Don't lose your Christmas cheer with the hire car

iCarhireinsurance.com, a leading car hire excess insurance provider, is urging people hiring a car this Christmas to make sure that they don’t fall victim to a loophole in many excess insurance policies which fails to cover vehicles damaged within 150kms of the customer’s home, even if the car was hired from within that distance.

Hiring a car for short periods is an increasingly attractive option in the current economic downturn, but many people will be ignorant to the fact that their excess insurance policies may not include claims within this distance range even if the car is stolen or involved in an accident that wasn’t the customer’s fault.

“A good car hire excess insurance policy should provide you with full cover from home as well as covering you for the vulnerable parts of the vehicle like the windows, tyres, roof or undercarriage,” said Ernesto Suarez, founder and CEO of iCarhireinsurance.com. “We have found that the majority of policies bought direct from car hire excess specialists fail consumers in this area. We are urging people to read the small print in their excess policies to ensure their spirits are not dampened this Christmas.”

A 2011 survey conducted by YouGov, on behalf of iCarhireinsurance.com, revealed that there was widespread ignorance about what excess insurance did and did not cover with eight out of ten people (85%) not knowing that some excess insurance doesn’t include damage to windows, tyres, roof or undercarriage or driving within 150 km of home.

iCarhireinsurance.com is one of the few providers that covers drivers wanting to hire cars near their home. It also includes cover for damage to the windows, tyres, roof and undercarriage - vulnerable parts of the car excluded by many providers.

iCarhireinsurance.com’s policies start at just £2.99 a day, compared with approximately £18 a day if bought direct from the rental company. Annual polices start from £39.99.

Key Benefits of Stand-Alone Car Hire Excess Policies 

Annual or Daily cover
Protect yourself against excess charges for damage and theft
Cover for damage to areas usually excluded by the rental company such as windscreens, tyres, roof and
undercarriage
European or Worldwide coverage
UK automatically included for UK residents
No distance from home restrictions
Cover for additional drivers named on the rental agreement