Zero Excess Car Hire Insurance

Zero Excess Insurance For Car Hire

When you opt for a zero excess car hire policy, you remove the excess you would be responsible for paying in the event of an accident. You can get this type of insurance independently or through the car rental company. It is typically charged at a daily fee for the duration of your rental.

What is Zero Excess Insurance or Zero Deductible Car Rental? 

Most insurances that come as standard with a hire car will include an excess fee that is payable if you have an accident or if the car is damaged in any way. If this happens, the driver is charged a fixed sum of money that covers part of the repair work. Excess on hired cars can be high, ranging from £500-£2,000. 

As excess amounts vary, you should make sure you know exactly how much excess you’ll be charged before you take out a car hire agreement. If the excess amount is high then it is worth looking at alternatives, such as 0 excess car hire policies. With these, you pay £0 in the event of a collision.

Whether you opt for a standard policy or a 0 excess car rental policy is a personal choice. However, many people do choose to reduce their excess amount as it gives them total peace of mind when driving their hire car. 

After all, you could be the most careful driver in the world, but all it takes is for one careless driver to scrape your car as they drive past and you are left to foot the bill. But remember, if you take out excess reduction or a 0 excess car hire policy, then you’re prevented from damage charges.

We Compare Car Hire Excess Insurance

As a hire broker we work with a large network of suppliers who offer policies with varying excess amounts. 

Confusingly, the cost of reducing the excess is different for every location, supplier and branch worldwide. However, at Indigo Car Hire, we are here to help you find the best possible deal for your circumstances. 

Ultimately, we want to ensure that you don’t have to pay out the massive fees that hire companies expect in the event of a collision. 

There are two methods of approach towards no excess car hire, and both will mean that you don’t have to pay out a huge sum in the unfortunate event of an accident. That said, it is important to note that if you are arranging car hire with a debit card then 0 excess car rental options may not be available.

Let’s look at both no excess car hire options you have available in greater detail…

• • Method 1– Pay a Daily Fee

Some suppliers only allow you to reduce your excess down to a certain amount. For example, Avis only allows you to reduce your liability to £100. This means that if the vehicle is damaged in any way, you still have something to pay. 

By comparison, other suppliers including Europcar and Sixt charge between £15 and £20 per day to reduce your excess to zero. This amount is payable on top of the rental amount. As the charge is applied daily, it can become extremely costly if you hire the car for more than a few days. For this reason, if this is the case, we recommend an alternate method:

• • Method 2 – Car Hire Excess Reimbursement Insurance

We have organised a deal with an affiliate company of ours that offers Excess Reimbursement Insurance.

How does Excess Reimbursement Insurance work?

Excess Reimbursement Insurance is a voluntary insurance, which is useful if there is an excess applicable to your car hire. The cover applies to the individual, so you are still covered even if you change the car hire company or the type of car that you have hired.

The policy is designed to repay the excess or repair costs you have to pay under the terms of the rental agreement following damage to the rental vehicle. The reimbursement of the excess is subject to the exclusions detailed in the provider’s policy wording.

You can choose to buy either an Annual policy, which will provide cover for multiple hires throughout the period of cover, or a Daily policy that will provide cover specifically for the days that you request it.

What Method Should I Choose?

If you are hiring for a few days then it may be worth just paying the daily fee to reduce your excess to zero instead of buying the policy. However, if you hire a car several times a year or you’re hiring for a week or longer, then you may want to look into Excess Reimbursement Insurance as it can often be the cheaper option.

Contact Us

Let Indigo take the stress out of your car hire and let us explain any details you require surrounding 0 excess car hire. Contact our helpful and friendly team today at [email protected] to get a great deal on no excess car hire today.