Rental Car Damage in Korea: Who to Call Before Returning It
Official information checked October 18, 2026 · Korea Standard Time (KST)
If your rental car is damaged but there is no immediate danger, contact the company using the accident details in your agreement. Before arranging repairs, towing or return, ask how to report the damage and what the company wants you to do with the vehicle. If anyone is injured or there is an immediate emergency, get emergency help first.
Put safety before photographs or payment
If someone is injured, or there is an immediate medical or fire emergency, call 119 in Korea. For police assistance when life or property is at risk, call 112. Follow responders’ instructions and put getting to safety before collecting evidence or discussing costs.
The Korea Tourism Organization’s emergency guidance advises giving your location and asking for English or interpretation if needed. Use a nearby building or your phone’s GPS to describe where you actually are. This general guidance does not decide whether every minor scratch legally requires a police report.
Contact the company with your current location
Once immediate danger has been addressed, use the accident contact on your rental agreement. Explain what happened, whether anyone is hurt, your exact location, the vehicle registration and your booking details. Ask how to register the incident and what to do next; check the reporting instructions in your agreement rather than waiting until return day to ask.
If the car cannot be driven, do not force a drive back to the branch. If its condition is uncertain, ask the company or on-site responder how it should be moved. A photograph cannot establish that it is safe to drive.
For a company-specific example, LOTTE rent-a-car’s rental information lists general contact numbers 1588-1230 within Korea and +82-2-2078-2020 overseas. It also advertises round-the-clock accident inquiries. This does not confirm that both general numbers provide that service directly, or guarantee immediate English assistance. Use the accident contact in your LOTTE agreement; customers of other companies should use their own agreement’s contact.
You can adapt this message for the company’s stated contact channel:
Hello, my rental car [plate/booking number] was damaged at [location] around [time]. [Brief description, including injuries or other vehicles involved.] Please confirm how to report this, whether the car should remain parked, and the approved towing, repair and return procedures.
Confirm repairs and keep a private record
Before arranging a repair or tow yourself, ask which facility to use, how authorization works, who arranges transport and how charges are handled. LOTTE says repairs normally use its designated facilities, with exceptions; the page does not explain every exception’s approval process. Do not treat this as a promise of free towing or a replacement car.
When safe, keep photographs of the damage and surroundings, your collection-condition record and the company’s instructions. Recording the contact person, time and any reference number can help you follow the case. Ask which records the company needs, and send them privately through its stated channel rather than public comments.
Separate vehicle protection from the final bill
Insurance, CDW and exclusions
LOTTE’s English FAQ distinguishes basic insurance from protection for damage to the rental vehicle. Check whether the person driving was an authorized driver under your rental agreement, the protection you purchased, its exclusions and any excess—the amount you may still have to pay. A Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) is not a reason to assume every type of damage is covered.
Ask about each separate charge
“Zero Excess” is not the same question as “Will there be any other charge?” LOTTE’s pages describe different vehicle, region and product conditions. Ask: Does my agreement cover this damage? Is an excess payable? Can a loss-of-use charge—a fee for the time the car is unavailable—apply, how is it calculated, and is any waiver included for this vehicle and location? Do not combine different webpage examples into one guaranteed rate or exemption.
Keep overseas travel or credit-card insurance separate from the rental company’s protection. Ask your insurer about coverage, advance authorization, payment first versus reimbursement, and the documents it needs.
If your insurer asks for a police accident document
If the rental company or insurer asks for 교통사고 사실확인원, confirm the exact Korean document name before applying. This is a police-issued traffic accident confirmation document, separate from the rental company's own incident report.
According to the Korean National Police's official guidance, parties to the accident and their representatives can apply. Personal applications require identification. Representatives need their own ID, a letter of authorization and supporting documents, such as a copy of the represented person's ID. Representatives cannot apply online.
There is no fee. The listed processing time is “immediate (within three hours during working hours).” This does not mean the document will be available three hours after the accident. Check with the police station handling your case whether it can be issued.
If you are visiting Korea, ask that station which forms of identification it accepts, and confirm with the requesting company or insurer what document language or translation it requires. The published guidance does not confirm an online authentication method for foreign visitors or the availability of an English-issued certificate.
This is follow-up paperwork, not a substitute for reporting the accident to the rental company. Receiving the document does not determine insurance coverage or liability.
Police document information checked October 21, 2026 (KST). Application, authentication and issuance were not tested.
Arrange the return and ask for the paperwork
Confirm the return branch and procedure before setting off. LOTTE’s FAQ says to contact the original branch before changing the return location, and to request an extension before the scheduled return time if needed. That extension rule is not an accident-reporting deadline.
Do not assume every damaged car can use a night key box. LOTTE’s key-drop information and FAQ have different scopes. Ask your branch whether your booking and damaged vehicle qualify, when inspection will happen and how later charges will be communicated.
For a staffed return, LOTTE describes checking fuel and vehicle condition together with an employee. As a practical precaution, request a written record of the reported damage, key handover and return time. Ask for an itemized repair estimate, the basis for separate charges and receipts for payments. Handing over the keys does not, by itself, mean inspection is complete or the account is settled.
This guide uses published company examples, not a complete nationwide accident protocol. No accident call, repair, tow or insurance claim was tested. The related Korean-language guide remains available.
For a separate non-emergency health problem, see finding after-hours medical care in Korea; do not delay an emergency call to read it. More guides are in the English Korea travel and living hub.