"Would you like to purchase the vehicle waiver insurance?" Anyone who has rented a car in the last 20 years has heard this spiel from the car rental counter-person. For most, since you have personal auto insurance, the answer is a no-brainer. Others always buy it and wonder if they wasted money when nothing happens.
It may not ALWAYS be smart to decline the insurance, since your particular policy may not cover you if the rental car is stolen because you may not have comprehensive insurance covering an older vehicle or one with a salvage title (like mine).
The article I found is a good starting place to determine for yourself how to answer the above question if you are planning to rent a car in the future. It is an article about CDW (Collision Damage Waivers) and it just may open your eyes as to the risks you are exposed to when you rent a car. Remember, with any kind of standard deductible (say up to $500), if the car you rent gets broken into and they break a window or a rock cracks the windshield, your insurance MAY only kick in AFTER you pay $500! So you may just want to spend the extra $17.99 for CDW in that case!



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