When you’re on holiday, it often makes sense to hire a car. After all, for what usually works out to be a reasonable fee, you’re free to explore the country you’ve spent your hard-earned pounds on getting to. Unfortunately, the rules about insurance still apply; if you want to go a little way off the beaten track (or you’re visiting somewhere like, say, Florida, where having a set of wheels is expected to allow you to get around), you’re going to need to get yourself some car hire insurance.
Thankfully, if you’re in Europe, car hire insurance is generally included in the cost of your hire car. However, this is only the most basic of basic cover; if something happens to the car, you could find yourself liable for substantial fees. To counter this, car hire insurance providers will likely offer you a raft of extras. These could include a collision damage waiver (CDW) and theft protection – both of these typically available in ‘super’ forms that cost more but are designed to give you even more cover – as well as accident liability cover, and many other additional policies. You don’t need these, strictly speaking, but it can give you a lot of peace of mind. They generally involve paying an additional premium on top of your car hire fee, but will lower the cost should you be involved in an accident. As the excess on hire car insurance is often astronomical (into the thousands of pounds, in cases), many people feel the need to reduce this by paying for collision damage cover. A CDW will reduce your excess drastically (a Super CDW may even cut it down to zero), but you can expect to pay much more for this safety net, and others.
If you’re in the USA or Canada, car hire insurance generally isn’t included in the cost of your hire car. However, you still need to make sure you’ve bought it before you’re allowed to drive, so be sure to budget for an extra fee, even before you get to the above optional policies.
It’s often cheaper to buy your car hire insurance from an independent company, before you even set foot on your outward flight. If you hire often, or you plan on hiring for a long time while you’re away, you should also consider annual insurance; you can often save a substantial amount by planning ahead and checking for good deals.
However, wherever you plan on getting your car, be sure to protect yourself. When the car is signed over to you, do a full inspection before you drive it off the lot. Make sure everything is exactly in tip-top condition, and that the company are already aware of any issues the car might have. When you return the car, make sure you do the same, and get something signed to say that you returned the car in good condition.
If you’re smart, and don’t drive negligently, car hire insurance needn’t work out that expensive. It can be a useful safety net, but over-the-counter services may not be the cheapest ways of getting it; as with anything, it’s important to only buy what you feel you need, and search around to get a good offer.
Tags: Car Hire Insurance