Direct Car Excess Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is Car Hire Excess?

When you hire a car, the rental price will usually include insurance which covers you for accidents (Collision Damage Waiver/CDW) and theft (Loss Damage Waiver/LDW). If the worse should happen, you will be required to pay a portion of the costs to the car rental company, the excess. Such costs can run into thousands of pounds. In addition, damage to tyres, the windscreen and the undercarriage are often excluded from the car rental company's insurance and will be entirely the responsibility of the hirer.

Why should I buy Direct Car Excess Insurance?

Direct Car Excess Insurance gives you peace of mind knowing that if your hire car is damaged or stolen whilst in your care you won't be left out of pocket. Buying in advance could also save you a significant amount compared to equivalent cover from the hire car company at their rental desk. Our policies are underwritten by American International Group UK Limited.

In the Americas, many rental companies offer insurance, some inclusive in the rental price and some at an additional cost. However, depending on what state you are in, you may have limited cover for damage to the rental car and Third Party Liability. Ensuring that you have appropriate cover in place is important so you don't get left with a nasty bill if you are unfortunate enough to have an accident whilst on holiday.

Yes. If you take out our Direct Car Excess Insurance policy you don't need to take out the rental company's own policy. However, the rental company will usually ask you to leave a holding deposit which is held against your credit card. The deposit is usually the same cost as the excess you are responsible for so make sure you have enough funds on your credit card to cover this.

If you have already purchased a Direct Car Excess Insurance policy, you can rest assured that if you are involved in an accident or the rental car is stolen, we will reimburse you the excess (up to £6,000). Remember, the deposit you left when you collected the rental car will be deducted from your account but we will reimburse you that cost. As with all insurance policies, there are some exclusions. Please read the policy wording to make sure you are comfortable with our cover.

Yes. Our policies do not offer cover travel in or through Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, the Crimea Region or countries where the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has warned against all but essential travel.

Yes. Our policies cover the policyholder, who must be the lead driver on the rental agreement, and all other named drivers providing they are UK residents, have a valid full UK, EEA (European Economic Area) or Swiss driving licence and are aged between 21 and 85 years.

No. Our policies do not cover the following vehicles: Motor homes, camper vans, trailers or caravans, trucks, commercial vehicles, goods carrying vans, motorcycles, mopeds, motorbikes, off-road vehicles, recreational vehicles and passenger vans and vehicles with more than 9 seats. Any vehicle which has a retail value when new in excess of £60, 000 and has a 0 - 62mph(0 - 100kph) time of less than 7.5 seconds. Any vehicle which is over 20 years old

Please refer to the policy wording for details of all exclusions.The key exclusions are as follows: No cover whilst driving in violation of the road laws of the country of hire. No cover while driving off-road other than on a properly maintained private road. No cover for occupational or professional use or rentals for business use. You cannot claim for credit card, commission or currency conversion fees. No cover for mechanical or electrical breakdown of the hire car

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