Car rental query.

[theageofthetra]

I have used both Insurance4carhire.com and Questor Insurance. Both appear to have good consumer reviews - luckily I have never had to claim (keeping fingers crossed for upcoming holiday). Both are valid for UK as well as overseas rentals; Insurance4carhire.com also covers courtesy cars from garages so you don't need to pay their cover.



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I have used insurance4carhire for a number of years and have made several claims due to the endemic rip offs committed in Europe by even the big name rental firms. I got my costs back into my bank account before I had even paid it on my credit card- whole process was done by email with a few pictures taken on my phone of the paperwork in the rental office and sent the emails using the rental co Wifi.

I cannot stress how bad these scams have got over the last five years (I have been renting regularly for approx 15 years) and one of these policies is the best £40 you will ever spend.

I now do as much research into the local firm I will be renting off as I do choosing a hotel- something I simply wouldn't have bothered with a few years ago. I have generally found good local firms who have a core cient base of their own people are better than big name franchises who mostly deal with foreign tourists, with UK holiday hotspots being the absolute worst (Faro, Malaga etc)

There are some countries which have very high excess - £1500+ in say NZ and then these policies come into their own. Never buy the rip off insurance from the rental office, if you have done decent research you won't at a desk where they hard sell this anyway.

 

[FQTV]

I have used insurance4carhire for a number of years and have made several claims due to the endemic rip offs committed in Europe by even the big name rental firms. I got my costs back into my bank account before I had even paid it on my credit card- whole process was done by email with a few pictures taken on my phone of the paperwork in the rental office and sent the emails using the rental co Wifi.

I cannot stress how bad these scams have got over the last five years (I have been renting regularly for approx 15 years) and one of these policies is the best £40 you will ever spend.

I now do as much research into the local firm I will be renting off as I do choosing a hotel- something I simply wouldn't have bothered with a few years ago. I have generally found good local firms who have a core cient base of their own people are better than big name franchises who mostly deal with foreign tourists, with UK holiday hotspots being the absolute worst (Faro, Malaga etc)

There are some countries which have very high excess - £1500+ in say NZ and then these policies come into their own. Never buy the rip off insurance from the rental office, if you have done decent research you won't at a desk where they hard sell this anyway.

Your claim experience matches mine; I've found insurance4carhire extremely efficient. Your other advice is spot-on, too.

 

[ScottishIain]

Can also recommend insurance4carhire. Had to make a claim with them previously & it was paid out hassle free. They also do a policy per day as well as the annual one. Would certainly recommend one of these policies over the rip off they try to get you take out at the rental desk. The only issue is you obviously have to pay the excess up front to the hire company then reclaim it.

 

[Adlington]

I use a car hire broker (on-line) for my rentals and buy the excess refund policy from them as an optional extra. It's a bit more expensive than from sites mentioned earlier in this thread, but I get all from one place. I'm willing to pay somewhat more for somewhat less hassle.

I rent cars only occasionally and for short periods, so an annual policy would be an overkill.

 

[cb a1]

If you're on topcashback or quidco, you can also get insurance4carhire and other providers and get a discount.
I sometimes also get my car hire via these cash back sites too (and airport parking at home end). Not huge savings, but it saves me a few quid for a few seconds work.

 

[ScottishIain]

I use a car hire broker (on-line) for my rentals and buy the excess refund policy from them as an optional extra. It's a bit more expensive than from sites mentioned earlier in this thread, but I get all from one place. I'm willing to pay somewhat more for somewhat less hassle.

I rent cars only occasionally and for short periods, so an annual policy would be an overkill.

You can get an annual one for £39.99, it can be £15+ per day to zero your excess with some rental companies.

 

[EssexGonzo]

I use a car hire broker (on-line) for my rentals and buy the excess refund policy from them as an optional extra. It's a bit more expensive than from sites mentioned earlier in this thread, but I get all from one place. I'm willing to pay somewhat more for somewhat less hassle.



I rent cars only occasionally and for short periods, so an annual policy would be an overkill.

It takes under 5 minutes to buy and get your policy document emailed. Couldn't be less hassle.

My annual policy has (£40 for Europe) has effectively been paid for by not taking the hire broker's policy for One 6 day booking. So the other three hire occasions are basically free from a zero excess viewpoint. Definitely not overkill.