Help with insurance car rental after my Model 3 was damaged

[GaboPaz]

Hi guys. Gabriel here from California.

I got rear-ended three weeks after getting my Model 3 - guy backing out of a parking spot not paying attention. The quarter panel was dented and now needs replacement which requires a month to a month and a half at the body shop. Good news is that parts are in already.

What I need help is: the other insurance handling the claim (insurance of the gentleman at fault) will reimburse me for gas since I own an electric vehicle, but will not pay more than my insurance pays on a daily for a rental car which is $30. Shouldn't they be paying for a comparable vehicle? I already asked and they quickly said no.

More context: my insurance company is paying for repairs and putting me in a rental car to expedite the process. They will then receive reimbursement from Liberty Mutual (responsible party). This is how we ended up with the $30 a day rate - it's what my insurance policy covers.

Any advice?

I know, could be worse. But, I feel the insurance company is not doing their part here.

Thanks,

Gabriel

 

[Big Dog]

yes, you should get a comparable car, and your insurance company should go to bat for you to make the other carrier pay for it.

 

[ecarfan]

you should get a comparable car

But what ICE car would be “comparable” to a Model 3?

the other insurance handling the claim (insurance of the gentleman at fault) will reimburse me for gas since I own an electric vehicle, but will not pay more than my insurance pays on a daily for a rental car which is $30. Shouldn't they be paying for a comparable vehicle? I already asked and they quickly said no.

I think you are stuck with whatever you can rent for $30 unless you want to make up the difference.

 

[youngmcdonald]

Hi guys. Gabriel here from California.

I got rear-ended three weeks after getting my Model 3 - guy backing out of a parking spot not paying attention. The quarter panel was dented and now needs replacement which requires a month to a month and a half at the body shop. Good news is that parts are in already.

What I need help is: the other insurance handling the claim (insurance of the gentleman at fault) will reimburse me for gas since I own an electric vehicle, but will not pay more than my insurance pays on a daily for a rental car which is $30. Shouldn't they be paying for a comparable vehicle? I already asked and they quickly said no.

More context: my insurance company is paying for repairs and putting me in a rental car to expedite the process. They will then receive reimbursement from Liberty Mutual (responsible party). This is how we ended up with the $30 a day rate - it's what my insurance policy covers.

Any advice?

I know, could be worse. But, I feel the insurance company is not doing their part here.

Thanks,

Gabriel

Sorry to hear about the accident. Bad luck there for sure.

But I am not sure why you didn't make the other person's insurance directly settle repairs and rentals. Liberty Mutual is very good at these things; I am dealing with them right now for my repairs. But sure, if you want to take a longer route. That's up to you. And that's another reason you got shoved $30 a day rate by your insurance company because you are settling this in this odd way.

No, they should not reimburse you for gas as it's "source of energy" (petrol or electricity) in their policies. And Liberty Mutual allowed me $45 a day for rental. A car for a car, simple. Tesla rentals are $100 a day. I didn't want to be in a compact car so I picked a standard. And no, they won't be paying you for a comparable vehicle. You are more than welcome to claim "loss of use" in small claims court and you will not see the end of that either. I am not saying that you are acting petty, but you kind of are, I am sorry.

My humble suggestion is do not waste your time and energy thinking about what fancy rental car you are getting (to go from place A to B while your rich and famous car is in the shop) because trust me, you have a lot of headache ahead of you when your car goes in for repairs. Save your energy for that and just drive the rental you get. And if and when the repairs get done to your satisfaction (it won't be a month. It'll be about two months), try to get them pay for diminished value.

Also, choose the CHEAPEST rental car for another reason - you might run into another bad luck hit, just that this time you may be at fault when driving the rental. Do you really want to get into an accident while driving a rental Tesla / fancy car when you're at fault?

 

[GaboPaz]

But what ICE car would be “comparable” to a Model 3?
I think you are stuck with whatever you can rent for $30 unless you want to make up the difference.

Yeah, I'll probably get a Nissan Altima and call it a day.

 

[GaboPaz]

Sorry to hear about the accident. Bad luck there for sure.

But I am not sure why you didn't make the other person's insurance directly settle repairs and rentals. Liberty Mutual is very good at these things; I am dealing with them right now for my repairs. But sure, if you want to take a longer route. That's up to you. And that's another reason you got shoved $30 a day rate by your insurance company because you are settling this in this odd way.

No, they should not reimburse you for gas as it's "source of energy" (petrol or electricity) in their policies. And Liberty Mutual allowed me $45 a day for rental. A car for a car, simple. Tesla rentals are $100 a day. I didn't want to be in a compact car so I picked a standard. And no, they won't be paying you for a comparable vehicle. You are more than welcome to claim "loss of use" in small claims court and you will not see the end of that either. I am not saying that you are acting petty, but you kind of are, I am sorry.

My humble suggestion is do not waste your time and energy thinking about what fancy rental car you are getting (to go from place A to B while your rich and famous car is in the shop) because trust me, you have a lot of headache ahead of you when your car goes in for repairs. Save your energy for that and just drive the rental you get. And if and when the repairs get done to your satisfaction (it won't be a month. It'll be about two months), try to get them pay for diminished value.

Also, choose the CHEAPEST rental car for another reason - you might run into another bad luck hit, just that this time you may be at fault when driving the rental. Do you really want to get into an accident while driving a rental Tesla / fancy car when you're at fault?

I tend to have a more optimistic outlook than yourself. A guy not paying attention and backing into my car is not bad luck, just a guy not paying attention - I guess the definition of luck is subjective.

They already agree to reimburse me for gas, so not sure why you are so sure they wont.

Thanks for your suggestions though - appreciated.

 

[Magnets!]

Just went through this....your insurance will pay you the $30 day and seek subrogation from the other company for their expenses. You can then submit a bill to the other company for your extra out of pocket rental car expenses.

 

[jboy210]

$30/day is pretty good. Some companies only pay $15-17/day on a long term rental.

 

[youngmcdonald]

I tend to have a more optimistic outlook than yourself. A guy not paying attention and backing into my car is not bad luck, just a guy not paying attention - I guess the definition of luck is subjective.

They already agree to reimburse me for gas, so not sure why you are so sure they wont.

Thanks for your suggestions though - appreciated.

You’re welcome.

So then what is it that you are seeking in this thread? Just to see others views around if a comparable vehicle can be given to you as the rental for next several weeks? That’s it?

 

[Dana1]

Hi guys. Gabriel here from California.

I got rear-ended three weeks after getting my Model 3 - guy backing out of a parking spot not paying attention. The quarter panel was dented and now needs replacement which requires a month to a month and a half at the body shop. Good news is that parts are in already.

What I need help is: the other insurance handling the claim (insurance of the gentleman at fault) will reimburse me for gas since I own an electric vehicle, but will not pay more than my insurance pays on a daily for a rental car which is $30. Shouldn't they be paying for a comparable vehicle? I already asked and they quickly said no.

More context: my insurance company is paying for repairs and putting me in a rental car to expedite the process. They will then receive reimbursement from Liberty Mutual (responsible party). This is how we ended up with the $30 a day rate - it's what my insurance policy covers.

Any advice?

I know, could be worse. But, I feel the insurance company is not doing their part here.

Thanks,

Gabriel

You will get a comparable car which means midsize. You won’t get an electric car. Since your insurance company is paying you are limited it the $30. If the other insurance was paying you could squeeze a little more. I have found if I sweet talk the rental location they’ve upgraded the class. With my USAA membership I’ve gotten an upgraded class, too. It sucks but it is what it is.

 

[Dana1]

$30/day is pretty good. Some companies only pay $15-17/day on a long term rental.

USAA pays $40 if you pay an extra $10/year

 

[chewyc]

I have upgraded rental coverage from Travelers which I thought was a waste of money until my last car got totaled. Was sort of cool to drive a convertible Mustang for a month versus a g*ddamn Hyundai or bottom of the barrel econo box.

 

[Lhshockey24]

Just went through this....your insurance will pay you the $30 day and seek subrogation from the other company for their expenses. You can then submit a bill to the other company for your extra out of pocket rental car expenses.

This is correct. I was without our Toyota 4Runner for a month after a big rear-ending and AMICA covered $30/day. My Ford Explorer rental was like $1,000 and I received a check a couple months later from AMICA for about $800 covering the different. They sought subrogation and eventually could pay me the rest.

TLDR; rent yourself something comparable the other insurance has to cover it.

 

[GaboPaz]

This is correct. I was without our Toyota 4Runner for a month after a big rear-ending and AMICA covered $30/day. My Ford Explorer rental was like $1,000 and I received a check a couple months later from AMICA for about $800 covering the different. They sought subrogation and eventually could pay me the rest.

TLDR; rent yourself something comparable the other insurance has to cover it.

Thanks guys. Yes, I will rent a $30 a day car, maybe upgrade one level so I can have comfortable power seats, then have the other insurance cover the difference.

 

[Lhshockey24]

Thanks guys. Yes, I will rent a $30 a day car, maybe upgrade one level so I can have comfortable power seats, then have the other insurance cover the difference.

Upgrade. A model 3, if it were a rental car would be classified as a “premium luxury” like a BMW 3 series or MB C300.