Insurance 4 Car Hire rental car excess insurance review

We've reviewed the car rental excess insurance available from Insurance 4 Car Hire. It offers daily and multi-trip policies and specialist cover for Canada and the US. Here's what you need to know.

Last updated: 13 February 2020

If you’ve been planning a road trip, or even just driving abroad, it’s worth thinking about getting insurance that will cover your excess if you need to claim. Most car hire companies will charge an excess if you make a claim, and a typical excess could leave you several hundred pounds out of pocket, if not more. Don’t simply choose car hire insurance from your car hire company as shopping around could mean you make big savings.

Insurance 4 Car Hire claims to offer low-cost alternatives to the hire car excess cover sold by hire car companies. Its insurance policies will cover customers for up to £6,500. You can buy the cover up to 364 days in advance, right up until just before you collect the hire car.

Here’s what else we think you should know.

Insurance 4 Car Hire car rental excess insurance

Find the right Hire car rental excess insurance today:

Cover for damage to windows, undercarriage, roof, tyres and headlights
Cover if you require replacement keys or fill up with the wrong fuel
Choose betweeen daily cover and multi-trip annual cover

Find out more
Read the insurance4carhire terms and conditions.

Who is Insurance 4 Car Hire?

Insurance 4 Car Hire was as set up in 2003 and provides hire car excess insurance for people living in the UK as well as those in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.

As well as hire car excess insurance, it also offers excess insurance for rental vans and can provide separate cover for the UK and Europe, or worldwide, as well as specialist cover for Canada and the US.

What are my cover options?

Daily cover

Cover for you and up to seven other drivers for trips of 60 days or less (UK & Europe or worldwide cover options).

Multi-trip annual cover

Provides cover if you’re involved in an accident or collision and damage occurs.

Multi-trip annual worldwide plus cover

Enhanced cover for collision damage waiver (CDW) and supplementary liability insurance (SLI) applicable to Canada, the US, South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

What is covered under my policy?

Excess on damage and theft up to £6,500
Up to 60 days per rental period
Mis-fuelling up to £500 per claim and £2,000 per year
Key cover up to £500 per claim and £2,000 per year
Flat battery cover up to £1,000
Cover for damage to windows, undercarriage, roof, tyres and headlights
Lost or stolen baggage up to £300 per claim

Exclusions

Your cover is likely to become invalid with Insurance 4 Car Hire if any of the following arises:

A policy is purchased after the collection of the rental car.
The rental car is in use for more than 60 days.
The rental car is more than 10 years old.
The rental car is driven by a person not named on the rental agreement.

What is my excess?

Your excess is the amount of money you’re expected to pay if you have to make a claim on insurance. With hire cars, these excess costs can range from £500 right up to £1,500 or more.

With a hire car excess insurance policy, you will be covered for any excess charges, as well as extra protection for your hire car.

Check your own policy document to see if any excess applies.

What is the claims process for Insurance 4 Car Hire?

To make a claim, you will need to log into the customer area on the Insurance 4 Car Hire website in order to access the claims form.

You will also need to have electronic copies of the following supporting documentation to submit alongside your claim form:

The car rental agreement
The rental receipt, if separate
The damage report from the rental company
Your damage invoice as proof that you have paid the amount that the rental company holds you responsible for
Your credit card statement or other proof of payment for the damages claimed
Photographic evidence, if available

It’s vital that you let your insurer know about a claim within 31 days of any payment made regarding a claim. Failure to do this could result in a delay or a rejected claim later on.

The offers compared on this page are chosen from a range of products we can track; we don't cover every product on the market...yet. Unless we've indicated otherwise, products are shown in no particular order or ranking. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations), aren't product ratings, although we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it; this is subject to our terms of use. When making a big financial decision, it's wise to consider getting independent financial advice, and always consider your own financial circumstances when comparing products so you get what's right for you.

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Liz Edwards

Liz Edwards has been a consumer writer and editor for more than 20 years, spending most of this time at the independent testing and rating publisher Which?. She's covered everything from coffee machines to car insurance, and loves to cut through waffle to give consumers the info they really need to make a decision. She also works for a small cat and two children.

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Insurance 4 Car Hire rental car excess insurance review

We've reviewed the car rental excess insurance available from Insurance 4 Car Hire. It offers daily and multi-trip policies and specialist cover for Canada and the US. Here's what you need to know.

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