Check list: car hire insurance

[Auto Europe]

Once we plan a holiday, we imagine ourselves lying on a beach, enjoying the sun or sightseeing. Peace of mind is what we long for. To make it happen, it is worth spending some time to check all the insurance options you might need for your car hire. Yes, there are different options. It is better to know what are your ones.

There is a distinction between liability insurance, car damage waiver and theft protection
Liability insurance protects you for any damages outside the car. Example? You drive into another car - damages on the other car are fully covered by the insurance. Liability insurance is included in all Auto Europe car hire offers.
Car damage waiver (CDW) and theft protection (TP)
Each car hire offer includes a CDW and TP. Now, CDW & TP can be with or without excess, called also 'own risk'. What does that mean? If your CDW is with 600 Euro excess, you will be responsible for damages on a car up to 600 Euro. All damage costs higher than 600 Euro are covered by the insurance. Some suppliers offer no excess insurance, it is vital to verify which car parts are covered by it and if third party accidents are included. With most car hire suppliers the insurance does not cover damage to tyres, wheels or glass.
Locally you may purchase additional insurance to cover all the parts that are not included in the basic insurance, you may also buy off the excess for CDW, TP or both. Important: a deposit is blocked on the main driver's credit card. Deposit amount is usually: excess + tax + fuel. If you forget your credit card or do not posses one, your car hire will be denied :(

Auto Europe offers excess refund. What does than mean again? If you happen to have an accident, your car is damaged and you have an excess of 1000 Euro, Auto Europe refunds the amount providing you forward the following documents: police report, damage report from the supplier and damage bills. The police do not always come to single party accidents. Let us presume, somebody scratched your car on a parking lot. Most probably police officers will not come to you. You need to go to the nearest police station and report the damage.

This brings about another matter: what to do when an accident happens? Stay calm. See if anyone needs help. Call the police, supplier and road assistance if your car is damaged. Hire company will advise you how to proceed with the vehicle. Make photos and obtain insurance number from accident participants. Collect and keep all the car hire documentation. 

Most importantly, make sure what insurance is on your car before you book it! Make it simpler by calling our toll free number for insurance advise for any country, Spain or the USA.