# Understanding insurance and your physical damage contract | US guests > How do protection plans work? Protection plans are available to guests who book trips with hosts. If you choose a protection plan for your t... Source: https://help.turo.com/en_us/understanding-insurance-and-your-physical-damage-contract-or-us-guests-BkXlH4xN9 Last updated: 2026-05-04T17:33:44.610Z ## How protection plans work If you choose a protection plan for your trip, it’ll include these three key elements: 1. **Third-party liability insurance from insurance provider** **Travelers Excess and Surplus Lines Company** **(“Travelers”)****\*** All Turo trips include coverage under a third-party liability insurance policy issued to Turo, from Travelers Excess and Surplus Lines Company (“Travelers”). The Travelers policy provides secondary (excess) coverage, to ensure that any Turo-approved driver will be insured up to the state minimum limits required for third-party liability unless primary coverage is explicitly required by an applicable state statute (e.g., Maryland and New York). Liability claims are handled by Travelers’ claims company, Constitution State Services.  2. **A physical damage contract between you and Turo.** The contract limits your out-of-pocket costs for physical damage to the host’s vehicle during the trip. It does not remove your responsibility for interior or mechanical damage you may cause. This contractual limitation is not insurance.\*\* It’s between you and Turo and varies depending on the plan you select. The cap to your out-of-pocket costs is applied after any payment from your personal insurance policy.  3. **Eligibility for [roadside assistance](https://help.turo.com/en_us/BJBiEVgE9)** **through Turo**, although additional costs may apply.  \*For questions or information about the third-party liability insurance that is included in protection plans, consumers in Maryland and the licensed states listed [here](https://turo.com/us/en/policies/additional-policies#insurance-license-disclosures) may contact Turo Insurance Agency at [(415) 508-0283](tel:4155080283) / claims@turo.agency. Visit [how damage to a host’s vehicle is handled](https://help.turo.com/resolving-damage-with-your-host-Hy4fBNlN5), for questions. \*\*When a trip is booked in the state of Washington, Physical Damage to the host’s vehicle is covered by insurance purchased by Turo, but Turo’s insurance does not change the contractual responsibilities of hosts or guests with respect to Physical Damage to a host’s vehicle. ## Protection plan options Which protection plan you choose is generally up to you. But it’s helpful to keep a few things in mind when making your choice. * The greater the cost of the protection plan, the less you’re responsible for paying out of pocket if there’s damage to the host’s vehicle on the trip.  * If you’re involved in an accident caused by someone else or someone vandalizes or damages the car, we’ll try to recover damage costs from the at-fault party. If we can’t, you’ll be responsible for the repair cost because the damage happened during the booked trip.  * You don’t need to have your own car insurance to book a trip on Turo. But if you have personal insurance, your own liability and physical damage insurance will be primary (assuming no exclusions) to anything you receive as part of a protection plan you select.  * While not impossible, it’s unlikely that your [credit card](https://help.turo.com/en_us/rklgH4g45) would provide insurance coverage for a car-sharing trip. Check with them before making a decision about declining a protection plan.  * The protection plan your host chooses is completely separate from your own. It has no bearing on your financial responsibility or the out-of-pocket costs associated with your plan. That’s because a host’s plan protects their vehicle by providing physical damage reimbursement. Your plan protects your wallet. It does so by limiting the amount you’ll pay out of pocket if there’s eligible damage to your host’s vehicle on a trip.  * In some cases, we limit the plans available to you or prevent you from declining a protection plan based on certain trip details, booking a high-value vehicle, or other factors. * If you violate Turo’s [Terms of Service](https://turo.com/us/en/policies/terms), we may void your out-of-pocket maximum through your plan, and it may impact the level of liability coverage provided.  * The better informed you are, the more comfortable you’ll feel. See a [summary of guest protection plans in the US](https://help.turo.com/en_us/BJSgBNgVq)  and read [complete plan details](https://help.turo.com/en_us/HkwgBNgN9). ## Financial obligations for vehicle damage  You’re responsible for reimbursable vehicle damage to the host’s car during your trip, up to the out-of-pocket cost limit of your protection plan. If you have personal insurance that covers damage to the host’s vehicle or other third parties or property, that will apply before your protection plan kicks in. You’re not responsible for non-reimbursable [wear and tear](https://help.turo.com/en_us/r11vU4l45). Nor are you responsible for pre-existing damage that you reported and documented before the start of your trip. Learn how to protect yourself by [taking photos to document a vehicle’s condition.](https://help.turo.com/en_us/HytcE4g49)    Instead of involving Turo, you and your host may choose to [work together to resolve damage](https://help.turo.com/en_us/Hy4fBNlN5). While your financial obligation for physical damage to your host’s vehicle remains the same (it’s up to your out-of-pocket limit), this option will save you the cost of claims processing and administrative fees. If Turo is involved in processing a contractual reimbursement claim for physical damage to the host’s vehicle, we’ll charge you an initial deposit. Depending on your plan, the deposit amount will be between $0–$3,000. If you paid a security deposit for your trip, we’ll apply that deposit toward this cost. If the security deposit doesn’t cover the cost, we’ll charge one of the payment cards on your account for the balance, or we’ll send you an invoice. If you choose a protection plan, you’ll pay up to the limit of the out-of-pocket costs allowed by your plan. If you decline a plan, you’ll be responsible for the ultimate assessed costs for physical damage to the host’s vehicle up to its actual cash value plus related [administrative fees](https://help.turo.com/en_us/BJctNNeVc).