Car Rental damage Drivalia

MarkSim_2

Hi. I hope this is in the right thread. Im looking for help and advice from anyone who is has any knowledge of  Drivalia because I am very confused.

I needed a hire car just to get to work. I searched via booking.com and at that point took out their (Booking.coms) Full Protection Insurance (via Zurich).

I then collected the car and was offered what I understood to be  their (Drivalia's) full protection insurance, which doubled the price of the hire. I declined it, because I thought I all ready had full protection insurance - because its called full protection insurance! 

I scraped the bumper of the car against my own vehicle on my own drive, ironically because I dint want to leave it on the road. There were cars partially obscuring my drive but I thought I could easily make the gap. I was so focussed on not hitting other cars as I say I scraped it on my car on my property.

Im now worried that "Full protection" insurance is anything but

The full protection insurance says it is only valid if the hire has a Collision Damage Waiver

Im worried that as I declined Drivilia's insurance, I now wont be covered at all , and a scrape to the bumper will be charged out at £3k, because thats how life works!

I THOUGHT, that I was being offered Drialia's excess insurance, so I didn't have to leave a £1,500 deposit
I THOUGHT that the Drivalia's contract did have a CDW waiver and the insurance I declined was on top of that, to protect the £1,500 excess which is "blocked out" on my credit card
I THOUGHT that the Booking.com insurance covered that

BUT - I dont have any paperwork from Drivalia. ( I signed some, but they kept it) so I cant be sure. I cant check the agreement. 

Does anyone know if it is possible to inadvertently turn down a CDW at the desk of a UK hire company or is it always included?

Also, does anyone know if the accident happening on my own property may invalidate any insurance in place?

Sorry to bother anyone but I am terrified of being hit with a charge I cant pay, and in these cases the more you know tends to help you because Im sure the hire company will try and take me for everything they can even if I am covered. 

PS I know Im not covered for the £1,500 with Drivalia. The insurance I have is reimbursement excess so I will have to claim that back via Zurich any way. Its just if my agreement with Drivalia doesn't have a CDW, the excess insurance, which I bought first, isn't valid.

Thanks is Advance if anyone can help

Famau

I think that basic cover is pretty much always included in rentals.  So if you have the excess cover policy you should be fine

HillStreetBlues

It will include CWD, the £1500 is the excess you have to pay. If you hadn't  the the block would be the price of the car.

DullGreyGuy

If you didnt have own vehicle damage cover then there wouldnt be a £1,500 excess as you'd be liable for whatever damage you caused irrespective of if its £1,000 or £20,000.

Causing damage to your own property won't be an issue beyond the fact that if you want to claim for the damage to your own vehicle you cannot claim off the hire car insurance and so would claim on your Motor insurance... you cannot be both first and third party, ie you cannot sue yourself. 

MarkSim_2

Thanks everyone for taking the time and trouble to reply. I have now found a notification from Booking.com that the agreement includes a CDW with a £1500 excess and I took out Zurich insurance to cover that.

I was just worried about the fact the incident was on a private driveway as there is a clause about insurance not being valid if driven off road but im fairly sure that means an incident that takes place off road rather than a driveway.

DullGreyGuy

Yes, that'll be 4x4 style off roading where there is material risk of lots of under carriage damage from grounding out or flood damage. 

WellKnownSid

Or parking their 25 plate hire car on a beach and leaving it to swim https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/brand-new-mercedes-gets-stuck-31563873