Understanding how rental car insurance works in the United Kingdom is important when it comes to knowing what you are — and are not — covered for.
When hiring a car in the United Kingdom, it’s important to protect yourself against paying any charges for damage to the rental vehicle. Your car comes with basic cover, so renters are not obliged to purchase excess reduction products. However, a damage excess amount will apply to those without any insurance.
Travel insurance policies in the United Kingdom often protect renters for up to a £2,000 excess charge, so if you’re travelling to the UK from abroad, check the coverage of your policy to see the amount it covers you for. This is a cheaper way to reduce your financial liability, and includes damage to parts often excluded by rental companies such as windscreen, tyres, roof and undercarriage. It also sometimes includes extras such as lock-out protection, carjacking and restitution, and may cover all of Europe.
However, in the event of an accident, you’ll still be required to pay the damage excess fee set out in your rental agreement, and it will be your responsibility to contact your travel insurance company to claim the reimbursement for this.
One of the easiest ways to reduce the excess amount is to purchase protection products directly from the car hire provider. This means you’ll not need to go through an insurance company for reimbursement if any damage is caused to the vehicle.
This is often the most expensive way to reduce the car hire excess amount, and sometimes does not include insurance for valuables and luggage. You will need to check your rental agreement for information about inclusions and exclusions of the excess reduction products.
Are you an Australian resident travelling in the UK? You can purchase our insurance policy that will protect you against paying for damage while you're in the United Kingdom.
Similar to rental cars, campervans in the United Kingdom also have an excess amount that renters will be liable to pay if any damage is caused to the vehicle during the rental period. Campervan rental companies generally offer their own protection options, which can reduce renters’ financial liability, but the level of cover often varies, with basic options sometimes excluding cover for windscreen or tyre damage.
Customers will often be asked to leave the excess amount as a bond to cover any damage charges. Because there are sometimes exclusions to coverage options, renters may still have to pay out-of-pocket for any damage charges. If you’re planning on renting a campervan in the UK, here are your options when it comes to insurance.
Purchase extra cover from the supplier: If you are purchasing any protection products from the supplier, be aware that there are different levels of cover and certain exclusions may apply to basic cover packages.
Purchase third-party insurance: Many companies offer protection products that protect customers financial liability. These are independent of the campervan rental company and often functions as reimbursement cover. This means that renters will still have to pay any damage charges at the counter and seek reimbursement afterwards. Insurance products purchased in advance of the rental period are often cheaper than purchasing protection packages directly from the campervan rental company.
Find out more important information you need to know before booking a campervan in the UK.
If you’re planning on continuing your holiday in another country after your road trip in the United Kingdom, VroomVroomVroom is here to help. Find out more about rental car insurance in other countries through the links below.
