With a dedicated multilingual customer support team, you'll be able to get assistance wherever you are any time of the day.
No one wants to think about what can go wrong while on the road (or how much it can cost you if something does), and with RentalCover.com's policies for car rental excess insurance, you can take a bit of the worry away.
RentalCover.com gives extra protection on top of any basic cover your car rental company may provide, and insures you for up to $100,000 against vehicle theft or damage - including cracked windscreens, flat tyres, damaged headlights, lost keys and towing costs. It'll also cover costs associated with fixing the car including any credit card fees and administrative costs that may be charged by a mechanic.
RentalCover.com's policies average out to be about 50% less than the average excess insurance that you can add on at the rental desk direct from the car hire company, which can cost up to $30 per day and not necessarily offer the $0 excess that all RentalCover.com policies include. Depending on where in the world you're getting extra cover, policies range from $5 to $15 per day. The company also has a price-beat guarantee, so if you do come across excess coverage for less, just let them know and they'll beat it (not available for bookings in the USA).
We did a test booking for excess in Australia for a range of one to seven days to see how much it costs.
| Number of Days | Price (Total) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $13.91 |
| 2 | $25.04 |
| 3 | $36.18 |
| 4 | $44.63 |
| 5 | $61.21 |
| 6 | $73.72 |
| 7 | $86.25 |
Car rental companies will typically offer excess reduction cover, which can also be referred to as an excess waiver or damage waiver. This type of policy, as the name suggests, reduces the amount of excess you will have to pay in the event that your rental car is damaged.
While this reduces your excess from a significant amount to something much more manageable, you could still have to pay an excess of up to $1,000.
If you're in an accident or have any damage to your car, you'll need to first pay the rental car company whatever they charge for the damage. You then can claim back the charges online via email, but you'll need the following documents to do so:
RentalCover.com averages a three-day turnaround for claims.
When you’re setting off for a holiday, sometimes you want to rent a vehicle a little bigger than a run-of-the-mill passenger vehicle. For many tourists in Australia and New Zealand, motorhomes and campervans offer an innovative and affordable way to travel. Of course, typical rental company excess costs for these vehicles can be quite expensive, so RentalCover.com offers protection for hirers of campervans and motorhomes in Australia and New Zealand.
These policies work in exactly the same way as RentalCover.com’s policies for ordinary rental vehicles, covering you when your campervan or motorhome is crashed, stolen or damaged. For a much lower cost than an excess reduction policy from your rental provider, RentalCover.com reimburses you the total amount of any excess you are required to pay. While rental companies will exclude a broad range of situations and circumstances from their excess reduction coverage, RentalCover.com offers protection for an extensive range of incidents. Cover is included for the following:
In addition, RentalCover.com policies are tailored to the market in which they are offered, designed to cover specific risks unique to that country. For example, as kangaroos are a hazard for Australian drivers, RentalCover.com’s Australian policies contain cover for damage caused by hitting animals.
RentalCover.com 4x4 Excess Cover provides protection in a much broader range of circumstances and situations than what you'll get direct from the car hire company.
For example, while companies like Apollo and Wicked will not cover vehicle rollovers regardless of the cause, RentalCover.com protects you in such situations. Many companies will not cover overhead and underbody damage no matter what the circumstances, while a RentalCover.com policy will. Of course, RentalCover.com also ensures that you do not have to be put out of pocket for any excess when your rental 4WD is damaged. This could end up saving you lots of money and gives you the confidence and peace of mind you need to simply relax and enjoy your travels.
If you're ready to take out car rental excess cover with RentalCover.com, you can follow the secure link in the table above through to the RentalCover.com website to receive a free quote and apply for cover. Finder always recommends that you take the time to view the policy terms and conditions before purchasing cover to know exactly what you are covered for. RentalCover.com's team is always on hand to answer any questions you may have regarding your policy.
Receive a quote from RentalCover.com
Is cheap car hire excess insurance worth it? Find out the inclusions and exclusions here.
CDWs and LDWs can financially protect you and your rental car, but to what extent? Compare 5 major brands to find the best cover for you.
What to do if you have an accident in a rental car and how to protect yourself in the future.
Read the review for Car Hire Excess Insurance. Compare its cover features and receive a quote.
I am hiring 2 cars 1 on the north and 1 on the south in NZ can I take just 1 policy or do I need 2?
Hi Karen,
Thanks for your inquiry and for visiting Finder.
Generally, you would need 1 car hire excess insurance for each car as the length/extent of cover would depend on the type of car you hire for each location. You can read more and compare a range of car hire excess insurance.
Ultimately, it would be best to ask the insurer if they would allow 2 cars registered under 1 policy. As a friendly reminder, be sure to check out the Product Disclosure of the insurance before applying and make sure your talk with the company is clear enough and you’ve discussed all the options available.
Hope this helps! Feel free to message us should you have further questions.
Regards,
Nikki
I am 68, but my spouse is 77. Will he be covered?
Hi AK,
Thank you for getting in touch with finder.
Most of RentalCover.com policies will cover from 19 – 99 years old. It is best to contact them directly regarding the policy that you would get to check if your husband is covered or not.
I hope this helps.
Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any other enquiries.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Jeni
We’re from Canada, 69 years old, renting a small car for 21 days and driving between Sydney and up to Noosa heads area. My question is why don’t you just say 100% insured with no exclusions. There always seems to be the possibility in so many insurance coverages of something not mentioned or not mentioned for specific circumstances etc. And how does one recover the costs in any are charged. Do you deal with the rental car company?
Hi Keith,
Thanks for your question. When it comes to exclusions, just like with many financial products, there have to be conditions and exclusions to ensure that the person involved was doing the right thing at the time of the incident and entered into the contract with the utmost good faith. For example, it wouldn’t be fair for someone who had a no fault accident to be treated the same way as someone who was drunk behind the wheel.
As for rental cover, we do have one insurer in our panel who covers specifically rental vehicle excess. Please have a look at the page linked below.
https://www.finder.com.au/car-rental-excess-insurance
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
Yes, that part I understand but what I was trying to ask not very well was why exclude bumpers and trim for instance as Tripcover (Allianz) does. What if I am hit or scraped in a parking lot while shopping and the perpetrator takes off, or a kangaroo jumps in front of my car while I am driving? That could easily amount to $1000 or more in damages. Do such exclusions mean I would not be covered?
Hi Keith,
Sorry for the misunderstanding. This section excludes damage to bumpers and trim outside of damage caused by a motor vehicle accident as this would be considered general wear and tear, which rental companies don’t normally charge for.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
The more I look at all this the less clear things get. I almost bought Tripcover’s excess insurance but suddenly noticed they are really only covering the excess on the rental car itself.
My car rental company also does not cover the excess for: Liability Insurance for injuries or damages to persons or
things outside the vehicle. Rental limits potential injury or
damages to a deductible of approximately AUD 4,015.00.
Are there any companies that do that? You see what I mean about exclusions. In Canada we refer to “comprehensive” insurance. Is here not a “comprehensive” excess cover insurance somewhere?
Thanks
Keith
Hi Keith,
Thanks for your question. Yes, Tripcover offer rental excess insurance only. Generally, most comprehensive policy have a rental excess component. If you enter your travel details into the travel insurance quoting engine on the travel insurance home page, you will be given a list of policies to choose from. On that page under each provider, there is a more info button. If you click on the button, you can review the comprehensive policies that offer rental excess insurance, and how much is covered.
I hope this was helpful,
Richard
Thanks for your reply. I will look at your page but if you notice, rental excess at the car rental company also refers to third party liability, which tripcover does not appear to address.
Keith