What is Car Hire Excess Insurance?
Car Hire Excess cover provides protection against high excess charges which can be imposed in the event of your hire vehicle becoming damaged or stolen in the UK or abroad. Cover can be purchased for a single trip, or on an annual basis for those who take out a rental more frequently. This could help you avoid expensive excess waivers at the car hire desk when you collect your rental car.
RAC Car Hire Excess Insurance cover is quick and easy to purchase online and also insures against damage to the vehicle's bodywork, tyres and roof, giving you complete peace of mind whilst out on the road. What’s more, you can tailor your policy further by adding cover for replacement vehicle keys, personal accident, and an upgrade to campervan/motorhome cover.
Got a question or want to learn more? Visit our FAQs for more details about the policy
The benefits of Car Hire Excess Insurance
From scratches to the bodywork, to cover in the case of misfuelling or a breakdown – standalone car hire excess cover provides comprehensive protection for your rental vehicle. Car Hire Excess cover comes with a number of benefits:
Cover for your hire car in the UK or abroad
Cover for vulnerable parts such as tyres, windscreen, bodywork and the vehicle's roof
Regular travellers could save with annual multi trip cover
Covers vehicles hired for business use
|
Annual cover from £42.99 (Based on UK residents buying Excess Annual Europe)
|
What’s covered under my RAC Car Hire Excess policy?
Compare our full list of cover benefits below. A range of optional extras are also available to enhance your cover.
|
Car Hire excess provides cover for: |
Europe |
Worldwide |
USA & Canada |
Worldwide Plus |
|
Excess Insurance (up to £6,000 sum insured) |
|
|
|
|
|
Misfuelling, towing & breakdown (up to £1,000 sum insured) |
|
|
|
|
|
Loss Damage Waiver/Collision damage (up to £100,000 sum Insured) |
|
|
|
|
|
Vehicle lock out charges (up to £500) |
|
|
|
|
|
Car Jacking/Road Rage incident (up to £1,000) |
|
|
|
|
|
Hotel expenses (up to £150) |
|
|
|
|
|
Cancellation/early return of hire car on doctor’s advice (up to £500, max £25/day) |
|
|
|
|
|
Drop off charges (up to £300) |
|
|
|
|
|
Continuous cover up to 65 days |
|
|
|
|
|
In-country/local car rental |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Multi trip annual only |
|
|
Daily & multi trip |
|
|
Not available |
You can extend your policy to cover any of the following:
Vehicle Key Replacement
(up to £1,000)
Protect against the cost of replacing lost or stolen keys whilst driving a hire vehicle.
Replacing a lost or stolen hire vehicle key
Locksmith charges
Replacement locks
Personal Accident cover
(up to £10,000)
Provides a financial benefit if the driver of a hire car suffers certain injuries or death while in control of the rental vehicle.
If you or named drivers on the rental car agreement are injured while driving in the hire vehicle, and the injury is the sole cause of death, loss of limb, or loss of sight
If the injury is caused by suicide, attempted suicide, or self-injury
If the injury is caused when under the influence of drink or drugs
If a seatbelt was not worn
Campervan & Motorhome cover
(up to £2,000)
If you’re hiring a campervan or motorhome, you’ll need to purchase this extension to your car hire insurance policy to cover this type of vehicle.
Up to £1,000 cover for a single incident
Up to £2,000 cover for a series of incidents
Claims where you have not met your Vehicle Rental Agreement
Where the Rental Vehicle is not being driven by or is not in your control
If the driver is not stated on your Vehicle Rental Agreement
Learn more about our Car Hire Excess Insurance
Still got questions? Our short video clip explains how buying car hire excess cover before you travel can save you both time and money.
Our guide to Car Hire Excess cover
When you collect a hire car the rental company may give you the option to purchase an optional Excess Waiver as part of your rental agreement. This waiver protects you from having to pay the hefty excess amount charged by the rental company in the event the hire car is damaged. You can insure against paying this excess by purchasing car hire excess cover. This allows you to claim back any excess you may have to pay to the hire company.
How much are car hire companies excesses?
If a hire car is damaged, you (as the hirer) are typically liable to pay the first portion of the cost for repairs or any replacement. This cost is known as the ‘excess’ and varies in amount by provider, sometimes running into the hundreds or in some cases thousands of pounds per vehicle. This is payable to the car hire company in event of a claim, even if it only relates to a dent to the bonnet.
Do I need to purchase Car Hire Excess Insurance?
Car Hire Excess Insurance is not a legal requirement, however many customers opt to purchase this type of cover to avoid expensive excess waivers charged by the rental companies themselves. In short, by paying a small amount of money upfront you can avoid forking out higher excess charges in the event of damage to your hire car.
What happens if I damage my hire car?
If you have an accident or damage the roof, tyres or windscreen of your hire car, the rental company should take care of any repairs. This is covered under your ‘damage waiver’. You will however be asked to contribute towards the cost of these repairs which is your ‘excess’. This excess amount would be reimbursed to you by the company you purchase your Car Hire Excess policy through.
Can I purchase excess waiver when I pick up my rental car?
You may be offered the option of purchasing an excess waiver when you collect your rental car and feel pressurised to make an on the spot decision about whether the product is right for you.
Its worth noting that a lot of excess waivers sold at the rental desk exclude damage to vulnerable parts of the vehicles such as tyres, windscreens and the vehicle roof. Independent Car Hire Excess policies often include this as standard, meaning planning ahead and buying your policy upfront can lead to less stress at the rental desk plus a policy offering better coverage and value.