1. Report the theft to the police immediately
As soon as you find out that your rental car has been stolen, report it to the police. Don't forget to mention that it is a rented car and provide the police with as much information about the car as possible. Also, make a list of your personal belongings that were in it at the time of being stolen.
2. Inform the car rental company about the incident
After reporting the theft to the police, immediately call the car rental company and inform it about the whole situation. At the same time, request all the missing information about the vehicle, which the police need in order to write a report on the theft of the vehicle. Also, double-check with the car rental agent whether your rental includes Theft Protection Insurance.
3. Ask the police for the incident report form
The next step is to deliver the incident report form to the car rental company. Based on this report, the insurance company will start resolving the insured event. Then, after fulfilling all the requirements (confirmation from the police on the completion of the investigation, a service book, vehicle keys, etc.), the insurance company will pay the insurance indemnity to the car rental company.
4. Get a replacement vehicle
If the theft of a rented vehicle is properly reported, the car rental company will close the contract on the given vehicle and you will be left without a car. Therefore, you should rent another vehicle.
When Rental Car Insurance Will Not Cover Vehicle Theft?
As with any insurance, Theft Protection requires the fulfillment of certain conditions. For example, if you violate the rental agreement, break the law or participate in the theft of the vehicle, you will be fully responsible for the damage. The same applies in case you do not have the car keys - in practice, it means that you left them in the vehicle, thus helping to steal the vehicle through your negligence.
Our Tip
One never knows what could happen, therefore, we recommend that you rent a vehicle with full insurance, or buy your own insurance that covers the theft of the vehicle.