Car Rental Insurance Europe

Car hire excess insurance offers financial protection if things go wrong while driving a rental vehicle. Outside the United States and Canada, your rental price usually includes a Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) or Loss Damage Waiver (LDW).

Your CDW/LDW reduces your liability if the rental car is damaged or stolen, similar to basic insurance. However, it usually comes with a high excess, meaning you could still face significant out-of-pocket costs.

Car hire excess insurance covers that excess. You can buy it from the rental desk, or choose an alternative provider that may offer better value.

Credit card coverage varies significantly from one provider to another. Many credit card insurance policies do offer coverage for at least some European countries, though it's rarer to have coverage across the whole continent.

Credit card insurance is generally secondary coverage: it relies on a primary form of insurance, like your personal auto insurance, before it activates. Once it kicks in, it can cover your deductible and provide insurance for things your primary insurance might exclude.

Since personal auto insurance often doesn't apply when you travel overseas, some credit card policies will default to primary coverage in these cases.

Rental desk insurance in Europe typically covers you for the basics. But it leaves some real gaps.

When you rent a vehicle in Europe, you'll get the legally required minimum insurance included, and a Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) is also almost always included.

That's a reasonable baseline, but CDWs commonly exclude:

• Windscreen and headlight damage
• Underbody damage
• Lost keys
• Additional driver costs

Rental companies often sell a step up, a Super Collision Damage Waiver (SCDW), to close these gaps. It's usually pricier than third-party options like RentalCover that cover the same exclusions.

Some travel insurance policies include a level of rental vehicle cover. For example, some policies offer rental vehicle excess/deductible insurance, covering your out-of-pocket costs if you make a claim with another insurer, like your rental car company.

Your travel insurer typically won't offer primary cover for damage or theft to the rental vehicle itself.

The insurance that's legally required to drive in Europe is automatically included in your rental's daily price.

Additional cover from providers like RentalCover can bolster your peace of mind, filling gaps often excluded by rental company cover, with nothing to pay out of pocket if you need to claim.

The average cost of RentalCover protection comes to approximately €9 a day. Hire car insurance purchased from car rental companies costs around €15 to €21 a day.

Many car rental companies in Europe allow you to take your vehicle across national borders. The terms of your insurance should be broadly similar across any country you travel to; check with your rental car company to see if any changes apply.

You don't need to inform RentalCover if you take your vehicle to multiple countries. As long as you comply with the terms of your rental agreement, our cover will still apply.