Consumer advice as to why the insurance policies offered at the car hire desk can be worth taking when travelling in foreign countries.



The car hire desk can be one of the most confusing and laborious elements when on holiday. The sheer range of considerations and optional extras offered often leaves the consumer befuddled. While it may be easier to simply switch off and get to the car as quickly as possible there are a number of additions to the car hire agreement that should be considered. Of particular importance are the extra insurance options that are available from the rental firm, in some cases the penalties and excess charges can be astronomical hence having cover is extremely useful.

Some car hire firms can charge excess at around a thousand pounds if the rental vehicle is involved in an accident. Travellers may be especially scared of such charges but it is important not to be bullied into taking such extras, it is often worth checking existing motor insurance policies and the cover provided by a credit card before purchasing more insurance. If this cover is inadequate however, it is often advisable to take the rental firms cover, after all, no one can predict the future and having cover for unforeseen circumstances will help travellers to relax and enjoy their holidays.

Typically the best type of cover to obtain is the damage waiver. In most cases this will cover the customer should the vehicle become damaged in any way, for instance in an accident or whilst parked. While in some cases an excess will still be applied, with the waiver this excess will be considerably less. It is always advisable though to make a detailed check of the hire car before leaving the rental depot, even with a damage waiver it is important to let the company know of any damage to the car before departure, by doing this the chances of being charged for damage are negated.

In many countries across Europe and in the United States it is often essential to take some form of personal accident insurance when hiring a vehicle. These countries rarely have a nationalised health service and hence any medical treatments will result in charges. This form of insurance does not always have to be purchased from the rental desk, most travellers will have some form of private medical insurance, although it is usually advisable to check whether this will cover accidents and injuries abroad, if it does not, the hire desk is probably the best solution.

In addition to the damage waiver and accident insurance it is usually worthwhile taking some form of belongings cover. Typically if this obtained from the car hire company this will cover theft of belongings from the vehicle; as the loss of items such as passports and plane tickets can be extremely costly, especially when it comes to replacing such items, having cover for this situation is essential.

Hopefully this article has put forward some of the different types of insurance that are available from the car hire desk. While it is in no way a comprehensive list, it does give some idea of the importance of insurance cover whilst travelling. Without cover, unforeseen circumstances can easily ruin a holiday, with cover; even the most disastrous of events can be put into perspective, allowing the traveller to salvage some semblance of enjoyment from their trip. So before jumping straight into the hire car, consider the insurance packages on offer and assess whether it will be foolhardy to leave the rental depot without effective cover.