Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) Insurance

Kiwiquery

I am planning to hire a car for a week in August when I arrive at Heathrow. All the hire car companies quote a rental rate for the week and most include a basic CDW. When I read the small print I see that there is an excess charge for each incident of accident or theft and that the amount is anything up to £1000 per incident. So it makes sense to take out the additional CDW cover to bring the excess charge down to a more reasonable £100 or even zero. The daily rate for additional CDW is in the order of £8 to £10 per day pushing up the cost of a week's hire by around 30%. This seems to be excessive.

I have heard there are alternative personal insurance schemes which can be taken out at much less cost. Does anyone have any information on these?

Thanks

pompeyrich

I assume from your user name that you are coming over from NZ. INSURANCE4CARHIRE is a fairly popular one in the UK, they cover the CDW excess and tyres and windows too, which is another little extra that is creeping into car hire contracts. The only downside to these policies is that you have to pay the hire company for any damage, then claim it back from the insurance company which could be a hassle if you are the other side of the World. A quick google will show more companies doing this sort of insurance but some require you to be a UK resident so double check the small print.

Kiwiquery

Thanks pompeyrich that was really helpful. It seems to be worth taking out your own insurance if your rental period is more than a week. Or if you're a frequent hirer of cars. Cheers from NZ!

Mr_Smith_3

Another popular UK company for Collision Damage Waiver deals on your car hire insurance is icarhireinsurance. Their deals are very reasonable. I saw them mentioned in the Independent and had not problems with them earlier this year.