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FAQ Section > Car Hire Insurance Frequently Asked Questions > Canada flag

Which car hire excess insurance policy is best for car rental in Canada?

We explain car hire insurance for Canada - Compare quotes to find a policy to suit your particular car rental needs

What Car Hire Insurance do I need when I hire a car in Canada?

It is really important that you check what insurances are included within your car hire - we cannot stress this enough. The additional insurance you might need to buy will depend on what you already have with your Canadian car rental.

So when it comes to finding the best car hire excess insurance in Canada, which particular features might you want to consider? Read our overview of car hire insurance which discusses what car rental insurance cover you should look out for.

By running a quotation through the MoneyMaxim car hire excess insurance comparison service you can then easily compare different features from the leading excess insurers here in the UK to top up your car hire insurance.

We also take you step by step through the process so you can understand how to find the best cover for your rental car insurance needs in Canada.

Overview

There are three main insurances that you should have in place before you pick up your rental car and these are:

  • Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) - covers damage to the bodywork of the car you are hiring

  • Theft Protection - cover if your rental car is stolen

  • Third Party Liability - cover for damage to other people or their property

When you hire through a Canadian or US company or website sometimes not all these parts are included within the rental agreement. This is because locals can be covered through their private car insurance. Third Party Liability may be offered at a lower level than you are comfortable with too - most hirers look to be covered for US$1million.

If you hire a car for Canada from a UK based company or website it will normally include these main insurances. Again, as we mentioned above, it is important that you establish whether you do have them with your hire or not. Any excess policy will only work if you do! This is especially relevant to those living outside the UK. If you find you do not have the main insurances, or do not understand what these are, then a quick call to MoneyMaxim and we can help guide you.

We have car hire insurance policies available which can include CDW, Theft Protection or Supplementary Liability Insurance (SLI). SLI can top up the liability insurance that comes with your car hire.

The car hire excess policies through MoneyMaxim, subject to terms and conditions, will cover you for the excess on your CDW or theft cover, and also reimburse you for the cost of damage to the wheels, tyres, roof, underbody and glass elements of the car which are all areas often excluded from your CDW.

How do I run a Car Hire Excess Insurance Quotation?

When you run a quote with MoneyMaxim, there are only a few questions to answer. The policy must be taken out in the name of the lead driver (the person taking charge of the car) and purchased before you actually have the keys in your hand.

What vehicle type are you hiring?

It is important you pick the correct category here. If you are renting a larger vehicle (you may have requested a 7 seater) , if the car you pick up is actually a 9 seater then you will need to make sure that the excess policy covers up to 9 seats. Most policies do but there are a couple that restrict their policies to up to 7 seats - so, if this could happen to you, consider choosing the 'up to 9 seats' option.

Motorhomes are a popular choice in Canada and there are specific motorhome policies. You will not be covered for a motorhome through a car policy.

What type of car hire insurance policy do you require?

Do you need annual or short term cover? If you are hiring a car for more than 17 days during a year then an annual policy may well work out cheaper for you. Fewer days than this and short term would be the way forward. An annual policy enables you to hire as many cars as you want during the year as long as the total number of days in one single hire does not exceed the stated trip length limit on the policy.

Where are you renting your car?

Choose a policy that covers USA, Canada and Americas from the list of options . Not all Worldwide policies cover Canada. Alternatively you could select Canada from the dropdown list of countries.

If you are planning a second car hire later in the year outside of Canada, you could consider an annual car hire excess insurance policy as most policies which cover Canada cover worldwide - you can check the countries covered by a policy by clicking on the details button.

You will need to have permission from your car hire company if you are planning to drive your car into the US, however a car rental excess insurance policy for Canada would also cover you while driving in the US.

Country of Residence

Entering your correct residence is important as not all policies are available to customers worldwide. It may also have a bearing on the policies that are open to you where you are hiring. The criteria for residency differ between companies so, if you are not sure where you would be considered resident, then take a look at their terms and conditions.

Are you renting in your country of residence?

This may seem an odd question but the reason is some policies are not available to those hiring in their own country. If you say 'yes' to this question - for example if you are Canadian or an Ex-Pat living there and hiring in Canada - then any insurers who do not allow home rentals will be filtered out.

The dates you enter for your car hire excess insurance quote should match the dates and times on your car rental agreement.

What type of cover do you require?

Once you have clicked Next Step, you will then be asked whether you need just Vehicle Hire Excess Insurance or if you need additional insurance such as CDW, or CDW and SLI. SLI policies are not available separately.

How to compare your results to find the best car hire insurance policy for you

After you have clicked 'Get Results' you will be presented with a table of results. You can compare the levels of cover offered by each provider. Additional information is shown when you click on the Details button. Each individual's needs are different from the next so it is important you consider each policy and what it offers to discover which car hire excess policy is best for your trip to Canada.

You can compare up to 3 policies at a time side by side by clicking on the 'Add to compare' button and then the orange 'Compare products' button which will appear at the top of the table.

Some features of car hire excess policies you may want to compare include:

  • Towing Cover - This feature is not the equivalent to AA or RAC service. It is the responsibility of the car hire company to provide you with a mechanically sound vehicle. If something were to go wrong then you need to contact them first. Do not attempt repairs without their permission. Some breakdowns fall outside of this, however, such as a puncture. A puncture is often not covered by CDW so you could be held responsible - and charged for a call out - which would then be covered by your policy. Towing is offered by all the excess insurers but limits vary so compare these if this is a concern for you.

  • Misfuelling - This covers the cost of clearing the wrong fuel from your rental car. If you do accidentally use the wrong fuel, do not drive the car away from the pumps. This misfuelling feature will not cover damage to the engine caused being driven with the wrong fuel in.

  • Multiple lead driver policies - The excess insurance policies shown in your results table will all cover at least one additional driver on a car hire free of charge. However, if you require a policy which will allow more than one lead driver - if for example you will be hiring more than one car at the same time then tick the box to 'Show policies allowing more than one driver to rent cars independently of each other'. Please note that conditions do apply and more information can be found on our Multiple lead driver page. These are only available as annual policies.

  • Road Rage or Carjacking - we hope that you are not subject to either of these incidents but some policies will offer some cover for costs incurred as a result of crimes such as these.

More questions? - don't hesitate to call the MoneyMaxim team who will be delighted to assist you in your search to find additional car hire insurance for Canada - we have been helping customers find car hire excess insurance for 10 years now and will be happy to help you too.

This content was last reviewed on 06/03/2024

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