Excess Charges

Although the insurance that typically comes with the cost of renting the vehicle may cover a substantial part of any loss or damage, you may still be left with a hefty bill through the application of the excess attached to that insurance. Cover exists for that exposure, but it can typically be very expensive, so how might you avoid being stung?

• With excess charges running from anything between a few hundred and more than a thousand pounds, the attraction of car hire excess insurance is clear enough.
• The actual amount of the excess to which you may be exposed depends on your particular rental agreement and where in the world you happen to be driving.
• According to an article in Auto Express magazine, the average level of excess if you are renting a car in Switzerland, for example, is likely to be more than £1,100.
• The natural concern that motorists are likely to feel in assuming responsibility for such a cost, of course, encourages most car rental companies to offer an insurance package specifically to cover the excess.
• Such top-up insurance tends to be what many drivers are likely to consider expensive but tends to be paid on the spot, at the check-out desk of the rental company.
• Despite paying a typically high price for such last-minute excess insurance, many drivers may not be aware of the limitations often included within it – such as exclusions for damage to certain parts of the vehicle.
  

Bettersafe Excess

At Bettersafe, we go out of our way to make clear exactly what is included in our excess cover policies, just as we make equally clear the cost of the premiums:

• We are experienced insurance providers and may, therefore, be relied upon to find more cost-effective solutions to your need for excess insurance than a company whose primary objective is rather to rent you a car.
• Probably the first and most effective way of avoiding being stung by hefty excess insurance charges, therefore, is to arrange that cover independently and buy entirely standalone cover from a specialist provider.
• This is likely to have the advantage of providing the most comprehensive form of cover against any possible excess charge whilst also allowing you a competitive market rate for the insurance.
• In some parts of the world – the United States in particular – there may be an even greater need to ensure an adequate level of excess insurance.
• Taking into account the desirability in North America of a comprehensive Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and also supplemental liability insurance (SLI), for example, there may be still greater benefits in arranging such cover in advance of your trip, rather than waiting until the last minute at the car rental check-out desk – when it may be that much more difficult to avoid being stung.
• Car Hire excess insurance may prove an essential component of ensuring your complete peace of mind when renting a car, but a little forethought, preparation and advance purchase of a standalone policy from a UK-based specialist provider such as ourselves might result in your securing the cover you need at a fair and reasonable price.