Buying Peace Of Mind When It Comes To Car Rental

The average rental company’s insurance policy can be limiting, so taking out car hire excess insurance is a sure fire way of protecting yourself against unpredicted costs should your hire vehicle get stolen or damaged. The key question, however, is whether you should go for a single trip or an annual option.

Why Is The Policy Needed?

Most insurance policies offered by rental companies include a Loss or Collision Damage Waiver that only offers limited protection against damage, theft and loss. Most waivers only cover certain parts of a vehicle, leaving the parts most likely to be vulnerable to incident, such as the tyres, undercarriage, windows and sunroofs left without proper protection. If you are covered with a single or multi-trip car hire excess insurance policy, you’re free to claim all of the costs incurred to you by the rental company.

And that, in a nutshell, is why you should definitely take out excess cover with an independent company. After all, when you’re holidaying with friends or even travelling on business, it’s always best to have peace of mind and know that you’re not going to return home to a hefty bill.

What Is 'Single Trip'?

This kind of policy is exactly what it says it is. It offers car hire excess insurance for a single trip only. The trip has to be fewer than 62 consecutive days and the driver has to be between 20-75 years of age. If this is you, then you really should consider this policy so that you can relax and enjoy your adventure safe in the knowledge that any car-related incident is covered.

Should I Consider Annual Car Hire Excess Insurance?

Many people make several trips a year and this policy is perfect for those travellers. It covers you for as many rentals as you need for 12 months beginning on the date you take out the policy. Each trip must not last longer than 31 days.

What Is Covered?

Some of the things covered include up to £500 for undercarriage damage, as much as £100 per tyre if they need replacing, up to £300 to cover personal possessions that have been stolen and £500 towards replacing a set of keys. It really is fantastic comprehensive protection.

How to Claim

Companies offering these policies are encouraging customers who want to save money to use their services rather than taking the add-on policies offered by rental companies. To this end, they have made their claim process as simple as possible. Make the claim within 31 days of the incident and have the relevant paperwork and receipts and most companies aim to have you reimbursed as soon as possible.

Choosing an independent company to provide your car hire excess insurance is a no-brainer. Save cash and relax knowing that unpredicted incidents are not going to cost you a fortune!

Author Plate

Sam Walker is a specialist insurance expert at LowerHire, a company that offers low-cost single trip and annual multi-trip car hire excess insurance policies. Travellers can rest easy knowing they will be fully protected against any hidden hire car costs and look forward to a stress-free rental experience.