Generally, your car insurance may certainly not cover U-haul. Most personal cars are included in the maximum weight restriction that most auto insurance will insure, but cargo vehicles like moving trucks are often excluded. For this reason, it’s possible that your regular auto insurance will not cover your rental truck.
In addition, your car insurance may cover renting a compact U-Haul, like a van or pickup truck, although coverage is uncertain. Furthermore, obtaining car insurance on a rental or van is advisable, despite not being legally required, to safeguard against potential accidents.
What Does U-Haul Insurance Cover
While moving truck rentals cannot cover your current car insurance policy, U-Haul offers several coverage options that you may buy directly to safeguard yourself against monetary losses associated with the cars and equipment you hire. An overview of the numerous U-Haul insurance options may be seen below.
Safemove
For U-Haul moving trucks, Safemove offers physical damage coverage through a damage waiver. Most unintentional damage types are covered, although claims for overhead damage have a $250 deductible. Safemove also provides cargo coverage, which protects your properties against windstorms, fires, rollovers, and accident damage. Lastly, this kind of coverage comes with medical and life insurance for the driver and passengers in the rental truck’s cab.
Safemove plus
Safemove Plus provides $1 million of additional liability coverage with all the coverage provided by Safemove. This coverage will continue to serve as the primary coverage if your car insurance covers U-Hauls. This means that until the claim exceeds $1 million, you won’t need to submit a claim on your insurance.
Additionally, if you upgrade to Safemove Plus, you won’t be required to pay a deductible on any claims for unintentional damage. It should nevertheless be noted that Safemove and Safemove Plus are both subject to the following exclusions:
- Theft of your individual belongings.
- Theft of U-Haul belongings if your carelessness was a factor in the theft.
- Damage resulting from inadequate packaging or regular cargo moving during transportation.
- Misuse of tools
- Off-roading.
- Mechanical damage due to rocking the vehicle to try to move it out of mud, ice, or snow might
- Journeys outside of Canada or the United States.
Safetow
Safetow provides towed property insurance and a damage waiver for trailers, tow dollys, or car transfers rented from U-Haul. In every state except Virginia, towed property protection also provides physical damage insurance for the car you use to pull the trailer.
Additionally, Safetow is offering life and health insurance to customers for both the towing vehicle driver and passengers in the passenger cabin. It should be noted that passengers who sit outside of the towing vehicle’s passenger compartment or who ride in the trailer itself are not covered by this coverage.
Safetrip
Roadside help is a standard feature of all U-Haul rentals, but you can get more thorough assistance by purchasing Safetrip. It provides jumpstarts, assistance for lost or locked keys, gasoline delivery, trailer connection, and assistance in ice, snow, or mud-stuck U-Haul rentals. However, Safetrip excludes the following situations from coverage:
- Damage done on purpose
- Careless or unlawful behavior
- Misuse of the tool
- Collisions with overhanging objects or bridges
- Off-roading
- Incorrect usage of fuel
- Overloading a truck with so much stuff that it weighs more than its gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR)
- Use of the equipment by a person who isn’t the client or a designated driver
Safestor
You may buy Safestor to protect your valuables from the following listed risks if you must temporarily keep any of them in a U-Haul self-storage unit:
- Fire
- Hurricanes
- Wind
- Vandalism
- Lightning
- Earthquakes
- Burglary
- Building collapse
- Water leaking
It should be noted that you will need to call 911 for the responding officers to submit a police report and provide proof of forced entry to support your claim if anything is destroyed or taken during a burglary.
Safehaul
You must purchase Safehaul to have the same coverage for your things when they are being shipped in a U-Haul U-Box or portable storage unit. Remember that neither Safehaul nor Safestor offer auto insurance. They also do not cover items such as the following valuables:
- Cash and assets.
- Timepieces and other jewelry kinds are antique.
- Art furs real estate deeds.
- Credit histories.
Do I Need Car Insurance to Rent a U-Haul
While it’s not necessary, U-Haul and other rental companies often prefer that clients carry insurance when renting a car. You will be able to acquire insurance from the rental company when you get your car. Furthermore, if you cause damage to a rental car, even if it’s someone else’s fault, and you’re not covered by their insurance, you may have to pay the full amount.
Can I Rent a U-Haul Without Car Insurance
Even if you choose not to accept every coverage option offered by the rental firm, you can still hire a truck. If you cause damage or injuries while operating the truck, you can still be covered under the modest liability coverage that many truck rental companies automatically provide. Even so, if your rental isn’t covered by your auto policy, it’s still worthwhile to think about purchasing additional coverage.
What Does U-Haul Insurance Not Cover
All the items mentioned above are covered by U-Haul’s SafeMove insurance. There are certain limitations on what is covered, though. Your vehicle won’t be insured, for instance, if you’re towing it behind your U-Haul truck. In essence, everything that is within the truck is covered, and everything that is outside the vehicle is not.
Additionally, some mechanical damage is not covered by the policy. If you drive the truck into ice or mud and cause mechanical damage to it, such as by pushing or rocking it, Safemove might not pay for the necessary repairs or replacements. States have different exclusions from SafeMove. Customers of U-Haul do not receive the same insurance in every state. Before you hit the road, make sure you have a clear understanding of the terms with your nearby U-Haul office.
How Much Does U-Haul Coverage Cost
Although the price of coverage for each of U-Haul’s insurance kinds isn’t disclosed to the public, the firm has revealed that you may obtain travel insurance for $5 for Safetrip, $15 for Safemove, or $28 for Safemove Plus. In the meantime, you may view the chart below to see how much Safestor will cost you based on the level of coverage you choose.
How to Tell If U-Hauls Are Covered in Your Policy
It can be challenging to determine which vehicles are and aren’t covered by your insurance. It is easy to think that you are insured because your insurance doesn’t specifically state that “U-haul rentals are excluded from coverage.” Still, there are several reasons why a U-haul truck could not be covered, including:
Vehicles that exceed a specified size or weight are expressly excluded from most auto insurance policies. For instance, insurance companies frequently pay up to 10,000 pounds as the maximum gross vehicle weight. In addition, vehicles used for off-roading, and racing, are not covered by auto insurance. Furthermore, your insurance may not cover box trucks, moving trucks, cargo vans, or other similar vehicles, or may have additional restrictions that exclude coverage for cargo transporting vehicles.
Final Thoughts
In essence, car insurance policies typically do not cover U-Haul rental trucks, cargo vehicles, and trailers. Additionally, liability coverage may be provided by personal car insurance as short-term U-Haul insurance policies are recommended for rental periods. Furthermore, it’s important to confirm coverage with your insurance provider before renting a U-Haul.