Car hire in Majorca -shoudl I get it with zero excess & buy own excess insurance?

alstemp

Hi - am tying myself up in knots here as car hire newbie and totally confused ref the excess.

Have to do an unplanned visit to Majorca tomorrow for a family issue.

have read Martin's car hire tips and still confused.

I keep hearing the following i) get the basic package and zero excess; ii) buy excess insurance independently; iii) avoid companies like Goldcar or car hire brokers; iv) if you can afford it, use the well known companies, Sixt, National, EuropCar etc . .

I just need to know I can pick up a car at Palma airport tomorrow night, not be ripped off and have piece of mind in case of any accidents.

any simple "to do's" would be hugely appreicated.

thanks everyone

eDicky

alstemp wrote: »

i) get the basic package and zero excess; ii) buy excess insurance independently;

We don't know exactly what you are looking at, but if you buy extra cover from the hire firm to bring the excess to zero (if that's what you mean by 'zero excess'), you don't need to buy your own separate insurance for that purpose.

alstemp

thanks for quick reply - but it's that "extra cover" that I hear is the thing you get ripped off on with hire car companies and therefore the recommendation is always to buy independently?

FunTime

alstemp wrote: »

thanks for quick reply - but it's that "extra cover" that I hear is the thing you get ripped off on with hire car companies and therefore the recommendation is always to buy independently?

Give your exact dates and we'll make a suggestion.

richardw

Do you have a credit card with €1500 available as a deposit/guarantee?

alstemp

Hi - dates required are:

20.00 Fri 9 Sep - 19.00 Wed 14 Sep.

Will all car hire companies ask for such a large deposit? Even for just 5 days hire? yes it is available but seems a lot.

thanks again

eDicky

alstemp wrote: »

thanks for quick reply - but it's that "extra cover" that I hear is the thing you get ripped off on with hire car companies and therefore the recommendation is always to buy independently?

It's still not clear what you meant by 'zero excess'. If you buy insurance independently to cover the excess, that has nothing to do with the hire firm and does not reduce their excess to zero. In the event of any damage they will take the excess that they have blocked on your card (which is not usually but can be as high as €1500) and you have to get an invoice from them and claim it from your independently bought insurance.

alstemp

OK - so I have seen deals with Thrifty via Auto Europe offering the following Economy class cars:

Renault Clio or similar "inclusive package" CDW - with excess; theft protection (with excess) £101.37 for 5 days

OR

Renault Clio or similar "refundable excess package" CDW - with refundable excess; theft protection (with refundable excess) £118.97 for 5 days

Which is the one I should go for?

Many thanks!

richardw

Have you tried https://www.carrentals.co.uk or skyscanner?

alstemp

Hi - yes i have already tried those sites.

can someone just advise out of the 2 packages above is it better to get the "with excess" or "refundable excess" option?

thanks

FunTime

The first, as you'll still need to have the excess blocked on your CC.
Don't forget http://www.quidco.com/auto-europe
You can buy your own car hire excess insurance here for £1.99 per day https://www.bettersafe.com/Products/Car-Hire-Excess-Insurance-Protection. Cheaper again via Quidco.

AutoEurope insurance policy is much the same, just a bit more expensive. you'll possibly find than my link here: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-car-hire Scroll down the page to the car hire excess insurance policies.