The following information is for US customers only. For information relating to other regions please refer to the country-specific FAQs. RentalCover.com does not currently offer this product to its US customers.
Supplemental Liability Insurance insures you for injuries to other drivers and their vehicles. In some countries this "third party" insurance is compulsorily provided by the vehicle owner, i.e. the rental companies. However, not all states in the US require the vehicle owner to have mandatory third party liability, and those that do are only required to offer state minimum limits. This means the driver is potentially liable for injuries to other people and their property.
You will usually be offered SLI (also called Accident Liability Insurance/ALI, LIS or Renter Liability Protection) by the rental company, which will normally provide up to $1,000,000 in coverage. As a general rule, if SLI is offered by the rental company, we advise you to take it.
How much coverage is normally provided?
In the USA, each state has different rules regarding whether or not third- party coverage must be provided, and often the minimum level of coverage required by law will be quite low. Despite this, most SLI providers will generally insure you up to $1 million.
| Minimum legal coverage | ||||
| State | Per Person | Per Accident | Property Damage | Supplier SLI Coverage |
| California | $15,000 | $30,000 | $5,000 | $1 million |
| Florida | $10,000 | $20,000 | $10,000 | $1 million |
| Nevada | $15,000 | $30,000 | $10,000 | $1 million |
| New York | $25,000 | $50,000 | $10,000 | $1 million |
| Other | $10-50K | $30-100K | $5-25K | $1 million |
Am I insured if I am not at fault?
Generally no. In most cases you will only be able to claim third- party damage or injuries if you were the driver at fault. The only exception to this would be if you were deemed by a court to be responsible for a third- party accident even if it is not caused by you directly, though this will vary depending on your policy terms.
An Example of When You Are Not At Fault
RentalCover.com customer Eric Clapton is visiting friends in California, and is hiring a car to get around. While Eric is turning a corner, a taxi driver in a hurry to get a fare pulls an illegal U-turn and drives into the side of Eric's vehicle. Even though the other driver's vehicle is written off, Eric's SLI does not need to insure the taxi driver's car as Eric is not at fault.
How does the claims process work?
To make an SLI claim, you will need to contact the rental company's insurance provider and deal directly with them. You will be asked by the insurers to fill out a statement of claim, and to provide some form of documentation relating to your insurance and the claim being made (usually a certificate of insurance, receipts of payment, copies of invoices and police reports as well as other details from the third party showing evidence of damages or injuries sustained).