carhireexcess.ie

thebourke

when you rent a car aborad and you pay for insurance...why exactly do you need something like carhireexcess.ie?

thebiglad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058265396/carhireexcess-ie

You are correct, included in your basic rental you will have insurance to take the car on the road and for liability to damage or injury to others. The cover for the hire car is not so comprehensive however.

When you rent a car abroad on the simplest level you will be offer a product called Collision Damage (Excess Waiver) - the cost of this varies but could exceed €20 per rental day.

What this product does is removes your full liability for damage to the hire vehicle (unless caused deliberately) - if you do not take the CDW then you will have to pay up to €x in respect of damages which occur to the vehicle - again, that amount will vary but it'll be in the high hundreds.

Be aware, the car hire company does not care how the damage occurred and whether you caused it (directly) or not - if the car is damaged in your possession you will pay for repairs up to the excess level.

Reiterate, if you take the car hire CDW then you will not have to pay anything.

A cheaper option is Car Hire Excess insurance but with a big caveat - you will have to pay the car hire company (up to the excess value they set) but, you can then claim and recover from your excess policy - these policies are a few € per day or you can buy annual so, a lot cheaper but, be sure you can pay the excess just in case.

Final point - if you don't take the car hire company's CDW they may pre-authorise the excess amount on your credit card - even if you return the car undamaged and they release the pre-authorisation it could take several days for the funds to be available to you again on the card - could be an issue if you are also staying in hotels etc on hols and have a tight credit limit.

Make sure when you pick up the hire car to check it thoroughly including the wheels and photograph/note on the rental agreement any damages present - it will be checked thoroughly on return and any 'new' damage will be charged. If you take the hire company's CDW then this is not an issue as you have full protection.

Depending on how long you are hiring for the hire company's CDW is less hassle but for a longer hire you will find those costs really mount up.

Del2005

An issue with the excess insurance sold by the hire car companies is that it rarely covers wheels, tyres or windows so even after forking a large sum for excess insurance you can still get hit with a large bill. Most of the separate excess policies do cover wheels, tyres and windows

I'd a hire car from an off airport place and they really checked the wheels and glass when returning the car when they found some damage, luckily I'd a picture from pickup which showed the damage. They never noticed the new back tyre I'd had to buy after a Stanley knife blade punctured the tyre, I got refunded for this from my own excess policy

coylemj

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058265396/carhireexcess-ie

The policy on a rental car is fully comp. but with a large excess, between a few hundred and a couple of thousand. That amount is your potential liability if the car gets damaged and it's your fault. You can cover the excess either by buying the policy they offer at the rental desk (complete rip-off) or buy an excess policy before you travel. One week's cover for rental in Europe for about €25 or an annual policy for €50.

AIG's policy is €49.99 for a year and covers up to €4,000 per rental. If you have a personal excess policy, you decline the insurance the rental company offers you when you're picking up the car and if the car is damaged, you pay for the damage and claim from your excess policy when you get home.

poster thebiglad has covered it in more detail above but that's a summary.

topdecko

I used it for years and saved me a fortune. Car hire companies try to gouge you with daily excess prices.

Always do once over on car and take photos of any damage when you pick it up. Is definitely worth the effort and the staff won't mess with you on return of car. Avoid places that are too cheap or have bad rep - go for dependable mid cost rentals, less hassle in long term and the perceived money saved just translates to more crap when returning the car.

Never had to claim on same....touch wood

walterking

Even better, take a video of the car when you collect it and do the same when you drop off.

Just seeing you do this will stop the unscrupulous people in some hire companies

Chris_5339762

Photos of the wheels, front, back, sides, any scratches before and after the hire.

Also photograph the indicator that shows a full tank. And the mileage before and after.

Basically cover all surfaces before and after.

coylemj

I've rented from Europcar in the Canaries on my last two trips. The format with them is that a rep. in the parking garage will walk you to the car and highlight any damage. Which will be documented in a sheet they hand to you. If everything is covered, that is way better than you taking lots of pictures. On the return, it doesn't always happen but the best setup is where there is a rep. on site to certify that the car has been returned with no damage. And hands you a piece of paper which says so. That precludes any shocks where they send you a bill a few weeks later and zap your credit card.

If nobody examines the car when you return, what will happen is that someone will eventually examine the car and they don't care which of the last 3 or 4 renters they bill for any damage they discover. Without photos or a sheet saying you returned it with no damage, you will be the mug who pays for damage caused by subsequent renters.

Moral: rent from reputable companies, they may be more expensive but the absence of stress (of potentially being ripped off) will do a lot for the enjoyment of your holiday.