Rental lodging

Outdoorsy adds insurance for peer to peer RV rentals

outdoorsy

Outdoorsy is one of the larger peer to peer motorhome rental networks. They have a presence in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. On March 1 Outdoorsy partnered with Liberty Mutual to offer insurance to both owners and renters.

Insurance is pretty important when it comes to automobiles. The risk of accidents and damage is pretty high. And the cost of repairs is usually not cheap. So lots of people pay for insurance on rental cars if their primary policy or credit card doesn’t cover it. Peer to peer rental car companies offer insurance options too. And while these rentals often appear cheaper than commercial companies like Dollar or Hertz, when you add in the insurance cost it closes the gap quickly.

Outdoorsy bundles the cost of some of the insurance into the owners fees.

The renter can add on supplemental insurance that will cover the interior of the vehicle, and trip insurance that covers cancellation or delay. Here’s what Outdoorsy says about this:

Once you pick up the rental, you’re responsible for any damage that occurs during the rental period. Outdoorsy provides both $1M liability insurance and up to $500,000 comprehensive and collision coverage to protect you during the rental. But this doesn’t cover certain things like interior damage NOT caused in a collision. (Make sure you are aware of what your insurance covers and what you’re responsible for on the road).

If the minor damage is less than the insurance deductible of $1,500 and your security deposit doesn’t cover the full amount of the damage, then you as the renter are responsible for the payment and will be charged by Outdoorsy. If the damage is less than the security deposit, then the owner may withhold a portion of it and return the rest to you. If you have any questions or concerns please contact Outdoorsy support.

I find the above confusing. Clearly renters are responsible for the deductible on the insurance. But if there’s really a default of $1M liability and $500k collision coverage for renters, then I’m not clear on why liability and physical damage are mentioned in the options below. Renters must add on one of 3 tiers of insurance coverage to their rental:

  • Peace of Mind coverage includes $1M in liability insurance, $500K in physical damage protection for the consumer and any third party, plus windshield damage protection, lowered deductibles, 24/7 live customer support, roadside assistance, and concierge and trip planning services.
  • Essential coverage provides state minimum liability insurance and $100K in physical damage protection for the consumer and any third party, plus 24/7 roadside assistance for all U.S. geographies.
  • Risk Taker coverage provides state required minimum insurance, $15K in physical damage coverage and 24/7 live customer support.

Here’s what a sample booking looks like on Outdoorsy:

The Risk Taker level of insurance is added by default. Before sending the request to book I was not given the option to upgrade the insurance so I can’t see the difference in pricing at the higher tiers. Outdoorsy shared with me that $64.95/day is the high end of the insurance pricing. This would be for the peace of mind coverage for a vehicle value in excess of $100k.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a response from Outdoorsy to my request for clarification about which insurance covers the renter vs. the owner.