I'm shortly off for nearly 3 weeks to the States I've rented a car (mid size SUV and I have been regularly monitoring the price and, by cancelling and rebooking, have scooped a pretty good deal through Rentalcars.com with Dollar (Ford Explorer for 20 days, additional drivers, full to full for £405)
The rental includes Third Party liability (TPL), Supplemental Liabilitty (SLI), Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), Theft Protection (TP), and Uninsured Motorist Protection (UMP)
For the first time in many trips (not least cos SWMBO is with me this time!!), I am looking at taking out an annual additional policy, to cover important bits not covered above (in my mind, recovery and tyres.)
I'm looking at www.insurance4carhire.com/usa-canada-car-hire-excess-insurance as a starting point, and I'm seeing some overlap with insurances I get with the car hire - e.g. SLI and CDW. Am I right in saying, however, that this insurance is not adequate for renting a car without the rental company add-on insurances (e.g. by going to www.dollar,com), as I'd be missing significant elements?
|
|
I always book through arguscarhire.com, they provide an excellent service and offer a policy that covers all uninsured losses and eventualities, the policy is underwritten by AXA and is called Damage Refund Insurance though seems to cover more than just damage. It works on a you pay they refund basis though it has offered peace of mind over the years knowing that I can turn down the inevitable insurance extras offered at the rental desk.
|
|
How many types of insurance can you need to hire a car?
|
Yeah I feel the same Sooty, it's all a bit of a minefield though. E.g. car rental insurance in the US (maybe elsewhere) doesn't cover towing a broken car away, or any tyre damage and replacement, or other less likely items like mis-fuelling and lost keys. This additional insurance seems (generally) to cover all that, as well as any excesses there may be on your standard insurance when you hire, and then there are further options on top.
As a modest policy is around the 50 mark for a year, covering you for multiple trips, and that's what I'm hoping to do over the coming 12 months, seems a reasonable deal. (I once had a small car in the Canaries with an excess of €600 and became a bit neurotic over it!)
Some also cover you for courtesy cars too.
EDIT: Argus nearly £100 more. It's the same rental agerement as I'm on and says the following are NOT included "Tyres, Wheels, Rear view and side mirrors, Windows, Hubcaps, Taxi (transportation), Towing costs, Locks, Battery, Motor, Undercarriage and Interior of car, Clutch, Replacement Keys, Damage to oil sump, Catalytic convertor, Radiator"
Last edited by: smokie on Sat 26 Aug 17 at 13:32
|
|
I know smokie, how a layman is supposed to figure it out i don't know. The US is the worst though endless types of seemingly overlapping insurance.
|
>> EDIT: Argus nearly £100 more. It's the same rental agerement as I'm on and says
>> the following are NOT included >>
That'll be the same with any hire company, the Argus policy then covers all that and any other excess or uninsured loss relating to the hire. I too have had high excesses in the past and have been neurotic about a car park ding though the Argus policy covers it all. It's the only way of hiring I have found where you literally have all risks and excesses covered. eight days hire in Italy recently cost £227 + £53 for the insurance. Their details/paper work (PDF) is transparent in that it tells you exactly what is included with the hire and what isn't (in our case the Europcar hire had a $900 excess) and the Argus insurance covers what isn't covered, if that makes sense ...
|
To add, the Europcar via Argus car hire "Included" says:
Tax
Airport fee
Breakdown assistance
Road tax
Unlimited mileage
Collision Damage Waiver (though this has an excess)
Theft waiver (though this has an excess and it does not cover possessions)
The car hire "Excluded" says:
Excess liability EUR900
Extra insurance
The Argus AXA policy specifically says:
Excess charged by car hire company
Roof of the vehicle
Windows, windscreen, glass in sunroof
Undercarriage
Tyres
Personal possessions up to £250
Misfuelling
Roadside assistance and towing
Car hire key cover
|
|
I'll need to re-read this later. I thought you meant you booked your car thru Argus, which is all I looked at, and which is what was £100 more expensive, but I think you are saying there is an additional policy you can take out.
|
|
Yes I book the hire through Argus though the inclusive price with the insurance is usually competitive ...
|
Rental car insurance (US & elsewhere) - Hard Cheese
