Car Hire Excess Insurance - What Is It?

The insurance that forms part of the typical hire car agreement incorporates an excess, which represents the first part of a successful claim for repairs or replacement if the hire car in question is stolen or damaged during the course of the hire period.

Although most motorists are likely to be familiar enough with the concept of such an insurance excess, in the case of a hire car, however, the amount of that excess may take more than a few customers by surprise, since it may be as much as £1,500 – or more, depending on the type of car you are hiring and where in the world you intend to be driving it.

Car hire excess insurance is quite simply a product designed to protect the customer from such a substantial liability by providing indemnity against any claimed excess.

Perceived Shortcomings Of Car Hire Excess Insurance

Despite carefully written codes of practice by both the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) and the European Car Rental Conciliation Service (ECRCS) about the need for transparency in the car hire industry and the provision of all information needed by its customer's car hire excess insurance continues to have something of a bad name amongst those who buy it.

The principal complaint is the price charged by most car rental companies for what is seen by many customers as a more or less essential protection against high excess charges. The cost of excess insurance bought from a car rental company might easily double the daily cost of hiring the vehicle.

Furthermore, there are limitations on the extent of such excess cover in that damage to certain areas of the hire vehicle are excluded – typically, these might include the roof, windows, wheels, tyres and undercarriage of the car.

Despite the cost and the relative limitations on the extent of cover, many customers feel that they have been pressurised into buying excess insurance from the rental company.

The Alternative

In fact, there is a ready alternative – that is likely to be much cheaper and provide more comprehensive cover.

That is the car hire excess insurance protection we provide here at Bettersafe. The cover is entirely independent of any car rental company or rental company insurers. Provided by a UK-based specialist and underwritten by Lloyds of London, this standalone insurance offers thoroughly reliable protection that is likely to be recognised anywhere in the world.

If you find that you are charged any excess on your hire car rental, simply file a claim on your return home and we arrange the reimbursement of any valid excess you have paid.

There is no limitation on any part of the hire car that may have been damaged – the roof, undercarriage, tyres, wheels and windows continue to be covered.

If you are a frequent traveller, you might also want to consider one of our annual excess insurance policies, which continues to provide cover throughout the year, irrespective of the number of times you may need to hire a car – so saving you any further worry or concern about arranging to hire car excess insurance every time you go away.