Car Hire in Iceland

valmiki

Hello! I think I'm getting confused...

I've rented a car for a week in Iceland (next week). I've gone with Cardelmar and upgraded via them to the 'All-service plus' package which is 'comprehensive cover with refund of excess including glass and tyres'.

Being Iceland, online everyone bangs on about getting Gravel, Sand & Ash insurance. The rental company Procar recommends getting these insurances but will add about £200 to the cost of the week's rental. Cardelmar's coverage is only for Excess, not for actual insurance (I think this is where I am getting confused).

So, do I need to take out this insurance, or do the excess insurance companies cover this? Or do they only cover excess on what is specifically insured? All just seems a bit of a con and I don't want to be scammed :eek::(

I'm surprised there's no companies that offer actual car hire insurance, rather than car hire excess insurance :question:

Thanks for any tips coming my way
valmiki

wongataa

You always get insurance when hiring a car. The basic insurance you get is the bare minimum and will have a high excess.

If you want a reduced excess or more cover you need to pay more to upgrade the cover available from the car hire company or arrange your own cover with a third party. It is up to you whether you think that need the extra cover or not based on the price and what risk you think you will be running of a bill when you return the car if you don't get it.

When you are in Iceland will you be going down any gravel roads? If yes it may well be worth getting the extra cover so you don't have to pay for and damage caused to the car bodywork from the gravel.

valmiki

Hi, thanks for replying. After having read up a little more around the subject I've purchased excess insurance (with £0 excess) from worldwireinsure.com. I spoke to a chap who confirmed that there are no exclusions based on sand, gravel, ash ie. such damage would covered as long as any damage occurs on a public highway (defined as 'any road made or unmade that is intended for use by the general public').

So, £17 cover that the car hire company would have charged me £200 and still not reduce the excess to zero!

The extra that I pay the rental company for doesn't cover me for more damage per se, it just reduces my excess to a certain amount. I think this is where I was getting confused earlier.

Anyways, happy days, thanks again ;-)
valmiki

NiftyDigits

Indeed there is a very upset person who posted here recently of their experience of having Super CDW in Iceland and being charged £750 for slight, possibly pre-existing damage.
Check the car carefully and make sure that you get a full invoice for any damage, rather than trying to get it from the whilst abroad. Without this the insurers brokers will refuse to process your claim. Please check the T&C of the excess insurance, to make sure that you can fulfill their conditions in the event of a claim if the time comes.

valmiki

Yes, you're right - still pays to be cautious just to avoid the paperwork and hassle that goes with going through a claim. I intend to take plenty of photos on handover ;-)