Car Hire Excess FAQs

If you are hiring a car in the UK, Europe, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, your car rental agreement should include Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) or Loss Damage Waiver (LDW), Third Party Liability and Theft. However, usually there is an Excess on the CDW and Theft part of the rental agreement which means that you will be liable for the first portion of every claim. This Excess is likely to range from about €500 to €2,000. When you rent a car in the USA or Canada you will need Supplementary Liability Insurance (SLI) to cover losses incurred as a result of damage, fire, theft and vandalism. You will also need cover for an injury you may cause to other people. The SLI tops up your existing third party liability insurance.

Each car rental company will use different terminology and jargon. When a car is hired, Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Theft cover are included in the car rental price, but there is always an excess (also referred to as CDW, Non Waiver or Deductible) on the CDW and Theft portion of the car rental agreement. This amount varies according to the car rental company, the location and the size of the car and can range from €500 upwards.

Car rental companies will offer their own Excess / CDW cover at the counter when you collect the rental car. It can be expensive and generally covers you for Excess on damage and Excess on theft.

You should always read the policy that is provided by the credit card company, to check the coverage and make sure it covers the country in which you are renting the car and whether or not there is an Excess (non waiver, deductible) on the policy.

No. This insurance is not compulsory.

Yes, but there is a restriction on the maximum number of consecutive days for a single hire. For Europe cover, the maximum single hire is 31 consecutive days for any one hire and for Worldwide cover, the maximum single hire is 60 consecutive days.

Our annual Car Hire Insurance policies cover any one incident up to €4,000 and up to €5,000 in any one year. They include excess damage to the car, theft, window and tyre damage.

  • Policy holders must be aged at least 21 and under 84 years of age.
  • Rentals must not be longer than 31 continuous days (Europe cover) except for Worldwide annual policies which allow rentals of up to 60 consecutive days.
  • People carriers with 9 seats or more are not covered under this policy.
  • Our insurance policies do not travel to or through Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Congo, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liberia, North Korea, Myanmar, Sudan, Syria, The Balkans and Zimbabwe.

Yes, our policies cover the policyholder, who must always be the person renting the car and up to a maximum of 5 drivers who are named on the car rental agreement.

Europe is defined as: The Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom and member states of the European Union, Andorra, The Azores, Balearic Islands, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Channel Islands, Egypt, Gibraltar, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Madeira, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Norway, Romania, Russia (West of the Urals), San Marino, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine

No. We do not cover campervans, caravans, motor bikes, vintage cars or commercial vehicles. Our Excess policies cover rental cars and people carriers with less than 9 seats and with a value up to €60,000.

Should you wish to make a claim, contact our claims department within 31 days to notify them of the loss and request a claim form. Contact details are contained in your policy document. You should then complete and submit the claim form, supported by the relevant documentation in your case.

This policy covers CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) and SLI (Supplementary Liability Insurance) in countries where car rental insurance is not included in the rental price (including in the USA, Canada and the Caribbean). It covers Excess charges in those countries where CDW/LDW is included in the rental price and Excess is charged, mainly in the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and most parts of the Far East and Asia.

  • Not valid for commercial vehicles, campervans or people carriers with 9 seats or more.
  • Not valid for expensive or exotic cars (valued above €60,000) or antique cars more than 20 years old.
  • Not valid for the residents of USA, Canada, The Caribbean, South and Central America in their country of residence.
  • Rentals must not be longer than 31 consecutive days (Europe annual cover) or 60 consecutive days (Worldwide annual cover).
  • Our insurance policies do not travel to or through Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Congo, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Liberia, North Korea, Myanmar, Sudan, Syria, The Balkans and Zimbabwe.

Personal Accident Insurance covers the renter and any drivers named on the policy schedule during the period of insurance in the event of their accidental death or bodily injury whilst driving, entering or exiting from an insured rental car.