Renting a car in Europe is not much different than renting one in North America. You will still face the hard sell on insurance at the counter, the quandary of whether to pre-pay for the fuel or spend your own time hunting down a fuel station to bring it back full, and of course the fact that the vehicle you get is almost never the one you selected. Rather, it seems it is always one of the “Or Similar” members of the same class.
There are, however, a fewcomplicating factors that make renting a car in Europe more of a Pangean adventure. For one, you are almost invariably exhausted from a long flight, often through the night. You are then faced with unfamiliar accents, signage, and foreign languages. For another, most European rental agencies that this Pangean has dealt with also have a fixation with insurance and deposits. I suppose it is understandable since they are handing out keys to vehicles worth thousands of Euros to complete strangers. The other complication is that the options and rental policies can vary from country to country, even when you are using the same agency or outlet.
Insurance: Even though you have booked or even prepaid for the rental online in advance, if you’ve declined the CDW (usually “Collision Damage Waiver”) and/or the LDW (usually the “Loss or Damage Waiver”) options on line you will likely still be faced with counter staff at the agency pushing the various forms of waivers and insurance. This happens despite the fact that most Canadians renting a vehicle have more than sufficient insurance coverage. Unfortunately, depending on what coverage options you select the choice can actually undermine your own insurance.
For most European rental agencies there will be either two or three options. There is the basic rate which includes liability insurance, but little else. There will be a CDW rate or “Inclusive” rate that includes loss and damage waivers, but carries a deductible. In some cases the website will also offer some form of CDW Plus or Deductible Free coverage. Be wary of the CDW offerings. If you have insurance coverage through your credit card opting for either of the CDW with deductible (or CDW without deductible) will nullify your own existing coverage. It is important to remember that the CDW offered by car rental agencies is not insurance, it is only a waiver that the rental car won’t come after you for more than a set amount should the vehicle you rent become damaged or stolen. And most CDW arrangements carry with them a requirement to pay a deductible.
The key is to know your existing insurance coverage before you go. Determine that your insurance (either a combination of your personal insurance plus the credit card insurance or a specific travel insurance plan) covers the countries you are renting from and planning to travel through, the type of car that you are renting, and for the length of time you are renting the vehicle. Remember that there are often areas, countries, or regions that are excluded. The wording will also exclude particular makes of vehicles (think Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini) and will have a time limit on the length of rental covered.
If you are relying upon insurance tied to your credit card there will also be time limits for coverage. In the case of most U.S. issuers, the credit card insurance coverage only applies for rentals lasting up to 31 days. I’m not sure about other Canadian issuers, but the RBC/Aviva coverage protects you for rentals lasting up to 48 days. In either case, if you need a rental for a longer period structure it as two or more separate rentals (with days between or from different agencies).
As part of the process, you’ll also have to ensure that your credit card insurance covers the country where you are renting from and be clear about which areas, regions, or countries through with you will be traveling. For some reason most credit card insurance from U.S. issuers does not cover Ireland and Northern Ireland. While most insurance from Canadian issuers does cover those areas, there’s a real risk that the clerk you end up dealing with when picking up the vehicle will confuse you for an American and try to force you to buy coverage you don’t need and that will actually negate your protection. Buying duplicate insurance that you don’t need is not only expensive, but it can also undermine your existing coverage.
Finally, you will need to ensure that the value of the vehicle is below the coverage limit. Most U.S. credit card issuers will only provide coverage if the vehicle you rent would cost less than $50,000 USD. In Canada the credit card insurance will only cover vehicles that would cost less than $65,000.
If time permits, the best approach is to contact your insurer and request a letter confirming coverage. You will likely need to specify the dates of your reservation, the class or type of car that you have reserved, and the region or countries through which you will be traveling. If planning to rent in Ireland (either the Republic or Northern Ireland) obtaining a coverage letter is almost mandatory. The first time we rented in Ireland the clerk recognized the difference between Canadian and U.S. credit cards, but in 2016 “not so much”http://pangean.org/rental-cars-in-ireland/ Without a coverage letter you will likely to buy coverage that you don’t need.
Whats the bottom line on insurance?
- Read your insurance policy before you reserve a vehicle. If relying upon credit card insurance understand that benefits vary from card to card and bank to bank.
- Only book a vehicle that falls within the limits of your insurance policy (with respect to either type, value, duration, and for the countries you will be visiting).
- If relying upon credit card insurance, decline the CDW and LDW options.
- Also, if you are relying upon the credit card insurance, remember that the full amount of the rental will need to be reserved and charged to the credit card and the card will need to be in the name of the driver.
- Have copies of your personal and credit card insurance information with you when you walk up to the rental counter.
- Have the number for your insurer’s 24 hour information line on hand – if the clerk questions your insurance coverage you can always try a direct call.
- For best practices and if time permits or if renting in Ireland, obtain a coverage letter from your insurer that confirms that you will be covered for a rental matching your booking.
- If you end up buying coverage through the rental agency, read the documents carefully and ask questions.
Now that you’re fully insured you may still face some additional charges and potential problems. Next time: Deposits and Holds.