 Poster: A snowHead
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Browsing through various car hire topics, getting your own car hire insurance to cover the excess has been mentioned. Now, I'm thinking I'll get an annual policy to cover ski hols and summer hols (which should also be ski holidays, but that's something else).
My question is, if you have it, who do you use and why? Price, coverage and quality?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@HeidiAmsterdam,
For the past few years we have taken an annual policy with
Www.worldwideinsure.com
We researched it all at the time and they seemed to fit the bill well. From memory it's about £45.00 a year and given the number of trips we do we save money by having this policy and not taking the excess insurance offered by the car hire companies each trip.
Haven't had to claim yet. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I used https://www.carhireexcess.com/ for my last trip. I had to claim after I stupidly didn't get the hire company to check the car before I left and got slapped with a 700 euro bill for supposed damage.
The insurance company paid in full very quickly once I filled in the claim forms - I was very impressed.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I use www.insurance4carhire.com. Chosen on basis of cost. Not had to claim yet  but much cheaper than using hire company's top up insurance.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I wondered about that, as the Car Hire company charges seem outrageous. On balance I decided to self-insure though - the idea of having to insure myself against their fraud (them trying to blame me for damage I did not cause) seemed beyond the pale. The chances of me damaging a car, or a third party doing that, seem slim from my own experience, so that risk I can take.
I just photograph the vehicles before and after and get on with it, and I know some very expensive lawyers so I'll be a hard target should the car hire guys fancy a shot.
Personally I'd actually rather hire a beat up car as I hardly care what the thing looks like if it's a hire car.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@philwig, you might feel differently if you'd had the same experience as us a few years ago in Mexico. The windscreen of a brand new and huge car (they'd upgraded us) was smashed on the way to the airport going home when a big bird flew into it, nothing we could have done to avoid it. Cost was £800 (yes, I know it wasn't really, but you can't argue about what they decide to charge you). All settled promptly by carhireexcess.com. Without that insurance it would have been a fairly unhappy flight home!
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Yes, I would argue that I could replace it for significantly less, and I think I would win. Worst case, I'd offset that £800 against the insurance premiums I've saved.
Windscreen damage is quite common on rentals in places with snow.
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I've used https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/ for the past few years, £40 annual policy for Europe (slightly more if you want to cover worldwide). I had to claim once for a windscreen and all sorted with the minimum amount of fuss, so would definitely recommend.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@philwig, it's not a case of winning an argument, the piece of paper you would have signed on pickup would have said that they set the replacement price, and I certainly wouldn't have risked missing my flight arguing.
At about £50 per annum for unlimited rentals, I'd have had to have no other claims in 16 years for it to have made sense to self-insure. And given that in many countries under-car damage, tyre-damage and glass damage is excluded entirely from insurance, I know that I am significantly better off having taken top up insurance. Plus I never have to worry about arguing the toss on whether something is or isn't my fault, which is worth a significant amount to me.
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I've had tyre damage to a rental car (ordinary sort of pot hole with nasty edge, car had to take the edge of the road to avoid on-coming ski bus on a road with only a narrow part snow-ploughed) and windscreen broken on my own, in recent years . The first incident would have been expensive without excess insurance as it necessitated an expensive tow and two new tyres (stupid bloody thing had no spare wheel  ). Puncture on my own car by contrast - no problem, just changed the wheel.
All told, I'm glad I had the excess insurance and the annual costs are very low.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| philwig wrote: |
Yes, I would argue that I could replace it for significantly less, and I think I would win. Worst case, I'd offset that £800 against the insurance premiums I've saved.
Windscreen damage is quite common on rentals in places with snow. |
It would take 20 years of self insuring to recover the cost. I've nade 2 claims which the insurance will nevet recoup from my premiums. A third claim was paid out but then I got refunded from the car hire company do I repaid the insurance
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@JohnHSmith, +1
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You know it makes sense.
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| MontriondSkier wrote: |
| I use www.insurance4carhire.com. Chosen on basis of cost. Not had to claim yet but much cheaper than using hire company's top up insurance. |
Ill endorse that.
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FAQ
