Yes, to drive a rental car, you have to be an insured driver. You should verify if it covers car rental if you have personal car insurance (and be sure to ask if there are any restrictions, such as vehicle size or international pickups). Please check your credit card when you don't have personal insurance coverage. If you use it to pay for the rental, it can offer a rental car policy. You can buy Car rental insurance at your check-out as a U.S. citizen, as the basic car rental prices are not included. You must buy additional local insurance when booking a car rental in some international places such as Mexico.