120+ more){kind=small}
9+ years in personal finance writing
Certified Financial Counselor
Kat Tretina is a personal finance writer specializing in debt repayment and insurance.
Previously, she worked in public relations within the pharmaceutical industry before switching to non-profit work. After struggling to repay her own student loan debt and seeing firsthand how complex the financial aid and repayment system is, she began writing to share what she learned so other people could better manage their loans.
For the past seven years, she’s been freelancing for major financial publications such as Yahoo! Finance, FinanceBuzz, Forbes Advisor, and more. Her work focuses on helping people understand their financial options, including their insurance choices. Kat double-majored in English and Communications at Elizabethtown College, and she went on to earn her master’s at West Chester University. She has also earned certifications in student loan counseling and financial education.
){kind=small}
Licensed property and casualty insurance agent
10+ years editing experience
NPN: 20461358
John is Insurify’s Chief Copy Editor, helping ensure the accuracy and readability of Insurify’s content. He’s a licensed agent specializing in home and car insurance topics.
){kind=small}
Licensed property and casualty insurance agent
10+ years editing experience
NPN: 21630969
MacKenzie Korris is an insurance copy editor with a producer’s license for property and casualty insurance in Missouri.
Updated
Nevada doesn’t require you to buy rental car insurance as long as you have coverage that satisfies Nevada’s insurance requirements. A new law — SB 194 — took effect on Oct. 1, 2025, and was later revised on Nov. 20, 2025. The law allows a rental car company to require proof that the renter meets Nevada’s minimum liability limits before renting out a vehicle.[1]
If your policy satisfies the state’s coverage requirements, the rental company can’t require you to buy their coverage or optional add-ons. And rental companies must disclose when an insurance product is optional, so being legally insured to drive a rental car in Nevada doesn’t mean you have to buy coverage through the rental company.[2]
Liability policies average $164/mo.
By law, Nevada car rental companies may confirm that you have insurance coverage and that your policy meets the state’s minimum insurance requirements before handing over the keys.
If the renter can’t provide proof of insurance, the rental agency can decline the rental or offer you a temporary liability policy to cover you during the rental period.
Additionally, Nevada car rental companies are limited in what they can charge for loss damage waivers. For most vehicles, the maximum charge is $22 per rental day, whether the rental is full or partial.
Below is a breakdown of Nevada’s car rental laws:
Insurance Policy | Required by Nevada Law? |
|---|---|
| Liability coverage on rental vehicles | Yes |
| Renters must buy rental insurance | No |
| Rental companies must disclose when coverage is optional | Yes |
| Proof of financial responsibility required | Yes |
| Rental companies must disclose when they’re not providing primary liability coverage | Yes |
Nevada’s minimum liability requirements are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage, as well as $20,000 for property damage liability.[3]
In most cases, your personal auto insurance policy will cover a Nevada car rental the same way it covers you and your own vehicle. The details of your specific policy, including which coverages it includes and your coverage limits, affect how insurance applies if you need to file a claim.
If you’re at fault in an accident, your coverage may be primary, but contact your insurer to confirm what’s covered (and what’s not).
Your personal liability insurance will typically cover injuries to others or damage to others’ property caused while driving a Nevada car rental. But coverage is limited to your policy’s liability limits.
If you have a car insurance policy that includes collision and comprehensive coverage, it usually extends to rental cars, too. As a result, damages caused by collisions, theft, or weather are covered. If your policy only has liability insurance, you won’t have any protection for the rental vehicle itself.
Even if you have a full-coverage auto policy, there are some situations your policy won’t cover:
Business use: If you’re renting a car for business, your policy may exclude claims.
Loss-of-use fees: If you’re in an accident and the rental car needs repairs, the rental company may charge a loss-of-use fee to cover its lost income, and this fee is usually excluded from personal auto policies.
Peer-to-peer rentals: In Nevada, platforms such as Turo are popular. But personal auto policies usually exclude peer-to-peer rentals from coverage.
What is covered under insurance with a Nevada rental car depends on the type of auto insurance coverage you have:
Coverage | Personal Auto Policy | Credit Card Coverage | Rental Company Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liability | Yes | No | Yes |
| Vehicle damage | Yes, if you have full coverage | Yes | Yes |
| Theft of the rental vehicle | Yes, if you have full coverage | Yes | Yes |
| Theft of your property from a rental vehicle | No | No | Yes, with optional coverage |
| Your medical expenses if you’re injured | Yes, if you have personal injury protection (PIP) | No | Yes, with optional coverage |
| The other driver’s medical expenses if you caused the crash | Yes | No | Yes |
In most cases, rental car coverage through a credit card isn’t adequate to protect you. Credit cards typically include collision damage waivers for rental cars. The coverage is usually secondary, so it pays only after your personal auto policy pays its share, and it covers only damages to the rental vehicle caused by theft or accidents.
Credit card rental policies usually exclude liability coverage, so they don’t cover damages or injuries you cause to others in an accident. And they usually have exclusions, so luxury vehicles, vintage cars, and trucks aren’t covered.
Some premium credit cards may include primary coverage, so it pays for damages to the car without going through your personal auto policy.
To qualify for coverage, you usually need to pay the entire rental cost with your credit card and decline the loss damage waiver at the rental counter.
Whether you need additional insurance for a Nevada rental car depends on whether you have a personal auto policy, your coverage limits, and any credit card benefits you may have. In some cases, you may have sufficient coverage, so paying for insurance at the rental counter may be a duplicative expense.
Only purchase insurance to fill coverage gaps to ensure you’re protected.
Buying extra coverage makes sense in the following situations:
You don’t have a personal auto policy.
Your policy only has state-minimum liability coverage.
You want to avoid high out-of-pocket costs if the vehicle is damaged.
You’re renting a car for business use.
You can typically decline extra rental coverage in the following scenarios:
You have a full-coverage insurance policy with adequate liability limits.
You have a premium credit card with robust rental car protection.
You have a substantial financial safety net and can comfortably cover your policy’s deductible if damage occurs.
In Nevada, rental car companies usually offer several types of insurance products. By law, rental car companies must disclose what coverages are optional, and companies can’t refuse to honor a reservation, limit vehicle availability, or require a deposit if the renter declines optional coverages or waivers as of November 2025.
Understanding the different types of rental car insurance available in Nevada can help you decide what coverages you really need:
An LDW, also known as a collision damage waiver, releases you from financial liability if the rental car is stolen or damaged. This form of coverage is best for people who don’t have comprehensive or collision insurance on their personal auto policies.[4]
SLI provides extra liability protection beyond the limits of your personal policy or the rental company’s base coverage. If your personal policy has low liability limits, SLI can be a smart investment.
PAI pays medical and ambulance bills for you and your passengers if you’re injured in an accident. It can make sense to purchase PAI if your personal auto policy doesn’t include personal injury protection (PIP), or if anyone who you’ll be driving with doesn’t have health insurance.
If personal belongings in your car, such as luggage, are stolen, personal effects coverage helps pay for their replacement. This form of insurance is particularly helpful if you don’t have renters or homeowners insurance that would cover these losses.
See quotes from top insurers in minutes
Getting in an accident is stressful, particularly if you’re in a car you don’t own or driving in another state. If you’re in an accident, follow these steps:
Check for injuries. Your safety and the safety of others are the first priority. If anyone is injured, contact 911 and request an ambulance and police.
Exchange information. Speak with the other driver and exchange names, contact details, and insurance information. You’ll typically need to provide information about your rental agreement as well.
Document the damage. If it’s safe to do so, get pictures of the cars as they are, including close-ups of any damage.
Contact the rental company. Review your rental agreement for details on filing a claim or reporting an accident, and follow the steps outlined. You’re usually required to report an accident as soon as possible.
Contact your insurer. Report the accident and start the insurance claim process.
If you plan on renting a car in Nevada, follow these steps to protect yourself:
Review your personal auto policy. Check your coverages and limits. If you intend to rent an expensive vehicle, your policy may not fully cover the vehicle if it’s damaged in an accident, and you may need additional coverage.
Check policy exclusions. Pay attention to coverage exclusions. For example, some policies exclude peer-to-peer rentals, such as cars rented through sites like Turo, so you’ll need to purchase separate insurance.
Find out if you have credit card coverage. Some credit cards offer auto rental coverage, such as damage waivers.
Read the rental agreement carefully. Understand what’s covered, which optional coverages apply, and what’s excluded.
Photograph and video the vehicle. When you rent a vehicle, inspect it thoroughly before leaving the lot, looking for dents or scratches. Walk around the vehicle and take photos and video of the car’s condition inside and out, and take a snapshot of the odometer reading.
The following information can be helpful as you research rental car options in Nevada.
Nevada law requires all drivers, including those renting a vehicle, to provide proof of insurance. If you don’t have coverage through a personal insurance policy that meets the state’s requirements, the rental company can either sell you a policy or refuse to rent you a car.
Nevada requires all drivers to carry liability coverage providing $25,000 in bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 in bodily injury liability per accident, and $20,000 in property damage liability.
Who pays for damages in Nevada after a rental car accident depends on who was at fault and what coverages you have. If you were at fault in the accident and have a personal insurance policy, your coverage will typically extend to the rental car.
If the rental car was damaged, you may only have coverage if you purchased a collision damage waiver or a loss damage waiver through the rental company.
Yes, you can rent a car even if you don’t have a personal auto insurance policy. But the rental company will require you to purchase a rental car policy that satisfies the state’s coverage requirements.[5]
In Nevada, you can purchase rental car insurance from rental companies such as Enterprise, Sixt, or Alamo. You may have coverage through a personal auto insurance policy, or, if you pay the full rental cost with a credit card, you may be eligible for coverage through your credit card issuer.
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9+ years in personal finance writing
Certified Financial Counselor
Kat Tretina is a personal finance writer specializing in debt repayment and insurance.
Previously, she worked in public relations within the pharmaceutical industry before switching to non-profit work. After struggling to repay her own student loan debt and seeing firsthand how complex the financial aid and repayment system is, she began writing to share what she learned so other people could better manage their loans.
For the past seven years, she’s been freelancing for major financial publications such as Yahoo! Finance, FinanceBuzz, Forbes Advisor, and more. Her work focuses on helping people understand their financial options, including their insurance choices. Kat double-majored in English and Communications at Elizabethtown College, and she went on to earn her master’s at West Chester University. She has also earned certifications in student loan counseling and financial education.
Licensed property and casualty insurance agent
10+ years editing experience
NPN: 20461358
John is Insurify’s Chief Copy Editor, helping ensure the accuracy and readability of Insurify’s content. He’s a licensed agent specializing in home and car insurance topics.
Licensed property and casualty insurance agent
10+ years editing experience
NPN: 21630969
MacKenzie Korris is an insurance copy editor with a producer’s license for property and casualty insurance in Missouri.
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