US Rental Car waiver doesn't cover window, tyres etc. Additional coverage possible?

[anthonysimilion]

I'm travelling to the US and thanks to a tip from here, I'm going to hire a car through novacarhire.com. Reading through the T&C for the car hire, this seems to be a fairly standard clause:

"MAXI WAIVER DOES NOT COVER: Theft of personal effects or goods within the car. Damages done to within the car from cigarette burns. Damage to the windows, mirrors, lamps, wheels, tyres and parts on the underside of the vehicle. Damages resulting from the use of the wrong fuel."

I've checked with my travel insurance company, since the cost of window damage, mirror, tyres etc wouldn't be an 'excess' it isn't covered. Does anyone have any suggestions on someone I can purchase coverage from for this? Seasoned travellers to the US - what do you usually do in this situation to protect yourself? Cheers.

(I did a bit of Googling... has anyone bought policies from companies like insurance4carhire.com or icarhireinsurance.com before? any good?)

 

[DeKa]

Re: US Rental Car waiver doesn't cover window, tyres etc. Additional coverage possibl

I use holidayautos.com.au for this reason - their US rental rates are set up for Australian's requirements (which are very different to US customers) and are all inclusive.

What's Included?
All prices are fully inclusive of unlimited mileage, third party insurance, collision damage waiver, theft waiver, airport surcharges, bail bonds (where needed) and all local taxes unless otherwise stated on the next page in the important information section.

Excess is $100...

insurance details

You will be required to leave a deposit to the value of the insurance excess if collecting your car in New York state. If the car is damaged during the rental you may be charged an excess of USD$100 which will be debited from your deposit. All other states have a zero excess. Please be aware conditions/restrictions apply to 24hr breakdown service

 

[anthonysimilion]

Re: US Rental Car waiver doesn't cover window, tyres etc. Additional coverage possibl

I use holidayautos.com.au for this reason - their US rental rates are set up for Australian's requirements (which are very different to US customers) and are all inclusive.


Excess is $100...

Thanks for the link. Unfortunately looking closely at the terms and conditions it seems it's much the same:

insurance exclusions and excess reduction waiver
Insurance Exclusions
Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) is subject to: a) the payment of an excess therefore you may be charged an excess by the local supplier for damage or theft of the vehicle (unless advised otherwise at the time of booking); and b) certain exclusions which include, without limit, when damage is caused to windows/windscreens, wheels and tyres, the underside and roof of the car or where the vehicle is driven off-road or on un-tarmacked roads, without due care and attention, negligently or damage caused willfully or through negligence or where the driver is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
If you wish to protect yourself against the payment of the excess ((a) above) as a result of damage having been caused to the vehicle, then you can do so by purchasing our Excess Reduction Waiver product (ERW). However please be aware that even with this product you will still have to compensate the car rental partner for damage which falls within one of the exclusions (see (b) above).

...

Exclusions:

• When damage is caused to windows/windscreen, interior, wheels, tyres, underside or roof of the car
• Where any rental vehicle has been driven off-road and or has been driven on un-sealed roads
• ...

In these circumstances, your liability to pay for the excess will not be waived and you may be liable for the full cost up to and exceeding the excess. At the point of collection additional "optional" excess reduction cover may be offered by our car rental partner. If you choose to accept the purchase for any additional coverage this will be entirely your own financial responsibility and may not be refunded.

 

[AdMEL]

Re: US Rental Car waiver doesn't cover window, tyres etc. Additional coverage possibl

Damage to underbody and roof and damage caused by water are standard exclusions in most countries, including in Australia. As is damage from wrong fuel and theft of personal belongings (this costs extra). Damage to wheels, tyres and windscreens is also a common exclusion, especially in Australia, unless you pay an extra fee to cover damage. Where damage to wheels, tyres and windscreens is not specifically included, it is subject to the usual excess (in Australia).

The US is entirely different - usually you have no cover or full cover for most things (presumably excluding underbody and roof damage) with no excess.

Your problem highlights one of the problems I have with third party brokers/providers - they often impose stricter conditions than if you hired directly through the rental companies. I rented two cars through Hertz this time last year using a packaged rate available to Aussies which includes insurance cover for all damage with no excess. One of the cars acquired a bullseye stone chip in the windscreen which turned into a star crack. Initially I was worried it wouldn't be covered (based on my experience in Australia), but after querying it on FT and checking the rental agreement, there was no exclusion. When I returned the car, I was not charged. I note that this could have been due to slackness of Hertz, especially given my sister was not charged for a cracked windscreen by Budget in Tassie recently, but it appears this was not the case.

 

[PLANT]

Re: US Rental Car waiver doesn't cover window, tyres etc. Additional coverage possibl

What is the Excess for USA car hire?
Will $5K travel insurance excess cover me?

 

[AdMEL]

Re: US Rental Car waiver doesn't cover window, tyres etc. Additional coverage possibl

What is the Excess for USA car hire?
Will $5K travel insurance excess cover me?

There is no such thing as an excess in the US - you either have no cover whatsoever, or full cover with no excess. Accordingly, $5K travel insurance is useless.

Please refer to other US car hire/insurance threads in this forum for full details.

 

[serfty]

In my experience excess is not generally part of car rentals in the USA.

You are either fully covered or not.

There's quite a few threads in this forum on that issue.

 

[Stephen65]

Re: US Rental Car waiver doesn't cover window, tyres etc. Additional coverage possibl

I've also encountered excesses when hiring in Europe. The last time I hired from Europcar the excess was about $1000 but you could reduce it somewhat by paying an extra fee.

 

[AdMEL]

Re: US Rental Car waiver doesn't cover window, tyres etc. Additional coverage possibl

In my experience excess is not generally part of car rentals in the USA.

You are either fully covered or not.

There's quite a few threads in this forum on that issue.

Actually, pretty much the only place an excess generally doesn't apply is in the US! And Canada. Excess is standard in UK, Europe, Aust, NZ, for all companies, car rentals.

 

[PLANT]

Re: US Rental Car waiver doesn't cover window, tyres etc. Additional coverage possibl

So I found this quote:

https://www.cartrawler.com/microsites/hotwire/abe_step2.php?clientID=224988&temp=hybrid1&elID=110508572705012541&countryID=US&pickupID=3716&returnID=3716&pickupName=Los Angeles - Airport&returnName=los angeles - airport&pickupDate=12&pickupMonth=10&pickupYear=2011&returnDate=16&returnMonth=10&returnYear=2011&pickupHour=10&pickupMinute=0&returnHour=10&returnMinute=0&age=38&currencyID=AUD&carGroupID=3,34&residenceID=AU&CT=AJ&referrer=1:.com#book

Is it better to pay the $10 extra a day for DW or just go with holidayautos.com.au???
What are people doing and paying for 4 days in LA?

Or this mob:

http://www.traveljigsaw.com.au/DriverExtras.do#

Or Hotwire.com

 

[pshepvic]

There is no such thing as excess in the US as others have mentioned. You can buy LDW (loss damage waiver) which is not insurance, but a waiver of the right for the insurance to claim the cost of damage - you can reduce your liability to $0, or some companies allow you to reduce by a certain amount. For example, some will give you an LDW of $5000. This is not excess - in fact it is the opposite. It means you are not liable for the first $5000 of damage, but will be for more than that. So if you write off a $30k car you will be liable for $25k of damage!

Best bet is to take the full LDW option. Also you might need the insurance package as this doesn't include 3rd party liability - ie damage or injury to others (very important in the US with their litigation culture).

I've had two severely blown tyres in the US before (once with Thrifty and once with Nationalcar) and in both cases they replaced the vehicles and we weren't charged for the tyre damage. Even covered the tow truck/roadside assistance when we hadn't purchased that option.

I don't know if it helped that we took the cars with damaged tyres back and swapped them for another car before the rentals ended - ie. when the rental was closed off the car that was returned was not damaged so it might not have been noted in the system when they changed the cars over.


Sent from my iPhone using AustFreqFly app

 

[NM]

While not specific to the USA, I suggest you look into options like http://insurance4carhire.com and compare your options from credit cards and hire companies and make your own decision about what is best for your specific situation.

 

[PLANT]

Re: US Rental Car waiver doesn't cover window, tyres etc. Additional coverage possibl

Driven in Dubai(beeper on car after 100kms\hr hit) when it was a Gokart track(SAIL motel being built) but not in USA.
What company\broker would you use for a 4 day car hire for one person in LA?
I gave 3 examples in my previous posts and Do clearly understand there is no EXCESS, but other cost.
Do any of the examples cover me or do I need to just take out the DW FEE on top or are I doubling up?

Looking for recommendations please so I don;t come home pennyless.

 

[AV8]

Re: US Rental Car waiver doesn't cover window, tyres etc. Additional coverage possibl

While not specific to the USA, I suggest you look into options like Car Hire Insurance | Car Rental Excess Insurance and compare your options from credit cards and hire companies and make your own decision about what is best for your specific situation.

Sorry to advise that insurance4carhire.com no longer sells a US CDW/LDW policy to Australian residents - received email from the company this week.