Best Car Rental Business Insurance Providers for 2023

Car rental business owners have a lot of responsibility: in addition to keeping their rental vehicles in top condition, they must have the right business insurance to protect their automobiles and their bottom line.

Car rental business insurance consists of several different kinds of policies, and the type of car rental business insurance plan you choose depends on the amount and kinds of vehicles you have and your company’s unique needs.

Common types of business insurance that car rental companies tend to purchase include:

• Commercial auto: Provides coverage for legal, medical, and damage expenses for vehicles used for business purposes.
• Commercial fleet: Good for larger car rental businesses with multiple vehicles, since it covers you, your employees, and your vehicles if there is an accident involving one of your vehicles.
• Commercial property: Can help cover costs if your property or equipment (such as a garage where you store vehicles or an office computer) is damaged or stolen.
• Excess liability: Increases your general liability insurance coverage limits, which is a good idea for car rental businesses since vehicle accidents can get costly.
• General liability: Covers your business if someone other than an employee is injured or has their property damaged by one of your vehicles.
• Workers’ compensation: Can help cover medical expenses if your employees are injured while working.

Best Insurance Providers for Car Rental Businesses

In this article, we’ve evaluated the best car rental business insurance providers for 2023 so that you can choose the company that offers the best protection for your unique business needs.  

• All State: Best for Commercial Auto Insurance
• Nationwide: Best Variety of Insurance Products
• Lancer Insurance: Best for Commercial Fleet Insurance
• CoverWallet: Best for Car Rental Businesses That Provide Towing Services
• Gallagher: Best for Canadian Car Rental Companies
• CNA: Best for Risk Control 
• Travelers: Best Options for Car Insurance Coverage
• Hiscox: Best for Business Owner’s Policy (BOP)

8 Best Car Rental Business Insurance Providers for 2023

These eight insurance companies provide the business insurance policies your car rental company needs to protect you against claims and property damage repair costs. 

Rental car business insurance cost depends on many factors, including where your company is based, how many cars you have, and your claims history. However, you can often save money by bundling multiple insurance policies into a BOP. 

Allstate: Best for Commercial Auto Insurance

It’s wise to choose a knowledgeable insurance provider that knows the ins and outs of what it insures, and Allstate knows cars. Its Car Ownership Center feature includes a car buying service in addition to refinance, trade-in, and maintenance options. Allstate also offers commercial auto insurance that covers most cars, and property and liability insurance. 

Pros

• Allstate’s Drivewise safe driving tool rewards safe driving with discounts
• Offers nine different types of coverage
• Special insurance options for traveling from the U.S. or Canada to Mexico

Cons

• The online chatbot is available 24/7, however it provides limited information
• If you want to purchase general liability insurance you have to buy it as part of Allstate’s Business Insurance policy

How to Get Coverage

You can email Allstate, call it at 800-726-6033, or fill out an online form to get a quote. You can even tweet Allstate with any questions you may have. 

Benefits

Allstate provides nine types of auto coverage, including collision, liability, medical payments, and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. It also offers classic car insurance that protects vintage cars.

Nationwide: Best Variety of Insurance Products

Nationwide offers most business insurance products a car rental business would need, including commercial auto and fleet, commercial property, general liability, worker’s comp, and umbrella insurance policies.

Pros

• Business commercial umbrella option
• Customized commercial fleet insurance policies
• Receive discounts of up to 40% when you enroll in Nationwide’s SmartRide program

Cons

• Semi-trucks and tractor-trailers not included in Nationwide’s commercial auto policy
• Quotes only available online unless you call during business hours

How to Get Coverage

You can email Nationwide, call 1-877-669-6877 during business hours, contact a local agent, or fill out an online form to get an insurance quote. 

Benefits

Nationwide’s business commercial umbrella insurance option helps to ensure that you are fully covered in case of expensive accidents, providing extra coverage beyond your liability insurance limits. Depending on the type of car rental business you have, Nationwide offers customizable commercial fleet insurance policies that can provide automatic out-of-state and blanket coverage for your vehicles.

Lancer Insurance: Best for Commercial Fleet Insurance

Lancer Insurance provides insurance coverage specifically for owners of car rental businesses, meaning that you don’t have to guess which types of policies you need to ensure that your business is fully protected. 

Pros

• Policyholders have access to Lancer Insurance’s Business Resource Hub
• 24/7 claims hotline
• Provides commercial auto and garage insurance and commercial excess auto liability insurance

Cons

• Commercial auto liability insurance limit maxes out at a $1 million Combined Single Limit (CSL) in bodily injury and property damage coverage
• $1,000 minimum deductible for physical damage

How to Get Coverage

You can email Lancer Insurance, call it at 800-782-8902 x3008, fill out an online quote request application, or contact an insurance broker.

Benefits

Lancer Insurance provides commercial insurance for car rental businesses, including coverage for bodily injury, property damage, vehicle collisions, and other accidents. It also offers general liability insurance, personal injury protection, and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. 

CoverWallet: Best for Car Rental Businesses That Provide Towing Services

CoverWallet is a good choice for any car rental business that uses tow trucks as part of its services, as CoverWallet provides the general liability, inland marine, workers’ comp, and commercial auto insurance you need to shield your business from claims and protect your vehicles and equipment.

Pros

• Provides inland marine insurance that protects equipment or products that are transported over land or stored in a warehouse
• CoverWallet helps you to bundle towing insurance with other policies so that you save money and get the best coverage
• Offers over 25 different insurance products
• Allows customers to compare prices between different carriers before purchasing policies

Cons

• CoverWallet is an insurance broker, which means that you don’t get insurance products directly from the company

How to Get Coverage

You can call a CoverWallet consultant at (646) 844-9933, email [email protected], or get a free quote online. 

Benefits

CoverWallet is a strong choice for tow truck operators. Additionally, it offers a full spectrum of insurance products–including business garage insurance and hired and non-owned auto insurance–that can also protect other car rental businesses. 

Gallagher: Best for Canadian Car Rental Companies

While Gallagher is an insurance broker that can provide services to over 130 different countries, it is based in Canada and prides itself on its local expertise, making it a solid choice for Canadian car rental and auto repair businesses. 

Pros

• Thorough understanding of Canadian laws and requirements
• Can help companies of all sizes, from small businesses to multinational corporations
• Analytics consulting services for accurate and cost-effective risk management solutions

Cons

• As a broker, Gallagher doesn’t provide commercial fleet insurance for a car rental business directly
• No Canadian phone number available for questions or quotes

How to Get Coverage

You can get a quote online, or contact Gallagher by submitting a form or calling 833-292-9441 (U.S.).

Benefits

Gallagher offers commercial auto insurance for personal and business vehicles with limits based on data from your area. It also offers general liability, professional liability, commercial property insurance, and commercial umbrella insurance, all of which can protect your car rental business. 

CNA: Best for Risk Control

CNA provides many of the insurance products your car rental business needs, including commercial auto, general and professional liability, and umbrella and excess liability policies. CNA’s Risk Control team relies on specialized technology and training to manage your business’s specific risks. 

Pros

• CNA Connect (a BOP) offers property and general liability coverage and over 300 options for coverage endorsements (changes or additions to your policy)
• CNA Paramount provides property, crime, general liability, and umbrella liability protection for mid-size businesses
• Prepwise is an interactive risk management platform where policyholders, agents, and underwriters can access resources and share information

Cons

• CNA’s customer service phone line can’t answer specific questions about coverage and will direct you to a local agent

How to Get Coverage

You can contact CNA at 1-800-CNA-2000, or via email at [email protected]. 

Benefits

CNA offers commercial auto insurance that covers automobile liability and physical damage, as well as customized risk control solutions.

Travelers: Best Options for Car Insurance Coverage

Travelers is a good option for car rental businesses that need commercial auto insurance, as it provides comprehensive physical damage coverage and an online portal where business owners can easily access information about their policies and claims. Its car insurance coverage also includes bodily injury and property damage liability, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, collision and comprehensive coverage, and personal injury protection and medical payments coverage.

Pros

• MyTravelers online bill pay, policy information, and claim status portal
• Commercial auto insurance can cover fleets of vehicles (more than five vehicles belonging to one owner) used for business purposes
• Physical damage coverage can protect your vehicles from accidents (including hitting an animal), theft, vandalism, hail, and fire

Cons

• Commercial auto insurance not included in BOP
• No commercial fleet insurance for car rental businesses

How to Get Coverage

You can get a quote from Travelers through its Agent Locator tool.

Benefits

Travelers provides several different insurance products that car rental businesses need, including commercial auto, general liability, professional liability, BOP, property, workers’ comp, and excess liability insurance. 

Hiscox: Best for BOP

Hiscox has been around since 1901 and promises quick quotes, customized policies, and a straightforward claims process. You can create a personalized BOP that provides general liability and property coverage that protects your building, tools, and equipment.

Pros

• Transparent cost examples available on Hiscox’s BOP Insurance Quotes page
• Lower premiums offered in exchange for higher deductibles
• 5% rate reduction when you buy more than one insurance product from Hiscox

Cons

• No commercial fleet insurance for rental car businesses
• Refers out to insurance marketplace CyberPolicy for commercial auto or umbrella insurance

How to Get Coverage

You can fill out Hiscox’s online form to get a quote or call 844-357-0840 during business hours to speak to an agent. 

Benefits

Hiscox’s BOP covers property damage and bodily injury (for anyone except you or your employees). Additionally, it covers libel and slander claims, electronic data liability, advertising injuries, lawsuit defense costs, and medical expenses of third parties. It covers damages that occur within the United States and Canada.

Methodology

We looked for highly rated insurance providers and brokers that offer commercial auto or fleet insurance and general liability, excess liability, commercial property, and workers’ compensation policies. We then analyzed and rated each company based on their accessibility, ease of acquiring coverage, and benefits for owners of car rental businesses.

Conclusion

Whether you are looking for an insurance provider that offers a customized BOP, a wide selection of car insurance coverage options and risk management tools, or excess liability insurance that protects your assets, these eight companies have the plans and expertise to ensure your car rental business is fully covered. 

FAQs