Car hire is big business nowadays and because we are renting more and more cars each year, either for business or pleasure purposes we must remember that we are not driving a vehicle that belongs to us, and thinking in the same way you wouldn't want anything to happen to this as it is not yours and carries an inherent responsibility to be cautious and careful.
When renting a vehicle the car hire company usually provide a car which is less than 2 years old, as they have to conform to regulations and their lease contracts with suppliers makes it far more beneficial to car hire companies to provide newer vehicles. With this comes a price tag, new cars are generally more expensive than say a 5 year old similar vehicle. If anything were to happen to it, you are responsible as you have accepted the rental agreement.
This is where we now discuss the rental agreement-what is it exactly, well in a nutshell it's a contract between you (the customer) and them (the car hire agency) which stipulates the terms of the rental. The most significant items within the agreement are the dates which you are renting the vehicle, the person(s) allowed to drive the vehicle, the distance you are allowed to travel with or in the vehicle before additional charges are incurred and finally the cost in the event of an accident/theft/loss/damage to the rental vehicle or keys.
In this article we're discussing the final point from the agreement, which is the costs of accident, damage, loss or theft relating to the hire car. In 90% of cases worldwide, the named person in charge of the hire vehicle is required to pay an excess amount directly related to the cost of the vehicle, drivers age and rental location irrespective of what may have happened to the hire vehicle. This excess is required to be paid in full even if the driver was not at fault. Upon investigation and claim completion if the driver was not at fault and monies for the repair/replacement of the hire car are recovered then you are refunded your excess.
The average excess charge for a hire car in Europe is 600 GBP/800, this is a costly affair especially if you know it wasn't any fault of your own. Even if you are at fault, it has been a costly mistake.
This cost can be avoided by purchasing additional level of insurance at the rental kiosk upon vehicle collection or during the initial hire with the rental agent and a final purchase of additional insurance through an external company.
The average charge for additional insurance is roughly between 5-10 per day, which covers all named drivers to not be liable for any excess amount regardless of fault. Certainly seems worth it now, but when you initially thought your hire car was 20 per day, it now becomes at least 50% more expensive due to the high rates charged at the kiosk.
You have options to save you lots of money and they are as follows;
Florida Auto Insurance
