PamNS

We are ex Brits going back to the UK for a few weeks this winter. Has anyone been able to find an independent insurance company for a third Party liability/CDW/excess Policy, rather than buying from the Car Hire company. It would work out cheaper for us but all the ones we look at require UK residency.

Jerseygirl

You may find if you pay with a US credit card it will cover you at no extra cost...but you need to check exactly what it covers. AMEX have excellent cover for approx $30...this has been discussed before. You should be able to pull up the old threads using the search function.

PamNS

Thanks Jerseygirl. We have already looked at our canadian credit card options and ours do not include Third Party Liability, it just covers the cost of any vehicle damage. So not really an option for us.

Jerseygirl

Try AMEX...it may be worth getting one just for the insurance cover...but you must pay for the rental with the card.

scrubbedexpat091

I don't know what province your in, but if your in one that has private car insurance and you have a car and policy have you checked without your insurance company to see if they offer any sort of coverage outside of Canada?


I haven't had non-government car insurance in a long time, but when I had private companies some did offer the service.

Aviator

In BC our ICBC coverage on our car gives $3m rental car liability coverage and our CC covers damage to the car. It is hard to get coverage in the UK as a non resident.

quiltman

There are companies in the UK that do top up insurance for rentals, but you have to be resident and it's primarily aimed at Uk people renting overseas. I used to have this for renting in Canada and the US. I expect there must be similar over there.
Have you asked an insurance broker?

This company say they cover worldwide residents. No idea how good they are!
https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/#0

MarkG

And read the fine print. From what I remember, mine excludes pretty much any expensive car from the insurance cover... so forget hiring that Ferrari for the week.

Jericho79

The registered owner/operator of the car has to provide third party cover by law. So Liability insurance is already sorted by the rental company, and you wont be able to buy Liability coverage (maybe increased limits).

Collision/Theft etc is the coverage you can buy through the rental company, but it's very expensive. As already mentioned, you may have coverage through your credit card, but if not, you can probably find somewhere online where it's cheaper than the rental company.

Aviator

Recalling my last rental in the UK, I used my CC insurance and there is no liability limit in the UK as there is here. In BC the rental cars have $200k.

The downer was when they take the deposit, which has to be on CC, they took the money off the card and then refunded it at the end of the rental, with the FX changes this ended up costing me around $60 extra. In NA rental companies put a hold on the card, but don't take the money off the card unless there is damage.

beckiwoo

I am in the same position as I am returning to UK in October. I have the CDW with my credit card but not the liablity part. I dont have any insurance with ICBC as it is too expensive where as in the UK i had a car and fully comp insurance and could just rent a car abroad as per my policy.

I was going to contact the indivicual hire companies to find out how much this would be so it wont be a shock when i get off the plane at the other end waiting for the car

Jericho79

As mentioned, you cannot buy Third Party coverage for a rental. Only the registered owner can do that.

The rental car will have Liability insurance- all you have to do is decide if you want to cover the "comp" bit- damage/theft, etc.

withabix

icarhireinsurance.com provides what you are looking for. I'm not certain if it provides cover for non-UK residents however. You will need to check.

You would have to pay the excess in the case of a claim however - you claim that back from icarhireinsurance.

This also means that the car hire company will take a refundable (if there is no claim) amount from your credit card at the point of hire though.

No car rental company will accept a 3rd party insurance certificate as a waiver for their excess deposit.

scrubbedexpat091

Sounds like renting in the UK is a royal pain. I've never had a car rental place take an excess deposit of any sort, I always rent from Alamo and they just take the cost of the rental and tax and nothing else.

How much are these deposits over there? Sounds like it could eat up a good portion of one's credit limit.

withabix

They usually ring fence (or Pre-authorize) a sum of money, in the same way that hotels do.

Could be anything from about $300 to $1000 depending on what you are renting, your age and other risks. Points on your licence can also be a problem.

This can eat up your credit limit, as releases often take 4-7 days.

Can often be reduced or eliminated if you join their frequent renter 'clubs'.