Choosing a Protection Plan (Guest)
You can pick Basic, Plus, or Max, or explicitly continue without an optional damage plan. A higher-cost plan lowers how much you're responsible for if you're at fault for eligible damage to the booked vehicle.
Prelaunch: Live guest bookings are not open yet. These choices and figures reflect the current launch configuration and may change before booking opens. The plan and terms shown for a trip will govern it.
Your four choices
| Plan | Price | Your damage responsibility if at fault |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Shown in your itemized trip quote | up to $3,000 |
| Plus | Shown in your itemized trip quote | up to $500 |
| Max | Shown in your itemized trip quote | $0 |
| Decline optional damage protection | $0 | no optional damage cap; actual vehicle damage up to the car's value |
These plan figures are not insurance limits and do not provide carrier-backed third-party liability coverage. Review the protection terms and insurance disclosure shown at checkout.
"Damage responsibility" is the most you'd owe out of pocket for damage to the vehicle if you're found at fault during your trip — it's a cap, not a guarantee that you'll owe that amount. Afto does not collect that amount in advance as a security deposit; see Security Deposits.
How to think about the trade-off
- Basic costs the least per trip but leaves you responsible for up to $3,000 if something goes wrong and you're at fault. It's a reasonable choice if you're a careful driver on a short, low-stakes trip and want the lowest up-front cost.
- Plus roughly splits the difference — a moderate cost increase for a meaningfully lower cap ($500).
- Max costs the most but takes your damage responsibility to $0 — a good fit if peace of mind matters more to you than shaving a few dollars off the trip price, or for longer or higher-value trips.
- Decline costs $0 but provides no optional cap for damage to the booked vehicle. If you're responsible for damage, your responsibility can reach the actual damage amount up to the car's value. Basic is the safer alternative.
There's no wrong answer — it depends on how much risk you're comfortable carrying yourself versus paying to offload. You can see the exact dollar impact of each plan on your specific trip at checkout, using the math in Understanding Your Trip Price: Fees Explained.
Where you choose your plan
You make your protection selection during checkout, on the same screen where you review your trip total. Declining requires a separate confirmation that explains the vehicle-damage exposure and offers Basic instead. See Booking a Car: Step by Step. The booked selection is saved with the trip; changing the vehicle's current settings later does not rewrite that snapshot.
If you're 18-20 years old
You must complete Afto Clear (L3) before booking, and luxury or exotic vehicles are not eligible for this age band. L3 is an additional evidence-based clearance; it is distinct from the basic verified-license level (L2). You still make your own protection selection, including the option to decline. See Creating Your Account and Verification for the verification details.
A note on third-party liability coverage
Afto does not have a signed insurance carrier agreement, and carrier-backed third-party liability coverage is not active. Do not assume that a protection-plan selection replaces insurance required by your personal policy or applicable law. Review the disclosure presented at checkout and the full Protection Plans Terms and Insurance Disclosure.
Eligibility and exclusions
Any protection eligibility is limited to the trip's authorized dates, times, and drivers and remains subject to the applicable terms. Letting an unauthorized person drive, or using the car for a prohibited purpose such as racing, towing, off-roading, subletting, or driving under the influence, can make a claim ineligible — see Adding an Additional Driver and the Prohibited Uses Policy.