Excess insurance is additional cover that helps protect a renter from high out-of-pocket expenses in case of an accident, damage or theft. While standard vehicle hire often comes with basic insurance, excess insurance can fill in gaps in your cover as well as reimburse you should you be charged your excess.
The excess is the first part of any claim that you are liable for. With vehicle rentals you may see that you have CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) and Theft Waiver included with your hire. These cover the vehicle you are driving if it is damaged or stolen but usually there will be an excess. If your vehicle was written off (and you were driving within the terms and conditions of your hire), the CDW would cover the damage except for the excess which you would need to pay.
The excess amount can be high. With a vehicle hire excess insurance policy in place you can be reimbursed for that excess. However, one question that often comes up is whether excess insurance covers all types of vehicles or if there are size restrictions.
Here’s a breakdown of the vehicles where we can help with excess insurance:
1. Standard Passenger Cars, SUVs and Crossovers
If there is a possibility, you could be allocated a 9 seater then opting for the larger category can be the safer option to ensure you have a policy that will cover you. Sometimes if a company does not have a 7 seater available, you may be offered a larger car.
2. People Carriers and Minivans
Select the appropriate category depending on the number of seats. When a maximum number of seats is given, this includes the driver.
3. Luxury Cars
Once you have your quote results, use our filter to find insurers who will cover higher value cars. None of the insurers will cover track day events.
4. Pickup Trucks
These are not covered by all insurers. To find out which policies include pick up truck cover, once your results are displayed, use our special Pick up Trucks filter.
5. Vans
If you are using the van for business purposes, use our Business Use filter on your quote results page. Check with the insurer that your form of business will be covered.
6. Motorhomes, RVs and Campervans
Some of these excess insurance policies will also have an excess. It is important to consider the excess you are liable for with what cover is offered by the insurer. In some cases a lower level of cover without an excess may be your preferred option.
8. Minibuses
The 15 seat limit includes the driver. Unfortunately we currently cannot provide quotes for vehicles with a greater number of seats.
Excess insurance can cover a wide range of vehicle sizes but it’s always wise to read the fine print and understand the terms, limitations, and exclusions that may apply to your specific vehicle. By doing so, you can ensure that you are fully protected in the event of an accident, for the size and type of vehicle you are hiring.
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