Holiday How To: Car Hire Excess Insurance Unpacked

If you’re planning an exciting adventure, as well as getting your itinerary together and looking for the most daring places to explore, you’ll need to make sure you have insurance. Not only that, but it’s got to be the right kind of insurance for you, especially if you’re planning to hire a vehicle as well. In this case, car hire excess insurance is the way to go. But what is it, and why do you need it?

What is Car Hire Excess Insurance All About?

For a holiday full of thrills or a road trip of rebellion, you might be thinking about hiring a car to get you around easily. Having car hire excess insurance will mean you can avoid having to pay the hefty fines that a rental company might bestow if the vehicle, God forbid, is damaged or stolen. Nobody wants to spend money on car damage when the funds were supposed to be used for water sports and bungee jumping, right?

Can You Give Me an Example?

Think about it this way: if your hire car is damaged, and the resulting cost is £800 to repair it, you will have to pay your excess fee to the rental company. This could be, for example, £600 out of the total cost, which means the hire company pays the remaining £200. However, with an excess policy, you can avoid this altogether and reclaim the additional repair costs. 

But the Company Said I’m Already Insured…

Although car rentals often come with a standard insurance policy, they don’t always provide full protection. Things like windows or tyres might not be covered at all, and so you’d be faced with paying the additional charge if they were damaged.

Choosing car hire excess insurance is always going to work out cheaper in the long run, even if your vehicle is returned unscathed. Hire companies that offer excess cover over the counter often end up charging you more (sometimes more than £15 a day) for less expansive protection.

What are My Options?

There are plenty of packages when it comes to insurance, and each are suited to a different type of holidaymaker, so it’s not too tricky to pick the one that’s right for you. Available policies include single trip and multi-trip as well as family and business coverage. You could also opt for more comprehensive packages, which offer cover for bodily injuries and damage to third party vehicles.

When you’re getting ready for your next journey into the unknown, just make sure you find the best way to stay financially protected. Thankfully, there are some specialist companies out there who offer fantastic comprehensive cover (including vehicle excess!) for the most adventurous and fearless holidaymakers among us.

Ethan Bailey is an experienced adventure traveller and insurance expert with the team at Let's Go Insure. Ethan’s passion is to inspire his clients to go just that little bit further, deeper and higher on their travels and his expertise in providing the ideal insurance cover allows them to do just that. If you're looking for the best car hire excess insurance Let's Go works with the most experienced underwriters, intermediaries and insurers to offer a range of competitive insurance without compromising on cover.