Question about auto insurance for a rental car in England

Peace of mind comes at a cost. If that is what you want, and the cost is not onerous to your financial health, then the Super CDW with zero deductible is great.

Verify what it does cover, many think it covers everything, but it likely does not cover injury to passengers (or you) and many times excludes things like wheels, tires (tyres in your case) and glass. Liability covers injury of others and other objects, that is usually mandatory, but separate from the Super CDW, which covers only the car.

I have opted for full coverage in Mexico, Ireland, and Italy; in the UK, in several trips, have skipped CDW in favor of my American Express premium coverage, which covers me for 30 days or so for a small fee (Maybe $30 or so). It is a big step above the standard credit card coverage...though I have never had to test it, or for that matter any of the super CDW coverages, that I know of (probably one time in Mexico).

In the UK, recently I have used Europcar, easy to use app, the various sites have been easy to work with, no hard sell on extras, and no hassles at drop-off.

Many on here like AutoEurope, a broker, I have looked, they are upfront about costs, give you several companies to choose from, sometimes include CDW in the cost or as an easy option.

Has anyone had an accident oversees and used the insurance they had through a credit card or AAA? What was the experience like?

Earlier this year (spring), I had 2 different rental cars while spending 5 1/2 weeks in England. One was with Europcar (through AutoEurope) and one with Arnold Clark. I declined the extra coverage in both cases as I have a Chase Sapphire Preferred card that covers this. I had no accidents with the first rental.

I also declined the CDW coverage with my 2nd rental through Arnold Clark, and opted to use my Chase credit card for the purchase. I wound up scratching the side of the car in a National Trust car park, and when I turned it in, I had to pay £1000 for the deductible. As soon as I could, I notified Chase Travel of the accident and my cost, and submitted all my paperwork. They had a few questions and I had to contact the rental agency to get one more document, which was promptly sent. Approximately 6+ weeks later, I received a credit to my Chase card for the £1000 I had paid.

It was worth it to me because for a 17 day rental, the extra cost to cover the deductible would have been considerable. The process was easy, Chase was great to work with, and the refund was sent at a reasonable pace.

As Paul said above, peace of mind comes at a price. If my rental had been for just a few days or less than week, I might have opted to just pay it. But I will continue to decline the CDW on the car rentals in the future for anything longer the 5+ days, since I know the system works, and I don't mind waiting to get refunded.

FWIW, I highly recommend Arnold Clark if you are renting in the UK. They were exemplary in explaining all the paperwork when I rented the car, and so polite and helpful. This is my third rental with them, and I would not hesitate to rent from them again. You can rent from them directly or through their broker, Celtic Legend. They have upgraded me twice at no extra cost, too. Once to a nicer car, and the other was giving me an automatic at no extra cost.

Here is another recent post that discusses her experience with a rental car and using a credit card. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/budget-tips/chase-sapphire-trip-cancellation-insurance

FWIW, both this post and mine dealt with Chase, but I can't imagine that Capital One would be different.

If you have an AmEx card, they have a great deal on rental car damage coverage. Never select the car rental option.

Those who rent using a Costco Visa have excellent coverage, and IMO need not secure additional insurance.

We also had a great experience recently with Europcar. We used our AMEX coverage and declined the CDW. You do need to follow your cc's steps for "activating" coverage and they will often provide a letter of coverage to show at the counter. A couple of years ago we had a similarly good experience with Enterprise, but on this recent trip we went with Europcar because they gave the option for an after hours pick up (7 pm) for a reasonable fee. We ended up not needing this, but it was comforting to know that should our flight or train be delayed, our rental car would still be available.

Hi SSTClaire, I happen to be an insurance agent who works for one of the biggest carriers, and here is my humble advice: just suck it up and buy full insurance with the car rental company and make sure you have a high liability limit. Different countries have different laws for what happens when in an accident. You have no coverage from your US insurance. I do know that some credit cards will provide some coverage on foreign rentals if you use the card to pay for it, but that's usually just going to be for comprehensive and collision, not liability, and friends have told me it can be a nightmare to get them to pay. Just my two cents.

My one experience with a small claim was positive.

In September this year, I rented a car from Enterprise in Manchester using my Chase Sapphire Preferred, so I declined extra insurance.

I had a small accident that damaged two tires and required towing to the shop for repairs.

In mid-November, I received a damage claim from Enterprise for just over $300. I submitted the claim to Chase on November 15 through their website. The information requests were reasonable and uploading the required documents was straightforward.

A week later, Chase replied and asked for two additional documents, which I submitted.

On December 11, I received an email that the claim was paid in full.

All the best,

Raymond

Coverage can vary based on which card you are using. Chase Sapphire Preferred offers primary coverage, but lesser Chase cards may be secondary. Most Capital One coverage is secondary. AMEX offers premium primary coverage, which you must register for, and you are charged a small premium for each rental. So do your research before deciding.

My US friends have CDW and excess cover through their Amex.
Another option is a company like www.insurance4carhire.com which sells a top up policy far cheaper than the rental desk.
Just read the small print of your AAA and any top up to reassure yourself.