Car insurance and hire vehicle class

[Deleted User]

My car insurance renewal is approaching and following some threads in the motoring forum, a question has popped into my tiny head. I drive a GTD Golf MK7, if I need a hire car I would look for a like for like. Now insurers appear to offer a class A car, this would not be suitable, is there a policy I can look at that will provide a similar car to the Golf and what if I have to deal with a third party insurer?

mgfvvc

I know LV= and Direct Line provide like for like cover as an add on. It may be common, I don't know.

Obviously as it's an add on you have to pay extra for it. Check the small print to discover exactly what each insurer counts as a like for like exchange.

[Deleted User]

I'm with LV at the moment and my renewal price is v. good but I don't know what they offer in way of car size/ type, I'll look into it.

Brie

When we were with LV and needed a hire car we had to argue to get something suitable.  They tried to get us a toy car with manual transmission despite the fact that the OH had a SUV and could only drive an automatic.

Sandtree

The likes of Direct Line offer(ed) Guaranteed Hire Car Plus which was a hire car rather than garage provided courtesy car and is a similar vehicle (up to certain limitations).

The plus side is you also get this when the car is a write off unlike a traditional courtesy car but the downside is that it has a maximum duration and so if your car is undrivable and parts are on backorder you may have to give it back before your car is repaired.

SaverRate

Admiral, Aviva (Inc. General Accident and QMH), Hastings Direct & 1st Centre also do an add on policy for an extra cost that gives you the same class car 

[Deleted User]

Like for like can mean different things. A few years back they wanted to give me a fossil fuel car and I had to make sure they paid for the fuel because it was a hell of a lot more expensive than my electric.

Ditzy_Mitzy

Sandtree said:

The likes of Direct Line offer(ed) Guaranteed Hire Car Plus which was a hire car rather than garage provided courtesy car and is a similar vehicle (up to certain limitations).

The plus side is you also get this when the car is a write off unlike a traditional courtesy car but the downside is that it has a maximum duration and so if your car is undrivable and parts are on backorder you may have to give it back before your car is repaired.

Direct Line still do, as far as I know.  I've got a motor policy with them, but didn't bother with the premier courtesy car business because it's an unnecessary cost.  Most Enterprise branches, which is where courtesy cars come from, don't seem to bother with very small cars these days.  In fact there aren't really such things as very small cars any more.  What's the worst that could happen?  You having to drive a Clio or something instead of a Golf for a little while?  Hardly the end of the world, given both are five door, front wheel drive hatchbacks.  Save the money and don't worry is my advice.

Sandtree

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

Sandtree said:

The likes of Direct Line offer(ed) Guaranteed Hire Car Plus which was a hire car rather than garage provided courtesy car and is a similar vehicle (up to certain limitations).

The plus side is you also get this when the car is a write off unlike a traditional courtesy car but the downside is that it has a maximum duration and so if your car is undrivable and parts are on backorder you may have to give it back before your car is repaired.

Direct Line still do, as far as I know.  I've got a motor policy with them, but didn't bother with the premier courtesy car business because it's an unnecessary cost.  Most Enterprise branches, which is where courtesy cars come from, don't seem to bother with very small cars these days.  In fact there aren't really such things as very small cars any more.  What's the worst that could happen?  You having to drive a Clio or something instead of a Golf for a little while?  Hardly the end of the world, given both are five door, front wheel drive hatchbacks.  Save the money and don't worry is my advice.

I personally agree but appreciate that some people have an estate or a 7 seater etc for a reason and a Clio for them many not be an appropriate substitute... some in sales etc will also claim the brand/prestige  of the car is important for their work, for those I am less sympathetic but was used all the time when I dealt with third party claims.

Ditzy_Mitzy

Sandtree said:

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

Sandtree said:

The likes of Direct Line offer(ed) Guaranteed Hire Car Plus which was a hire car rather than garage provided courtesy car and is a similar vehicle (up to certain limitations).

The plus side is you also get this when the car is a write off unlike a traditional courtesy car but the downside is that it has a maximum duration and so if your car is undrivable and parts are on backorder you may have to give it back before your car is repaired.

Direct Line still do, as far as I know.  I've got a motor policy with them, but didn't bother with the premier courtesy car business because it's an unnecessary cost.  Most Enterprise branches, which is where courtesy cars come from, don't seem to bother with very small cars these days.  In fact there aren't really such things as very small cars any more.  What's the worst that could happen?  You having to drive a Clio or something instead of a Golf for a little while?  Hardly the end of the world, given both are five door, front wheel drive hatchbacks.  Save the money and don't worry is my advice.

I personally agree but appreciate that some people have an estate or a 7 seater etc for a reason and a Clio for them many not be an appropriate substitute... some in sales etc will also claim the brand/prestige  of the car is important for their work, for those I am less sympathetic but was used all the time when I dealt with third party claims.

I see what you mean, however point out that my intention was to answer the OP directly; perhaps that should have been made clearer.  The point is that the last courtesy car I had, personally, was a five door Clio, which would be a perfectly adequate set of wheels in lieu of a VW Golf.  My last hire from Enterprise was an Astra, again a reasonable substitute. 

The policy enhancement probably is worth having if one drives a large or specialist car, however it is unlikely to be if one has a car of ordinary dimensions and performance, as today's courtesy car is also likely to be dimensionally ordinary and unexceptionally performing; if one gets like for like as the default, the super courtesy car cover would offer negligible real world benefit.

Sandtree

The other real world benefits they give compared to a traditional courtesy car are:

1) Its not conditional on the garage have a spare courtesy car to give you/you waiting until they do

2) They also cover when your vehicle is stolen/not recovered and total loss whereas traditional courtesy car isn't provided

The above however equally applies to a hire car solution that only gives a lower group car as one that gives a like for like one.