Car Hire Jargon

[kloofnek]

Although we have hired cars numerous times,I can never understand the excess waiver etc..So I am wondering if some intelligent Answerbanker can explain it to me... the currency in this case is South African Rands but that is irrelevant.Cannot understand about the part in the EXCESS section regards to Theft Excess as it states that the theft protection is covered in the CDW...then they are asking for a deposit on top of that!!!
I know I could ring EuropeCar but have done this at other times but got no real sense out of them or could not understand as they were a foreigner.


DAMAGE and THEFT PROTECTION
Collision Damage Waiver and Theft Protection are included with this car. It covers damage and theft of the vehicle with the exclusion of damage or loss of tyres, windscreen, glass and undercarriage.
EXCESS
The car has a damage excess of ZAR 20175.0 (Includes tax) and a theft excess of ZAR 20175.0 (Includes tax). Please ensure that you have the excess amount available on your card when you pick up the car.
DEPOSIT
The supplier will require a deposit amount of ZAR 7553.0 at pick-up. It is a guarantee held on the credit card in the event of damage or theft of the vehicle. It will be automatically released if there is no damage or theft during the rental period.

It appears so complicated or am I being rather stupid!!!!!

[zebo]

The car has basic cover against damage and theft.
However it doesn't cover the whole loss or cost, in the event of a loss you are liable for the amounts stated and your credit card should have enough on it to pay for the loss.
The company will 'block' ZAR 7553 on your credit card when you pick it up and release it when you return the car undamaged. This means that you will be unable to spend that money.
They will want to sell you extra insurance when you pick it up and it can be expensive, consider buying insurance protection before you go, there are many on the market. In the event of a claim against you, you will have to pay it then claim it back from the insurance company.
We often rent through rentalcars.com and they often have no excess payment, maybe shop around.

[kloofnek]

Thank you Zebo,will look at Rentalcars .com.
So is the EXCESS section optional?
We used to have an insurance withe Insure4Carhire.com,so it sounds a good idea to purchase again.

[Prudie]

Yes the Excess cover is optional but we have never hired abroad without getting extra Excess cover from an independent. It's the same as UK car insurance, most of us have an excess to bring the premium down. As zebo said I would strongly advise that you take up this extra cover (we use Axa but there are loads of choices) as it's a very common practice to get an aggressive hard sell to buy their excess cover when you pick up the car - last thing you want to deal with after a long tiring journey.

[kloofnek]

Thank you Prudie.So if I reenstate the insurance with the above said insurance company,will not need to purchase the car hire company EXCESS of R20.175.00.is this correct?

[Prudie]

Hi Kloofnek, no you won't have to buy their excess cover but you will have to have that amount available on your credit card because if anything does happen you will still have to pay them the excess and then claim it back from the policy you have bought, presumably once home (so remember to keep all paperwork relating to the hire and any accident).

[New Judge]

as has been said, there are plenty of UK companies that will cover you. I use this lot:

https://www.questor-insurance.co.uk/car-hire-insurance.aspx

Last policy I took out was about £35 for a year. They do daily and weekly rates but, from memory, it costs in to have an annual if you intend hiring a car for two weeks or more.

It's well worth having. Normal car hire insurance does not cover things like tyres, the underside of the car or even the roof. A couple of years ago I slashed the sidewall of a tyre (tyre written off) and it cost me about £85 to replace. I had to pay for it myself but Questor reimbursed me within a week.

[Tyler_G]

such insurance is always a difficult question. The answer to it may vary depending on the country and company from which you rent a car. Therefore, I advise you to consult the companies in advance when you will rent a car. You can read more here

[Tyler_G]

https://rental24h.com/faq