Do Rental Cars Cover Flat Tires? All You Need to Know

Here we start all about Do Rental Cars Cover Flat Tires? There’s a good likelihood that a rental car won’t have a spare tire in the trunk if you get a flat tire, and even if it does, it’s unlikely to have a jack or lug wrench.

So what’s your plan of action? Unless you have roadside assistance, coverage through your auto insurance policy, or credit card, you will normally be responsible for paying to fix a flat tire on a rental car.

Most automobile rental agencies offer roadside help as an add-on option. Still, it’s crucial to thoroughly review the conditions of this coverage to be sure that flat tire repair is included. 

You may already have roadside assistance that covers flat tires on every vehicle you drive if you have roadside assistance (AAA in the US and other organizations elsewhere).

It’s a good idea to inspect the tires on your rental car before you leave on your trip and to steer clear of obstacles like potholes and debris to reduce the likelihood of obtaining a flat tire.

Do Rental Cars Cover Flat Tires?

The customer care or dedicated roadside assistance line for the rental car company should be your first call. Use the roadside assistance you paid for from the rental company if you have it. In this scenario, the rental car agency is liable for paying the labor costs to change the flat or damaged tire or tow the vehicle to the closest repair shop.

The fact that roadside assistance only often covers the labor cost rather than the price of the new tire itself may surprise many renters. The tire may wind up costing you money. You declined to buy the roadside help option.

After informing the rental car company, you will need to make your own arrangements for roadside assistance. Check to see if you qualify for free roadside help through your credit card, personal auto insurance, or membership in a club or group before calling for a repair or a tow truck.

What To Do If You Get A Flat Tire In A Rental Car?

Calling the rental car company’s roadside assistance line or customer care number should be your first action if you experience a flat tire in a rental vehicle. 

The rental company will normally pay the labor costs for changing the flat tire or towing the vehicle to a repair shop if you have purchased roadside assistance from them. However, the price of the new tire itself is your responsibility.

If the rental business doesn’t offer roadside assistance, you must arrange help.  Check to determine if you qualify for free roadside help through your credit card, personal auto insurance, or membership in a club or group before calling for a repair or a tow truck.

The firm that owns the rental automobile will offer assistance if necessary if you suffer a flat tire. If you are capable of doing it, you also have the choice to fix it yourself. When a flat tire occurs, you should stop safely from other vehicles to decide what to do next.

Check For A Spare Tire

We advise you to look inside the car for a spare tire after you have stopped in a secure location. This should be stated immediately when renting the car, but you can double-check if it wasn’t. If you want to try changing the tire, you can take your spare out of the car. Leave it in place and wait in the car if you cannot do this.

Call The Rental Car Company

Next, give the rental car business a call. Each business offers a hotline for roadside assistance that will connect you right away so you can give directions to a roadside technician for assistance. If you obtained the appropriate insurance, this is covered.

Because they may call AAA for the same kind of assistance, some AAA members choose to save money and forgo purchasing this insurance policy. Another choice to think about is this one. However, you would be responsible for covering any significant or long-lasting damage without insurance coverage.

Wait For Roadside Assistance

You can now wait for roadside assistance. Either the spare tire is installed, the tire is fixed, or you are towed to a nearby repair facility to have the tire fixed. Not all rental vehicles include a spare tire. In actuality, the majority won’t. Therefore, each driver’s situation will determine how this varies.

Should You Buy Car Rental Roadside Assistance?

New cars are increasingly being marketed without spare tires. That is completely legal, and renting a vehicle without a spare tire is also lawful. When a rental automobile is given out, the company must give a vehicle in operable condition, and the renter is in charge of any damage that happens throughout the agreement (like running over road debris).

It is wise to purchase roadside assistance at the rental car desk first. After all, the cost of $4 to $7 each day could seem affordable, and the knowledge that you can get assistance if you break down or suffer a flat tire while driving may make you feel more at ease.

However, roadside assistance is frequently a lousy deal for customers because it typically only offers minimal coverage for problems brought on by the driver, such as locking keys in the car, misplacing keys, running out of fuel, or requiring a jump start if the battery dies.

You are not covered for mishaps or crashes that are the renter’s fault, for mechanical failures that are the rental company’s fault, and, as was already noted, you are only covered for labor and not auto components.

Conclusion

I hope you understand Do Rental Cars Cover Flat Tires? Unless you have roadside assistance, coverage through your auto insurance policy, or credit card, you will normally be responsible for paying to fix a flat tire on a rental car.  Call the car rental company’s emergency line or customer care number when you see a flat tire. 

You’ll have to make your own arrangements for assistance if you don’t purchase roadside assistance. It’s crucial to thoroughly assess whether roadside assistance from the rental car business is a fair deal for you before making your decision.

Frequently Asked Questions