For my clients insured with Farmers, they have the option of purchasing the coverage or declining the coverage because their policy provides coverage for "Non Owned Autos". What this means is the Farmers' policy will extend the coverage you have on your personal auto to a rental car, so if you have Comp. and Collision on one of your auto policies, the deductibles you have on your personal auto will apply to any damage to the rental car while in your possession.
The photo above is of the car I rented in Oklahoma while I was there attending my daughter's college graduation. There was a 5 minute hail storm where golf ball size hail perpetrated $4000 in damages to the car! It was one of the craziest events I have witnessed and was the cause of my first ever auto claim. I had not purchased the rental company's damage waiver so I filed a claim with Farmers Insurance and they covered the loss less my deductible.
If you do not want to bother with filing a claim on your auto policy, or you do not have Comp. and Collision on at least one of your vehicles, you should consider purchasing the Damage Waiver coverage.
If you are not insured with Farmers Insurance, you should check your policy to see if your Carrier covers "Non Owned Autos". Often when we make a purchase we will buy the least expensive item not realizing there are some features we are missing out on that in the long run will save us money. This is one of those situations where buying the cheapest is not always the least expensive. I have rented many cars over the years, never purchasing the Damage Waiver coverage thus saving money along the way, only because I knew Farmers had my back if something did happen.
If you have any questions regarding Non Owned Auto Coverage please contact me.