{"id":4851,"date":"2025-03-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uat.locautorent.com\/blog\/car-body-damage-with-rental-cars-what-you-need-to-know\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T14:50:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T13:50:51","slug":"car-body-damage-with-rental-cars-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.locautorent.com\/en\/blog\/car-body-damage-with-rental-cars-what-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Car Body Damage with Rental Cars: What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

How damage charges work on a rental car
\nThe damage charge<\/strong> is the mechanism by which the renter assumes responsibility for repair costs in case of damage to the vehicle during the rental period. This charge covers, for example, the costs of restoring the bodywork and other damaged components.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Typically, the rental contract includes a damage chart<\/strong> \nthat defines in detail the different types of damage, allowing for a charge proportional to the severity of the incident.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Before getting behind the wheel, it\u2019s important to check the contractual conditions, including the insurance deductible<\/strong>, which determines the portion of costs borne by the customer<\/strong>. This way, you\u2019ll know in advance whether any potential damage is covered by insurance or if an extra payment will be required.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

How damages are assessed on a rental car<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n

The assessment of body damage<\/strong> is carried out using standardized and industry-recognized criteria<\/strong> to ensure that repairs meet technical and quality standards. Generally, damages are measured and priced based on reliable systems using manufacturer price lists.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

For the bodywork, the evaluation is usually conducted with a tool similar to a 10×5 cm card, which classifies damage based on its size, distinguishing between minor scratches, deep scratches, dents, and breaks. However, a single scratch<\/strong> under 5 cm is generally not considered chargeable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

What rental car insurance covers<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n

In general, liability insurance (RC) covers damage to the rental car caused by accidental events, but a deductible often applies, requiring the customer to pay a portion in case of an accident.<\/strong> Minor damages, such as small dents or light scratches, may fall within the deductible, while more significant body damage could result in a higher charge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Considering extended coverage options can be a smart choice, especially if you plan to drive in conditions that increase the risk of accidents. To avoid surprises, it\u2019s always advisable to check in advance which body damages are covered by the rental agency\u2019s policy and, if necessary, opt for solutions that minimize financial impact in case of an accident<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Body damage with a rental car: what to include in the accident report<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n

In case of an accident, correctly filling out the CID (Friendly Accident Report) is crucial for documenting the event and initiating the damage assessment process. Even with a rental car, it\u2019s essential to follow standard procedures, providing a detailed account<\/strong> of the incident, including a description of the body damage.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Every detail \u2013 from scratches to dents \u2013 should be thoroughly documented to support the insurance company\u2019s decision on the damage charge and prevent future disputes. In any case, reading the rental contract carefully and understanding the insurance coverage is the first step to traveling safely and knowing how any body damage to the rental car will be handled<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

\n

Save this guide as a reference to always be prepared in case of need!<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How damage charges work on a rental car The damage charge is the mechanism by which the renter assumes responsibility for repair costs in case of damage to the vehicle during the rental period. This charge covers, for example, the costs of restoring the bodywork and other damaged components. Typically, the rental contract includes a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"Bodywork damage with rental cars: info and FAQ | Locauto","_seopress_titles_desc":"When renting a car, even for just a few hours, it's essential to be prepared for any situation. Do you know, for example, how...","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[212],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rental-info"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.locautorent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.locautorent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.locautorent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.locautorent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.locautorent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4851"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.locautorent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4851\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6904,"href":"https:\/\/www.locautorent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4851\/revisions\/6904"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.locautorent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.locautorent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.locautorent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.locautorent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}