Not at fault: yes, a rental is usually covered under DCPD
If another driver was at fault, your own insurance company pays for the damage under DCPD, and loss of use is part of that. In plain terms, a rental car for the reasonable length of the repair is covered because you were deprived of your own car through no fault of yours. The insurance company will have a rental company it works with and a class of car it will pay for, generally something comparable to what you drive rather than an upgrade.
Partial fault changes the picture in proportion. If you were found partly at fault, the not-at-fault share of loss of use is covered under DCPD and the rest depends on whether you carry the endorsement described below.
One caution. A driver who signed OPCF 49 has no physical-damage coverage for a collision at all, loss of use included, and that same endorsement gives up any claim against the driver who caused it. The rental is out of pocket for however long the repair runs. Ask your broker whether the endorsement is on your policy before you count on a covered car.
At fault: only if you bought the OPCF 20 endorsement
When the collision was your fault, or a single-vehicle loss like sliding into a curb, the standard policy does not include a rental. The OPCF 20 loss-of-use endorsement adds it. It is a small line on the policy relative to the rest, and most brokers offer it, but many drivers decline it without noticing.
OPCF 20 comes with two limits: a daily amount and a total for the claim. Both are on your declaration page. When the repair takes longer than the total allows, whether because of parts on back order or a supplement that added days, the rest of the rental is yours. It pays to know the limits before the car goes in rather than at the rental counter.
Tell the shop what your limits are when you book the car in. It sounds like a small thing, but a shop that knows you have a fixed number of rental days can order parts first, book the booth in one block and avoid a car sitting half-finished while a bracket is on back order. The rental clock and the repair calendar should run together, and they only do when both sides know the numbers.
Comprehensive claims, such as hail or a fallen branch, follow the same logic: rental only if OPCF 20 is on the policy.
Who arranges the rental, and when it starts
The rental is arranged through your coverage, and we coordinate it. Once the claim is open and the adjuster has confirmed loss of use, the insurance company authorizes the rental company, and we time the pick-up to the day your car is dropped off with us. There is no reason to be burning rental days while your car is still sitting in your driveway waiting for parts.
That timing matters more than people expect. On a repair that needs parts, we often order them before the car comes in, so the days in the shop, and the days on a rental, are days of actual work. The rental ends when the car is ready, so the shop’s scheduling decides how much of your OPCF 20 total gets used.
If your car is not drivable, the sequence shifts. The tow brings the car here, the claim opens the same day from photos, and the rental starts as soon as the adjuster authorizes it. In Ontario the destination of the tow is your decision, and sending the car straight to the shop that will repair it avoids paying to move it twice.
When the rental runs out before the repair is done
It happens, usually on a long repair with a modest OPCF 20 total, or when a part is on back order from overseas. The honest answer is that the days beyond the limit are on you, unless the delay is the insurance company’s own doing, in which case ask the adjuster to extend. We tell you as soon as we can see the timeline stretching, so the decision is yours before the bill grows.
A few options if that happens: return the rental and use transit for the last stretch, ask the rental company about a cheaper class, or ask whether the insurance company will pay a daily allowance instead of a car. None of these is ideal, but all of them are better than a surprise at the counter. It is also worth asking the rental company to send the daily rate in writing, so the moment coverage ends you know exactly what each extra day costs.
No coverage for a rental? What we can do
When there is no loss-of-use coverage, we can still shorten the time without a car. Photo estimates mean the car stays with you until parts arrive. Small repairs can sometimes be scheduled so the car is in and out the same week. And we are beside Fairview Mall, a short walk from Don Mills station and close to the 404 and 401, so drop-off and pick-up without a car is workable for most of the GTA.
If you are not sure what your policy includes, look for OPCF 20 on the declaration page or ask your broker. It is the single endorsement most people wish they had after an at-fault collision.
Questions people ask
What kind of rental car will the insurance company pay for?
Usually a vehicle of similar class to yours, up to the daily limit on the coverage. If you want something larger, the difference is normally yours.
Can I get a rental before the repair starts?
Under DCPD, loss of use begins when your car is not usable. If the car is drivable, the rental normally starts when it goes into the shop. If it is not drivable, it can start once the adjuster confirms the claim.
Can I skip the rental and take cash instead?
Some insurance companies offer a daily allowance instead of a car. Ask the adjuster. It can make sense if you have a second vehicle or a short repair.
Do I have to use the insurance company’s rental company?
Usually yes for a direct-billed rental, since the insurance company has an account there. You can rent elsewhere and submit the receipt, but check the daily limit first.