This is a way-too-common scenario: It’s Tuesday and you are on your way to work and BAM you are involved in an auto accident. Your car has quite a bit of damage, so off it goes to a mechanic. What happens next depends on you and the choice you made previously on your personal auto insurance.

Did you or did you not pay for car insurance that covers a rental car?

Selecting a policy that covers the price of a rental car during your car’s repair process seems like a small decision until the day you need to use it. People often wonder, however, if car insurance that covers a rental car is worth the extra money. Here are four smart reasons to choose personal auto insurance with rental car coverage.

Chances are good that you will eventually need it.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 5,687,000 vehicle crashes in 2013. It’s a fact that if you are on the road, you stand a chance of being involved in a car accident. The more miles you drive each year, the higher the chance of a wreck. A car insurance policy that includes a rental car supplement ends up paying off if you are one of the millions involved in a traffic accident. We hope you’re not. But it pays to be covered.

Repairs typically take a long time.

After an auto accident, it can take days or weeks before your vehicle is repaired, with the average length of repair being just under two weeks. You may face a longer wait time if there was extensive damage to your vehicle, or if the mechanic must order parts and wait for them to ship. What to do? Unless you own an extra car, the best option is driving a rental car. If your insurance provides a rental car supplement, then the wait will be less of an inconvenience.

Auto insurance with rental car coverage is also important because………Rental cars are pricey.

Even cheap rental cars cost over $20 a day, and when you multiply that by several days, it can add up to lots of money out of your pocket. Hundreds of dollars in rental car fees can go down the drain in just a few days. By choosing auto insurance that includes rental car coverage, the policy will pay a daily set amount of the rental car price (usually $35 to $50). This will cover you, even if the insurance companies are fighting over fault.

Adding rental reimbursement is inexpensive. Rental cars can be expensive, but adding rental car coverage to your auto insurance is not. Most insurance companies tack on this coverage for just a few extra dollars’ premium. The average difference to an auto policy that has rental car reimbursement is around $10 a month more than one that does not. Just one episode where your vehicle takes several days to be repaired can make rental car coverage a bargain.

When you are involved in an auto accident, the last thing you want to worry about is how to pay for a rental car. Rental car coverage allows you to move forward with your daily activities and plans, without breaking the budget. Talk to your insurance agent about your current policy, and think seriously about adding a rental car supplement.