Do I have an excess?

[Swan]

I am renting a vehicle in Canada through the car hirers UK site, which appears to provide all the insurance cover I will need, however I cannot determine if there is an excess and I have not been able to clarify this with the UK company.

All I can get from them is refer to the T & C's or resolve it when picking up the car.

The T & C state

CDW – Collision Damage Waiver
All inclusive rates include CDW, which contractually waives or limits the renter’s liability for damage to or loss of the vehicle

However when booking the car the inclusions relating specifically to the booking states:

Ldw W/excess (dno)

No one at the car rental company can tell me what dno means.

I thought CDW and LDW were the same.

If there is an excess I cannot determine the $ amount.

Is it reasonable to assume there is no excess and proceed with the rental?

 

[AdMEL]

I am renting a vehicle in Canada through the car hirers UK site, which appears to provide all the insurance cover I will need, however I cannot determine if there is an excess and I have not been able to clarify this with the UK company.

All I can get from them is refer to the T & C's or resolve it when picking up the car.

The T & C state

CDW – Collision Damage Waiver
All inclusive rates include CDW, which contractually waives or limits the renter’s liability for damage to or loss of the vehicle

However when booking the car the inclusions relating specifically to the booking states:

Ldw W/excess (dno)

No one at the car rental company can tell me what dno means.

I thought CDW and LDW were the same.

If there is an excess I cannot determine the $ amount.

Is it reasonable to assume there is no excess and proceed with the rental?

In my experience, LDW (Loss Damage Waiver) and CDW (Collision Damamge Waiver) are almost always the same. However, some rental car companies (I'm looking at you Europcar) muddy the waters by calling their excess reduction in Australia CDW.

I understand Canada has a similar insurnace structure to the US and also a similar car rental structure. In most cases, car rentals do not have an excess if CDW or LDW is included/taken. However, I've noiced that some third party agregators, particularly those from Europe or the UK, do sometimes include an excess, though it's usually not too high.

Given the potential liability involved and the ambiguity of the t&c's, I'd steer clear.