after you’ve exhausted the benefits from your personal auto policy.
Because the rental car company owns the vehicle, it’s responsible for ensuring the vehicle has the minimum insurance coverage every Florida-registered car must have:[2]
$10,000 in personal injury protection (PIP)
$10,000 in property damage liability (PDL)
You can legally drive a rental car without buying any additional coverage. Florida is a no-fault state, which means if you’re injured in a car accident with a rental car, you file injury claims with your own insurer.[3]
It’s important to know that Florida’s minimum auto insurance requirements typically don’t provide enough protection when you’re renting a car.
Check quotes from 120+ top insurance companies
Coverage from your own insurance policy typically applies to a rental you drive for personal use. The same coverage carries over, including your collision and comprehensive coverage and deductibles.[4]
If you’ve dropped collision and comprehensive coverages to save money, your insurer won’t pay if someone steals your rental car or you have an accident while driving it.
But even a full-coverage policy leaves gaps that rental companies can bill you for directly:
Loss of use: Charges for the days the rental company can’t rent out the damaged car
Diminished value: The drop in the vehicle’s value after repair
Administrative fees: The company’s costs for processing the claim
Liability above your limits: Expenses exceeding what your auto insurance policy pays
Before you rent a car in Florida, a quick call to your agent or insurance company can determine what your auto policy covers on a rental.
When you pick up the keys, the counter attendant will likely ask whether you want extra protection. Add-ons range from a collision damage waiver to roadside assistance.
Rental companies spell out what’s covered and offer several optional coverages you can buy. Here’s an overview of what each one covers so you won’t be caught off guard at the rental counter.
A collision damage waiver (CDW), also called a loss damage waiver (LDW), protects you from several fees if you damage the rental car or if someone steals it. It might also cover towing, administrative fees, and loss-of-use charges. Speeding, driving drunk, or taking the car on unpaved roads can void the waiver.
If your personal auto insurance includes collision and comprehensive coverage, you likely won’t need the rental car company’s CDW. It’s a wise investment for drivers who have liability-only insurance.
Supplemental liability insurance (SLI) pays when you injure someone or damage their property beyond the rental company’s state-minimum coverage. Limits vary by company. For instance, Enterprise covers up to $300,000, while Avis and Budget cover up to $500,000.
Drivers with high liability limits can opt out of this add-on. International visitors without a U.S. car insurance policy may want to buy this coverage, as it may fill a gap if their personal auto insurance doesn’t apply in the U.S.
Personal accident insurance (PAI) pays medical expenses for you and your passengers after a crash. You may not need this supplemental coverage if you have adequate health insurance or PIP coverage.[5]
Florida residents get even less benefit from PAI. This is because PIP coverage from their personal auto policy covers them up to their policy limits when they drive any vehicle in the state, including a rental car.
PAI is best for people with limited health coverage.
Unlike the other add-ons, personal effects coverage (PEC) protects your belongings, not the vehicle. It applies when someone steals personal items from inside the rental car.
Travelers may already have this protection through a homeowners or renters insurance policy, making PEC redundant. Consider it if you don’t have renters or homeowners insurance — or if your policy has a high deductible.
Insurify partners with 120+ top insurers for real-time quotes
Rental car coverage is a common credit card perk, but eligibility depends on following the credit card company’s policies. That generally means paying for the entire rental with the card and turning down the rental agency’s damage waiver.
Most card benefits are also secondary. Your personal auto policy and the rental company’s coverage pay first, and the card picks up what’s left. A few top-tier cards flip that order with primary coverage, including the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and Capital One Venture X.
Card coverage typically includes:
Theft of or damage to the rental vehicle
Valid loss-of-use charges and administrative fees
Towing tied to a covered incident
Common exclusions:
Damage to other vehicles or other people’s property
Injuries to you or anyone else
Someone steals belongings from the car
Limits and vehicle rules apply, too. For instance, most credit card coverage excludes rentals longer than 31 days.
You can plan to spend between $2 and $33 per day for rental car insurance in Florida, depending on what you add. Damage waivers cost the most, while personal accident and personal effects coverage cost the least.
Pricing isn’t standardized. Each rental company sets its own daily rates, and the same product can cost more or less depending on the location.
The table below shows estimated daily costs for rental car insurance add-ons in Florida.
Coverage Type  | Estimated Cost Range |
|---|---|
| Collision damage waiver/loss damage waiver | $13–$33/day |
| Supplemental liability insurance | $12–$18/day |
| Personal accident insurance | $2–$9/day |
| Personal effects coverage | $2–$6/day |
Florida residents who have a full-coverage policy and a credit card that includes rental benefits can typically decline rental car insurance at the counter. Out-of-state visitors and international travelers may want to consider at least CDW and SLI coverage options.
Buying coverage at the rental desk could make sense in the following scenarios:
You have no personal auto policy. Because the rental company’s coverage stops at Florida’s minimum limits, you could end up paying out of pocket, particularly if you damage the rental car. Consider non-owner car insurance for added liability protection.
Your deductible is high. Your personal auto policy’s coverage limits and deductibles extend to the rental car. Rental counter insurance products often have low or even no deductibles.
You want to keep a claim off your own policy. Under Florida law, the rental company’s liability and PIP coverage pays first by default. Filing a claim through the rental company helps you avoid a potential rate increase.
You carry only state-minimum liability coverage. Supplemental coverage from the rental company provides extra protection if you cause an accident.
Liability rates average $139 per month
Major rental car companies don’t make you buy their rental insurance products. Optional coverages are exactly that: optional. You may be able to skip rental car insurance when:
You have collision and comprehensive insurance. If you have these coverages on your personal policy, a damage waiver is typically redundant.
Your credit card offers primary rental coverage. Follow the credit card company’s requirements for the benefit to apply, which can include paying for the rental with that card and declining the CDW.
You’re a Florida resident. PIP and health insurance typically cover medical expenses resulting from a crash, so PAI adds little benefit.
You have homeowners or renters insurance. Either one can help pay for stolen belongings, so you can skip PEC.
For more information about rental car insurance in Florida, see the answers to common questions below.
Legally, no. Rental cars in Florida already include the state’s required PIP and property damage coverage, and the major rental agencies don’t make you buy more. But that built-in coverage may fall short after a crash, leaving you with substantial out-of-pocket expenses.
Rental car insurance in Florida costs an estimated $2–$33 per day, according to Insurify data, depending on the product. A CDW is the most expensive add-on, while PAI and PEC coverage are cheaper optional rental car coverages.
Usually, yes. Your own policy’s coverage, limits, and deductibles often extend to a rental you’re driving for personal use. Rental companies can still bill you for items your policy may not cover, such as administrative fees and loss of use. Always check with your insurance agent before you rent a car to verify coverage.
Legally, you don’t need any coverage beyond what the rental company provides. Florida doesn’t even require drivers to have bodily injury liability coverage, unless they’ve caused a crash with injuries or have certain violations on their record. If your personal insurance policy has only state-minimum limits, coverage from the rental company adds a layer of protection.
It may. Many credit card companies include rental car insurance as a benefit. Coverage is usually secondary, meaning the card steps in only after your own auto policy has paid on the claim. The Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and Capital One Venture X offer primary coverage instead.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
3+ years writing about auto, home, and life insurance
7+ years in personal finance and technology
Featured in
Licensed auto and home insurance agent
4+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
NPN: 20564519
Featured in
Licensed property and casualty insurance agent
10+ years editing experience
NPN: 20461358
Featured in
At Insurify, our goal is to help customers compare insurance products and find the best policy for them. We strive to provide open, honest, and unbiased information about the insurance products and services we review. Our hard-working team of data analysts, insurance experts, insurance agents, editors and writers, has put in thousands of hours of research to create the content found on our site.
We do receive compensation when a sale or referral occurs from many of the insurance providers and marketing partners on our site. That may impact which products we display and where they appear on our site. But it does not influence our meticulously researched editorial content, what we write about, or any reviews or recommendations we may make. We do not guarantee favorable reviews or any coverage at all in exchange for compensation.