What happens if I damage my hire/rental car? If you have an accident or damage the roof, tyres or windscreen of your hire car, the rental company should organise any repairs. This is covered under your ‘damage waiver’. You will however be asked to pay towards the cost of these repairs – this is your ‘excess’.
What does excess mean car rental insurance?
The ‘excess’ (sometimes called the ‘deductible’) is the amount of money you will have to pay the rental company if your hire car gets damaged or stolen whilst in your care.
What is the difference between CDW and excess insurance?
Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) – is not insurance, but an agreement to waive the costs of damage to your rental vehicle if it is involved in a collision. Frequently CDW has an ‘excess’ which is the first part of any claim which the renter will remain liable for.
Can you get insurance to cover excess?
Excess insurance runs alongside your car insurance policy. It will cover the cost of the excess you pay if you make a claim against your car insurance. The amount covered is usually a pre-agreed limit and applies to both voluntary and compulsory excess.
Do I have to pay excess on car rental? – Related Questions
What happens if I can’t pay my excess UK?
If you do not have the money available to pay the excess your insurer may refuse your claim or it might deduct the amount from what it pays towards the repairs. For example, if you make a claim for damages worth £2,000 but cannot afford to pay the £250 excess, your insurer will only pay the remaining £1,750.
What does zero excess mean when renting a car?
Some of these policies will cover more parts of the car than standard Collision Damage Waiver. Some reduce your excess. Some take the excess all the way down to zero, so you won’t pay anything at all if you damage something that’s covered. These are called ‘zero excess’ policies.
Can you pay excess in installments?
Most of the time, when you make a claim, your insurer will take the excess away from your payout. That means you usually can’t pay for your excess in instalments.
Why do I have to pay the excess if not my fault?
That’s because your losses aren’t covered and, when someone claims against you, your insurer covers it. If you’re found not to be at fault, your insurer claims the excess back from the at-fault party’s insurer, along with other costs. Assume you’ll have to pay your excess first to get your claim started.
Is excess protect worth it?
Excess protection is not just a good option for your own car. It can give you real peace of mind when you hire a car on holiday or on business. When you hire a car, it is insured by the car hire company and you’ll pay an agreed excess fee if any damage occurs.
What if repair cost is less than excess?
What if repair costs are lower than expected? Sometimes the total claim cost can end up costing less than the excess charged. In these cases, you’ll be refunded the difference.
Is it worth claiming on car insurance for a dent?
If you have an accident and the cost of repairing your car or another person’s vehicle is cheaper if you claim on your insurance, it’s probably the best idea. Insurance is there for these circumstances after all, so you shouldn’t avoid using it if you have to.
What is standard excess car insurance?
Car insurance excess explained. 04 March 2021. An excess is a payment you’ll need to make if and when you make a claim on your Car Insurance, and your insurer accepts that claim. This amount is confirmed when you take up or renew your policy, and the money goes towards the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle.
Who pays the excess on a car insurance claim?
Paying excess for a car accident that isn’t your fault
If your insurance company have dealt with the claim, they should claim the excess back for you. If you have a no fault accident, a credit hire company can also make a claim on your behalf.
How does car insurance excess work in the UK?
Excess insurance covers the cost of your excess if you need to make a claim. For example, if you’re in an accident and need to pay £250 excess on a car insurance claim, excess insurance will mean you can get that £250 back.
What is excess in car insurance UK?
In very basic terms the excess is the amount you’ll pay before the insurer steps in and takes over. So, for example if you do £1000 worth of damage to your car, and the excess on your policy is £200, then your insurer will foot £800 of the bill.
Do you only pay excess if you claim?
Do I have to pay an excess on my car insurance policy if only the other party is claiming? An excess is the amount you pay towards your own repairs or claim, so you don’t have to pay an excess for a third party’s claim. Also, if you don’t claim for your own damage, you don’t pay an excess either.
What does an excess of 500 mean?
Put simply, the excess is the sum of money you’re obliged to pay should you make a claim on your car’s insurance policy. You are expected to pay if you are deemed to be at fault for the incident that caused the damage.
Why do I have to pay an excess?
An insurance excess is the amount you need to contribute when you make an insurance claim. Generally speaking, you always need to pay the excess when you make an insurance claim (even if you’re not at fault), but insurers usually agree to waive the excess under specific circumstance.
Should I claim on my car insurance if not my fault?
Yes. You need to declare all accidents that you’re involved in, regardless of who or what was at fault. Almost every insurance provider will have a clause in their policy requiring you to declare any incidents you’ve been involved in while driving in the past 5 years.
What happens if I don’t tell my insurance company about an accident?
But the outcome of not telling your insurer about an accident could be much less favourable. If you don’t let your insurer know, they could have the right not to renew your policy. In some cases, your insurer might consider you to be deliberately withholding information, which is a form of fraud.