What Do I Do if My Subscription Car Gets Wrecked?
From fender benders to full-on collisions, getting in a car accident is never pleasant. In a lot of ways handling an accident in a subscription car is similar to what you’d do if you had a collision in your own vehicle, but given the added layers of your car subscription agreement and car insurance, there are a few extra complexities that you should be prepared for.
What to Do if You’re in a Car Accident
Regardless of the severity of the accident, take a moment to make sure that everyone is okay, check the surrounding scene and any other cars involved and try to move everyone involved off to the side of the road if possible. Once everyone is safe, make sure involved parties exchange contact and insurance information including: name, address, phone number, insurance and policy number, driver’s license number, vehicle registration and license plate numbers. If there are witnesses, it’s also helpful to get their contact information.
While it’s still fresh in your memory, take a few moments to write down exactly what occurred and take pictures of any damage you see. Make sure to include the year, make and models of the cars involved, the exact location and as many details as you can remember about how the accident occured. Be polite, but never admit fault even if you think it was your fault, and definitely don’t sign any sort of statement or agreement. Filing a police report is often a good idea especially if the accident and damage is severe and is often required in your subscriber agreement.
You’ll want to contact your car subscription company as well as your own insurance company since both will be involved in resolving the incident. Be sure to get clarification on things like who is responsible for filing an accident report with the police, whether you have collision and comprehensive coverage in your policy and what your deductible is. You’ll need to figure out what your claim covers, what your insurance might cover and what the subscription car insurance covers.
What Do I Do if My Subscription Car Gets Wrecked?
While every car subscription will have their own subscriber agreement, generally speaking, whether you were at fault or not, you will still likely have to pay your deductible directly to the subscription company, as the company is entitled to have the car fixed as soon as possible. Your insurance company is then in charge of going after the responsible party, which may result in you getting reimbursed.
Collision damage: if you have your own insurance policy with collision and comprehensive coverage, that typically extends to your subscription car as well.
Damage to others: if you already have liability insurance, that typically extends to subscription cars, too.
Primary insurance is the type of insurance that kicks in first if you file a claim. Some insurance policies provide complete coverage in any accident as long as you pay the premium, meaning they cover both the cost of the car that you hit (if you were at fault) and the damage to your subscription car.
Secondary coverage can pick up fees and charges that your primary insurance policy doesn't cover, such as reimbursing your deductible. Even if you’re using secondary coverage, you’ll still have to file that initial primary insurance claim, which could result in your insurance rates increasing.
If you were at fault in the incident you will probably be removed from the car subscription service, or allowed to come back with a higher insurance rate depending on the severity and circumstances of the incident. If you were not at fault, the subscription service will likely get you another vehicle to use.
If you’d like to learn more about our SimpleCar subscription service give us a call at 833-767-5327 or contact us. We can answer any questions you have about subscriber agreements and help you get on the road on your terms.
