Our Massachusetts insurance agency gets quite a few phone calls regarding insurance coverage when renting a vehicle on vacation.
Do you need to buy additional insurance coverage when renting a vehicle?
The answer is … it depends.
The Massachusetts auto insurance policy states:
“Compulsory Bodily Injury To Others (Part 1) only covers accidents in Massachusetts. All the other Parts provide coverage for accidents and losses which happen in the United States or Canada. We consider United States territories and possessions and Puerto Rico to be part of the United States. We will pay for accidents and losses which happen while your auto is being transported between ports of the United States and Canada. Your auto is not covered in any other country.”
“Your Auto – means:
A. The vehicle or vehicles described on the Coverage Selections Page.
B. Any auto while used as a temporary substitute for the described auto while that auto is out of normal use because of a breakdown, repair, servicing, loss or destruction.
So, long story short: if you have “full” coverage for your vehicle on a Massachusetts private passenger auto policy, coverage will apply to the rental vehicle as long as you are in the United States (possessions, territories including Puerto Rico) or Canada.