A loaner car is a vehicle that provides temporary use to the customer while their own vehicle undergoes repair or maintenance. It is also called a courtesy car, which is usually provided for free by the dealership. But how to get a loaner car from your local dealership?
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Under What Condition the Dealership Would Provide You a Loaner Car?
1. Full Coverage Car Insurance
If you have a contract with a dealer to provide you with a loaner car, then he has to provide one to you if available. Full coverage car insurance may contain loaner car cover as a contractual obligation.
2. Your Car in Maintenance or Repair and Cannot Get it Right Way
A loaner car is a courtesy vehicle that a car dealership may provide for a customer who needs to have their own vehicle repaired. It is usually provided free of charge and for customers who are in need of transportation while they wait.
Many luxury car dealerships offer loaner cars as a standard operating procedure. For mainstream cars, you can ask for a loaner car if you’re having warranty maintenance done for more than a couple of hours.
3. Dealership’s Service For Loyal Customer or Test Drive
Service is one of the main reasons that a dealer offers you a free loaner car. Some dealers offer you a loaner car as customer service to keep the relationship with their good customers and make new deals. Especially for their long time loyal customers.
Also, the dealer may offer you a loaner car as a test drive, which is an opportunity for people to try out a vehicle before making a purchase. So in this way, free loaner car service may help the dealer win a new customer because you may love the loaner car model in your test.
4. A Reimbursement for Safety Recall
When safety recalls are unable to be completed due to the unavailability of parts to the affected vehicles, a free loaner car from the dealer is a reimbursement for the customer’s daily use when the wait for available components for a repair is too long. But loaner car policies can vary greatly on different automakers and dealerships.
For example, The Takata airbag recall has been called “the largest and most complex safety recall in US history” by the NHTSA (U.S. National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration). “This recall might affect nearly one out of every four cars on the road.”
There are major 17 automakers (as follows) involved in this recall and only seven of them – BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, and Ford – are providing satisfactory loaner policies.
- BMW of North America
- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep)
- Honda North America (Honda and Acura)
- Nissan Group of North America (Nissan and Infiniti)
- Subaru
- Toyota Motor North America (Toyota, Lexus, and Scion)
- Daimler Trucks North America
- Daimler Vans USA
- Ferrari North America
- Ford Motor Company (Ford and Lincoln)
- General Motors Company (Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC
- Pontiac, and Saturn)
- Jaguar Land Rover North America (Land Rover and Jaguar) Mazda USA
- Mercedes-Benz USA
- Mitsubishi Motors North America
- Tesla
- Volkswagen Group of America (Volkswagen and Audi)
Requirement Of Getting A Loaner Car From Dealership
1. Car Insurance
As you know car insurance is a must for a car. In most automotive insurance policies, the loaner car can be considered as a temporary replacement vehicle while your car is in maintenance.
Full coverage car insurance may contain courtesy car cover, which provides a replacement vehicle at no cost to the policyholder if their own car is off the road due to accident damage or mechanical breakdown.
2. Documents
Generally, you will need to provide your driver’s license, proof of insurance, and vehicle registration. If you are not the registered owner of the car being repaired, you may also need to provide a letter from the registered owner granting permission for you to drive the car.
3. Age
The age to get a loaner car may vary based on the local dealerships and insurance policies. Some dealerships require that the consumer be at least 21 years of age, while others may require drivers must be at least 25 years old, or subject to the customer’s insurance policy.
The process to Get Loaner Car From A Dealership
Step 1: Contact Dealership
The first step is to contact the service department of your local dealership and ask if they offer this loaner car program that your car insurance covers.
Step 2: Make an Appointment
Get the confirmation from the service department and then make an appointment with your car dealer to let them know what issues or repairs that your vehicle needs. Keep in mind to bring your insurance and driver’s license.
Ask about how long it will take them to remedy it. If the waiting time is long, ask them to provide you with a courtesy car.
Step 3: Fill the Documents
You may be asked to fill out paperwork or provide your driver’s license and registration as well. You will also need to provide that insurance information at this time. Generally, the dealer should be able to get you a loaner vehicle within a few hours. If not, you may have to wait a bit longer but it should be available soon.
Step 4: Take Your Loaner Car and Follow the Rules
Take your loaner’s car and follow all the rules for driving a vehicle from a dealership as well as any other information given during this process. Your car dealer will usually provide detailed instructions for driving a loaner car and returning it when you are done. Make sure to read through these instructions carefully before starting out on your journey in the loaner vehicle.
Final Thought
Hope the above steps of “How to get a loaner car from the dealership” are useful to you when you need a loaner car. The process of asking for a loaner car is simple and contact your local dealership for more details.
Image source: https://www.bmwofbridgeport.com/why-buy-a-bmw-service-loaner/
