It's better to leave your policy at home. But we found that this can open you up to the hard sell - as agents can (very convincingly) pick holes in your policy that don't really exist. Some people like to print out their own ERI policy to show the rental company. Explain that you don't want any extra cover and that you understand the need to pay up to the excess limit if you damage the car (safe in the knowledge that you can claim it back). To withstand the pressure from pushy agents we recommend that you buy your own excess reimbursement policy from one of the third-party insurance providers above, then just say no at the rental desk. You can see these unscrupulous tactics in our undercover video. Some aim to frighten you into a purchase with lies and bullying. So you will never be liable for the entire value of the car, even if it's stolen, set on fire, or written off.īut that doesn't stop some car hire companies from pressure selling their policies. Basic insurance is, by law, included in the rental. When you hire a car in Europe, you are not required to buy any additional insurance. How to avoid the car hire insurance hard sell We selected the most comprehensive super collision damage waiver (SCDW) available. Using the table: We obtained quotes for a week's car rental from Malaga airport in June 2022. Tyres (T), windscreen (W) and underbody (U) cover SCDW - purchased from car hire companies to reduce your excess Pre-authorisations can be as high as €2,500 with some of the budget operators. The only real advantage of paying the car hire company for SCDW is that the company will not require a large pre-authorisation on your credit card. None of the car-hire companies cover all of this. Most also cover you if you're locked out, put the wrong fuel in the car, or are forced to cut short your hire. Not only does SCDW cost £142 more on average than third party cover, but it also offers less comprehensive cover.Īll of the top ERI providers cover you for damage to the windscreen, tyres and underbody of the car. Our research shows it's just not worth buying your insurance from the car hire provider. We got quotes for the most comprehensive policy available. The SCDW covers a week’s rental in Spain. Our table below shows quotes we obtained from a selection of major car hire companies. This cover has many different names, including Excess Waiver, Super Cover and Excess Protection. Insurance from your car hire firm: Super Collision Damage WaiverĬar hire companies sell Super Collision Damage Waiver (SCDW), allowing you to reduce your excess to a very small amount, often zero. But it is usually over-priced and offers comparatively poor cover. It reduces the excess (often down to zero) in the event of damage. This is called a Damage Waiver, or Super Collision Damage Waiver (SCDW) and can be purchased when you book the car, or at the rental desk. Buy insurance from the company renting you the car.See our car hire excess insurance reviews below. If the car gets damaged, you will have to pay the excess to the rental company, but you can then claim it back. And you can buy it online, before your trip. This is called Excess Reimbursement Insurance (ERI) and it's what we recommend. Buy insurance from an insurance company.To make sure you don't have to pay through the nose, you need car hire insurance. Claims are typically processed within 14 days of receipt.When you hire a car, it comes with basic insurance included in the price so that you won’t have to pay the full cost of replacing a stolen or damaged vehicle.īut the basic insurance is subject to an ‘excess’ meaning that you could have to pay a contribution of up to £2,500 towards repair or theft costs, regardless of who is at fault. In the event you’re charged an excess fee by the rental company, simply submit your claim within 60 days of being charged and the claims team will assess this for you. What’s more, our policies also cover vulnerable parts of the vehicle often excluded from standard rental company policies, such as tyres, windscreen, roof, and undercarriage. This means you could be liable to pay hundreds, if not thousands, if anything happens to the hire car – regardless of whether it was your fault or not.īy buying excess insurance from, you’ll be covered against excess charges of up to £6,000. As is the case with most motor insurance, it’s likely that you’ll still be liable to pay an excess in the event of damage or theft before the rental company cover the rest of the costs associated with repair or replacement. Let’s say you hire a car and it comes with standard insurance included (commonly referred to as Collision Damage Waiver - CDW).
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