Published on : 19 August 20213 min reading time
Car hire excess represents the amount you might have to reimburse the rental company if you lose or damage the rental car. You can also find some rental companies using the term deductible instead of excess. If you don’t want to pay the excess, you can attain an insurance cover from companies like car-hire-excess-insurance.co.uk.
Furthermore, you will find that most car hire companies have a collision damage waiver that can help minimize these fees. However, you might also be liable for an excess fee after the damage or theft of the vehicle.
When Do You Get to Pay Excess?
You get to pay an excess if there are any damages or theft of the car. However, you never get to pay an excess if there is a problem that the car might have developed. Therefore, you only get to pay the amount stipulated by the terms of the rental agreement you signed. Meaning that if the cost of fixing the damage is €200, you will only have to pay that amount.
On the other hand, car rental companies will have a collision damage waiver (CDW). This will only cater to any damage to the bodywork of the car. In case there is damage to anything else in the car, you will have to pay. The CDW will not be of help in such instances. The rental company will require you to pay the full cost of any damage to the interior, engine, undercarriage, windows, tires, and wheels.
Other instances that CDW won’t be of help include:
• Driving drunk, dangerously, or speeding
• Not being the driver as per the rental agreement
• Driving in a different country where there isn’t coverage
• Driving on an untarmacked road
Tips on How to Avoid Paying Excess
If you don’t want to pay the excess when car hiring, you need to ask yourself, do I need excess protection car hire? This helps you know of all options to consider. It also enables you to conduct a car hire excess insurance compare to know the best option. All these options will necessitate you to purchase extra car hire excess insurance. The first option requires you to buy car rental excess insurance when booking the car.
Doing so enables you to have some peace of mind that you have protection against paying excess. On the other hand, you can buy extra coverage through a third-party insurer. Using a third-party insurer can help you save on the price. That’s because it’s mostly lower because you can buy an annual car hire excess insurance from home.
Furthermore, you can easily rent cars abroad without having to worry about any language issues. Looking for the best annual car hire excess insurance UK can help you figure out the company to work with. Thirdly, you can opt to obtain insurance from the rental company. The advantage of this is that you never have to worry about paying for damages first and then claiming your money.
If you don’t want additional insurance for excess, don’t buy it. Ask yourself, is car hire excess insurance worthwhile? Insurance helps protect you against any damages and theft. However, this isn’t an everyday occurrence. Not having insurance doesn’t mean that your rental will be damaged or stolen. Therefore, save your time and money and only pay the car rental amount.