UK Car Hire Excess Insurance

DON'T STRESS THE EXCESS

Be protected against costly excess charges on rental cars, for drivers aged 21-84. Get cover for excesses up to £6,500 with UK & EU cover included as standard.

Available for UK and Isle of Man residents only.

Single-trip Car Hire Excess Insurance from £12.79.

Price shown is for EU & UK cover for trips up to 3 days, additional days can be added as required (charges apply).

Annual UK & EU Car Hire Excess insurance from £46.99 a year.

Policyholder must be the lead driver on the rental agreement and the policy must be purchased prior to collecting the rental vehicle.

With our UK & EU Car Hire Excess Insurance, we can make sure that you get your excess charge reimbursed if you have to make a claim in the UK or the Isle of Man. We can offer you a quote for an annual multi-trip policy, depending on if you need cover for a one-off holiday, or you use a hire car multiple times a year for work. 

How does Car Hire Excess Insurance work?  Car Hire Excess Insurance is a type of insurance policy that covers you against costly excess charges if you need to make a claim on your hired vehicle. You'd initially have to pay the excess fee you've agreed to, and then with the excess insurance in place, you can claim it back. 

Without Car Hire Excess Insurance, once you pay a potentially large excess to fix any damage, you're out of pocket as you can't get reimbursed. Though it depends on the type of vehicle you're renting, and the hire company you use, you'll find that most excess agreements when hiring a car are hundreds of pounds. 

Can I buy insurance4carhire at Swinton outside the UK? You can only buy our Car Hire Excess Insurance if you're a UK resident, but you don't necessarily have to buy it whilst being in the UK. For example, you can buy it overseas just before you pick up the hire car, as long as you're a UK or Isle of Man resident.

If you're a UK or Isle of Man resident and you're planning to hire a vehicle abroad, our UK & EU policy covers a variety of countries in Europe, you can read our full guide to the cover here. Alternatively, if you're planning to travel further, have a look at our Worldwide policy. 

 

Single-trip vs Annual multi-trip policies

Single-trip policies

We'll cover you for a single trip, for up to 60 consecutive days. Our single trip policy will cover you for worldwide trips.

Great if you're planning to rent a car on a one-off occasion.

Annual multi-trip policies

We'll cover you for unlimited individual trips for up to 60 days at a time in the UK & EU, or Worldwide per year at a fixed cost.

This is the most cost-effective option if you frequently hire cars for travel or commuting.

What’s covered by our UK Car Hire Excess Insurance?

  • Cover to drive in Europe - Our UK & EU Car Hire Excess Insurance includes European and UK cover as standard. 
  • Excess insurance — Cover against excess costs of up to £6,500 in total, per year if your hire car is damaged or stolen.
  • Drivers between 21 and 84 — Cover for a wide age range of drivers from 21 and 84.
  • Additional drivers — Cover for up to seven additional drivers, as long as they’re named in your rental agreement.
  • 60-day rental periods — Cover for up to 60 continuous days.
  • Misfuelling and car key cover — Cover for each, up to £500 per claim and to a maximum total of £2,000 a year.
  • Flat battery cover — Covers flat battery claims for up to £1,000 per year.
  • Late pick-up charges — Cover for late pick-up charges caused by unexpected flight delays.
  • Excess cover for your courtesy car — Covers excess charges on any vehicle that’s loaned to you while your rental car is being repaired, or when your own car is in the garage and you’re given a courtesy car.
  • Fire, theft, and vandalism cover — Covers excess fees for claims resulting from damage by fire, theft, and malicious damage.
  • Tyres and windscreen cover — Provides reimbursement of the repair or replacement costs incurred under the rental agreement for damage to the windows, tyres, wheels, undercarriage, and roof of the rental vehicle.
  • Personal effects and baggage cover — Cover for claims made on personal effects and baggage stolen from your hire car.

 

What’s not covered?

Our UK & EU Car Hire Excess Insurance is only available for UK and Isle of Man residents.

  • Car rentals where the Car Hire Excess Insurance policyholder doesn’t match the name of the lead driver on the rental agreement.
  • Policies purchased after the collection of your rental vehicle.
  • Cars worth more than £120,000 or over 10 years old.
  • Claims relating to off-road driving.
  • Commercial vehicles, motorbikes, camper vans, mobile homes, vans, or any vehicle with more than nine seats. Visit our Van Hire Excess Insurance page for non-commercial van hire cover.
  • Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) or Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI). Most rental agreements include these but always check with your hire car company. If you’re interested in CDW and SLI cover, take a look at our Worldwide Car Hire Excess Insurance plus CDW & SLI.

      Get instant cover with UK & EU Car Hire Excess Insurance

      Europe Car Hire Excess Insurance

      With our Europe Car Hire Excess Insurance, you’ll be protected for claims you make while driving a hired vehicle in the UK and Europe. This includes countries like France, Spain, and Germany, as well as some non-mainland countries & regions like Iceland, Madeira, and the Azores.

      We'll reimburse any excess charges that you incur for up to £6,500, whether it's for a single or annual multi-trip policy.

      Along with misfuelling, car key, flat battery, and courtesy car cover, our policy also includes late pick-up charges due to unscheduled flight delays.

      Learn more about Europe Car Hire Excess Insurance

       

      Worldwide Car Hire Excess Insurance

      If you’re planning to drive further afield, our Worldwide Car Hire Excess Insurance will reimburse excess charges up to a total of £6,500 on trips in North America, Asia, and more. Available for single and annual multi-trip policies.

      Not all rental companies will offer you the same level of cover. You can choose our Worldwide Car Hire Excess Insurance plus Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) & Supplemental Liability (SLI) policy to make sure you’re protected. You’ll receive:

      • Excess Insurance
      • Collision Damage Waiver Insurance
      • Supplemental Liability Insurance

      Learn more about Worldwide Car Hire Excess Insurance

       

      Can I get UK Hire Excess Insurance for a van too?

      Yes, we also provide excess insurance for vans. If your van is damaged or stolen, we’ll cover excess charges of up to £6,500 when you take out daily cover for single trips. 

      Our Van Hire Excess Insurance is available for all non-commercial van rentals in the UK and Isle of Man only.

      Learn more about Van Hire Excess Insurance

       

      Why choose Swinton to insure your car hire excess?

      There are plenty of reasons to choose us for Car Hire Excess Insurance:  
      • A high level of cover — Cover excess up to the value of £6,500 in total per year.
      • Add multiple drivers to the policy — Cover for up to seven additional drivers named on your rental agreement.
      • Flexible rental periods — Choose your level of cover from single trip for up to 60 consecutive days, or annual multi-trip for individual trips up to 60 days at a time for up to 12 months.
      • Multiple benefits included as standard — Includes cover for misfuelling, car keys, flat batteries, and even late pick-up charges due to delayed flights.

      Frequently asked questions about UK Car Hire Excess Insurance

      No, our Car Hire Excess Insurance is only available for UK and Isle of Man residents. EU residents can get a quote for Car Hire Excess Insurance from our partner site.

      The amount of car hire excess can vary as it’s set by your hire company’s insurer. The excess amount will also be determined by factors like what type of vehicle you’re hiring and where you’ll be driving it.

      If you need to make a claim on your car hire insurance, you’ll be asked by your rental company’s insurer to pay the excess upfront. After it’s been paid, the insurer will open an investigation to determine who was at fault.

      It’s possible that your excess will be waived if you’re found not to be at fault, but this isn’t always guaranteed and it can vary across insurers. Taking out a Car Hire Excess Insurance policy with us gives you up to £6,500 excess cover, regardless of who is at fault.

      No, we do not offer CDW on our UK policy. While most hire car companies in the UK will already offer CDW in their rental agreements, you can choose our Worldwide Car Hire Excess Insurance plus CDW & Supplemental Liability Insurance cover to make sure that it’s definitely included.

      Like CDW, SLI is usually offered on the rental agreement in hire companies in the UK. This is why we don’t include either CDW or SLI in our UK excess insurance policies.

      If you’re unsure whether your rental company offers it or you just want the peace of mind, choose our Worldwide Car Hire Excess Insurance plus CDW & SLI to make sure you’re covered.

      No, we do not offer excess cover for additional drivers who hire a car on their own. Our Car Hire Excess Insurance policies only extend to the person named as the lead driver on the car rental agreement.

      However, you can add up to seven additional insured drivers to your Swinton Car Hire Excess Insurance policy as long as they are all named on the rental agreement. 

      If two insured family members want to take out car hire excess insurance under one policy, they can purchase a joint policy. This means that both people will be named as the lead driver and they can hire two separate vehicles at the same time or hire cars separately.

      Your insurance documents will be included in your welcome email that is sent out to you after your purchase.

      If you are having issues accessing your documents, please contact us with your policy number.

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