Quick Summary
- If your rental car goes missing, focus on your own safety first and then report the incident as soon as possible.
- You should contact the police, the rental company and Hola Car Rentals quickly, sharing all the details and your booking documents.
- Charges after a theft depend on the coverage you chose, so All Inclusive Plus protection and travel insurance can make a big difference.
Stay safe and confirm the situation
Discovering an empty parking space where your vehicle should be is a horrible feeling. Maybe you have just stepped out for a quick photo stop near the Strip in Las Vegas or left the car overnight outside a hotel in another city. Before you assume the worst, make sure you are standing in the right place, check nearby signs for towing rules and ask hotel or mall security whether the vehicle has been removed for parking reasons.
If there are signs of a break in or you are certain the car has been taken, do not try to search for it yourself. Move to a busy, well lit area, stay with your travel companions and prepare to call the police from a safe location.
Report the theft to the police
Once you are safe, call the local emergency number or police station and report that your hire vehicle has been stolen. You will normally be asked for the licence plate, make and model, the address where you last parked and the time you noticed the loss. The police may send officers to the scene or ask you to file a report at the station.
Make sure you obtain a reference or case number, as the rental company and Hola Car Rentals will need this later. Take photos of the area, parking signs and any broken glass or damage to nearby vehicles, as those images can help clarify what happened.
Contact Hola Car Rentals and the rental company
After speaking with the police, call the emergency number on your rental agreement and then reach out to Hola Car Rentals using the contact details in your booking confirmation. Tell them that the vehicle has been stolen, share the police report number and explain where and when it happened. When you booked your car hire, the supplier agreed to provide a specific category in a particular city, so they now need to mark that vehicle as missing in their system.
The partner may arrange for a replacement car so you can continue your journey, especially if you still need to drive back to a major airport. For example, if you are due to fly home from New York you might be offered a new vehicle from a New York airport booking, or if you are exploring California a pickup at a San Francisco hire desk may be possible.
Understanding insurance and possible charges
The next question is what you may need to pay. This depends on the theft protection and excess that applied to your booking. With the All Inclusive Plus rate offered by Hola Car Rentals, many itineraries include maximum liability coverage of up to 300,000 dollars and strong theft protection built into the price. You may still need to pay an excess or administrative fee, but your exposure is much lower than with basic coverage.
For a deeper, plain English explanation of these protections, take a look at our guide to All Inclusive Plus insurance and what it covers. Remember that you must usually return the keys and file a proper police report for theft coverage to apply, so always keep keys separate from bags and never leave them inside the vehicle.
What happens after the theft is reported
Once the theft has been reported, the rental company will liaise with the authorities and their own insurance provider. You may be asked to fill out extra forms or sign a statement describing the event. This can normally be completed at a nearby branch, for example at the end of a trip that finishes at a Los Angeles airport location.
Investigations can take time, but most of the practical impact on your holiday is resolved quickly. You hand back your paperwork, settle any agreed charges and either continue in a replacement vehicle or switch to other transport. Hola Car Rentals stays in touch during this process, helping you understand what is happening and ensuring that the conditions you accepted at booking time are respected.
FAQs
Will I have to pay if the rental car is stolen? In most cases you are responsible for at least an excess amount, which is capped if you chose strong theft protection. The exact sum depends on the coverage you accepted during booking and any extra policies you purchased.
Are my personal belongings inside the car covered? Theft protection normally covers the vehicle, not your luggage or electronics. Some travel insurance plans, including the free cover of up to US$150,000 available with many Hola Car Rentals bookings, may help with personal items, so it is important to read your policy documents.
Can I keep driving with a replacement car? Often the supplier can issue a new agreement so that you can finish your trip, although conditions might change depending on availability and risk. The most important step is to follow police and rental company instructions so every kilometre you drive remains fully insured.
If the worst happens on the road, having strong protection in place and quick help from Hola Car Rentals makes it much easier to focus on your safety now and book future trips with extra confidence.
