Policy Comparison – Car hire excess review
- The chart below provides at-a-glance comparisons between the available UK online car hire excess policies.
- See our Detailed Policy Reviews section for a detailed review of each of the policies listed below.
- Details correct as at March 2011.
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| Provider | Daily and yearly/multi-trip policies? | Price | Good for: | Beware: |
| questor-insurance.co.uk | Yes | Daily policies from £3.01 per day.
Annual policies from £44.10. |
Drivers up to age 84 automatically covered.
Daily policy can be used for up to 180 days. Two people can rent separately under one cover (premium payable). Discount on subsequent purchases. Lost key cover included. Baggage cover and locked out cover included. |
Rentals within 150km of your home not automatically covered – must pay premium.
Other drivers to be covered must be named when taking out the policy. Mechanical breakdown and misfuelling not covered. See ‘Detailed Policy Reviews’ for further details. |
insurance4carhire.com
 |
Yearly only, but for daily ones you can follow the redirect link to www.
dailyexcess.com |
Depends on choice of cover. Examples:
Annual European cover = £49. Annual worldwide cover = from £65. |
Cover for drivers up to age 85 available.
Lost key cover included. Separate policy available for drivers aged 74 to 85. |
All policies are yearly.
Rentals within 150km of your home not covered at all. Only yearly policies available. See ‘Detailed Policy Reviews’ for further details. |
| theaa.com | Yes | Daily = £4.50 per day.
Annual European cover = £49. Annual worldwide cover = £59. |
Lost key cover included.
Baggage cover included. |
Rentals must be more than £150km from your home.
Limit of 62 days on daily policy. See ‘Detailed Policy Reviews’ for further details. |
| worldwideinsure.com | Yes, but 3 day minimum | Daily = from £1.90 per day.
Annual European cover = from £45. Annual worldwide cover = from £55. |
Drivers up to age 84 automatically covered.
Daily policy can be used for up to 180 days. Lost key cover included. Misfuelling and towing charges covered. |
Must pay a premium for rentals in UK.
See ‘Detailed Policy Reviews’ for further details. |
| carhire-excess-insurance.com | Yes | From £1.90 in Europe and £2.95 worldwide per day.
Annual European cover = £45. Annual worldwide cover = £55. |
Drivers up to age 84 automatically covered.
Daily policy can be used for up to 180 days. Lost key cover included. Misfuelling and towing charges covered. |
Rentals within 150km of your home not automatically covered – must pay premium.
See ‘Detailed Policy Reviews’ for further details. |
| car-hire-insurance.co.uk | Yes | Daily = £4.50 per day.
Annual European cover = £49. Annual worldwide cover = from £65. |
Two people can rent separately under one cover (premium payable).
Cover for drivers up to age 85 available. Lost key cover included. Includes SLI cover (premium payable). |
Limit of 62 days on daily policy.
No renting within 150km of your home except on daily policy. See ‘Detailed Policy Reviews’ for further details. |
| dailyexcess.com
|
Daily only | £4.75 per day. | Cover for drivers up to age 85 available.
Rentals near your home automatically covered. Lost key cover included. Baggage cover included. |
Limit of 62 days on daily policy.
Daily policies only. See ‘Detailed Policy Reviews’ for further details. |
| xswaiver.com | Yes | Daily = from £2.80 per day.
Annual cover = from £40. |
Lost key cover included.
Includes SLI cover (premium payable). Misfuelling and towing charges included. |
Worldwide policy excludes USA and Canada.
Must pay a premium for additional drivers. No renting within 150km of your home. Limit of 62 days on daily policy. See ‘Detailed Policy Reviews’ for further details. |
| carhireinsurance4u.com | Yes | Daily = from £1.50.
From £39 for 31 days UK cover. From £59 for 31 days worldwide cover. |
Cover for drivers up to age 85 available.
Includes a ‘price beat guarantee’. ‘UK unlimited’ policy is valid for any number of consecutive days rental for any one car hire within the relevant year. Rentals near your home automatically covered on UK policy. |
Limited to only one claim per policy!
Look carefully at amount of cover – depends on policy chosen and may be only £1,000. See ‘Detailed Policy Reviews’ for further details. |
| essentialtravel.co.uk
|
Yes | Daily = from £1.94 per day.
Yearly = from £39.62. |
Daily policy can be used for up to 180 days.
Gold policy includes SLI in relevant territories (e.g. USA). Drivers up to age 84 automatically covered. |
No renting within 150km of your home.
Other drivers to be covered must be named on the policy. See ‘Detailed Policy Reviews’ for further details. |
| holidaycarsdirect.com | Yes | European cover from £1.90 per day.
Worldwide cover from £2.90 per day. |
Single trip policies cover for up to 180 days.
Includes SLI cover (premium payable). |
Must pay a premium for rentals in UK.
Other drivers to be covered must be named on the policy. See ‘Detailed Policy Reviews’ for further details. |
| atlasdirect.net | Yes | From £1.89 per day for daily cover. | Daily policy covers for up to 180 days.
Offer to beat competitor prices. Includes SLI cover (premium payable). |
Must pay a premium for rentals in UK.
No renting within 150km of your home. See ‘Detailed Policy Reviews’ for further details. |
| icarhireinsurance.com | Yes. | Daily from £2.99, annual European from £39.99. | Lots of extra additional items included (some of which require additional premium) such as lock out cover, car-jacking and baggage cover.
Rentals in home country covered. |
Extra driver provisions are more restrictive than usual – only one other allowed and must be a ‘close relative’.
Limit of 31 days cover on daily policy. See ‘Detailed Policy Reviews’ for further details. |
| cdwsli.com | Yes. | Daily from £6.99, annual from £119. | Includes SLI cover.
Lock out charges and drop off charges included. |
Geared towards USA/Canada.
Limit of 62 days on daily policy. More expensive daily policy than other providers. See ‘Detailed Policy Reviews’ for further details. |
| reducemyexcess.co.uk | Yes | Daily from £1.95, annual from £39.95. | Daily policy covers for up to 180 days.
Lost key cover included. Misfuelling and towing charges included. |
Must pay a premium for rentals in UK.
See ‘Detailed Policy Reviews’ for further details. |