Do we need additional insurance coverage for rental car in athens?

First check with State Farm and ask if the " insurance" covers Greece. We have rented many a cars in Greece but always use one of the family owned local companies ( do a search for the handful of recommended) that include insurance in their quotes. I would never , nor have we, rented a car from a third party outfit like Expedia always preferring a local company. That said...the $14 a day seems like a small amount to pay for avoiding the hassle of having an accident and trying to negotiate the the insurance claim from a US company. Sometimes the cheapest approach is not the best for peace of mind.

Thank you, I see, I did not realize that State Farm did not necessarily cover rental car insurance abroad.

I agree that the $14 per day is a small price to pay, however, my impression of all things insurance is that they kick in only after the others have been exhausted.

Btw, do you have any recommendations for family-based car rental companies in Athens? I could write to them and see what their conditions and rates are. Expedia is offering a very good rate for manual transmission cars.

Depends on your policy. Some do; ours does.

Many also have coverage through their credit card; we do. Check that too.

Thank you. My wife has a Bank of America Power Rewards Signature Visa card which seems to have car rental insurance (that we used to rent a car in Spain, but in 2016). I am trying to figure out if it still provides rental car insurance, even though it appears that it does.

Why not try asking your insurance company, before asking us? (unless you already have, and have been answered by A-I robot).

Thank you, janet. Or as our education secretary says, A-1. That said that it was limited and depends on the policy. (I have the usual policy issued by State Farm Fire and Insurance Company, or whatever it is called now, and have had them for over two decades.) But the credit card gives me a way out so that is good.

My wife used to work for State Farm and we have a good friend who is our agent.
You are NOT COVERED! You are only covered in the United States and maybe Mexico and Canada. But I do know it doesn't cover you in Europe.
You can look at carrental.com which I used in Ireland a couple of years ago. It covers damage for the car but not liability or damage you caused to another vehicle or property.

I do know for a fact my American auto insurance does not provide coverage outside of North America.

My experience with Greek car rental companies is that their insurance has several exclusions (such as tires, wheels, windshield, underside of the car etc). I try to use a credit card that doesn't have those exclusions in its CDW and theft coverage for my car rentals. I have an Amex card and have enrolled in their Premium Car Rental protection insurance and, in fact, they covered the wheel damage claim in full once. But not all car rental companies accept Amex, so I tend to use another credit card when they don't.

Re. liability, the car rental companies in Greece typically include third party liability insurance as part of the rental price (around 1M euros or thereabouts). You should check with your car rental company if it does. My American company's liability insurance doesn't cover rentals outside of US/Canada (and Mexico perhaps).

Personally, I have never taken out supplementary insurance when renting a vehicle in Greece, but you can check the "Terms & Conditions" page on various car rental websites to see what their different insurance packages actually cover.

Here are two perfect examples from Greek rental companies (go to the insurance section):

https://avance.gr/car-rental-terms-conditions/

https://fresh-rent.com/athens-rent-a-car/rental-terms/

The excess amount can also vary depending on the rental company.
As Pam pointed out, there are usually exclusions—such as rims, tires, windows, the car's interior, etc.

With that in mind, you should check if you have an insurance policy that offers better coverage.

When I go to book on Europcar, I get the following:

Need Basic protection? You may already be covered so we have not
included it. Please bring proof of your basic protection and USA or
Canada residency to the rental location and check the specific terms
related to the country of rental before proceeding.

Does the protection where I "may already be covered" mean the part from the credit card rental car protection?

Also, in Greece, does the spouse need to be included (and paid for) as an additional driver?

I'm going to ask a different question. Are you committed to renting a car in Athens? If it is just to go to Nafplio, have you considered alternatives that would probably be a lot more relaxing?

I was on a day tour that went from Athens out to Corinth, so basically the first part is the same route. The traffic in Athens was difficult to say the least. Once out of the main Metro area it seemed to settle down quite a bit.
I've been in Nafplio as a cruise stop and my memories there are that traffic was busy but doable. Parking seemed to be an issue for some of the people we saw. The city itself is quite walkable.

There is a bus from Athens to Nafplio every two hours and the cost is 13 euros.

Does the protection where I "may already be covered" mean the part from the credit card rental car protection?

Maybe. Best to ask them what it means. Make sure you know what your credit card program covers to avoid any nasty surprises.

Also, in Greece, does the spouse need to be included (and paid for) as an additional driver?

Only if the spouse will be driving.

I see nothing in what I can find on their site that indicates a spouse is automatically included.

Also, in Greece, does the spouse need to be included (and paid for) as an additional driver?

Only if the spouse will be driving.
I see nothing in what I can find on their site that indicates a spouse is automatically included.

In the US, in the majority of states, the spouse is included as a secondary driver by law, not per company. I guess that is not true in Greece.

I'm going to ask a different question. Are you committed to renting a
car in Athens? If it is just to go to Nafplio, have you considered
alternatives that would probably be a lot more relaxing?

I was on a day tour that went from Athens out to Corinth, so basically
the first part is the same route. The traffic in Athens was difficult
to say the least. Once out of the main Metro area it seemed to settle
down quite a bit. I've been in Nafplio as a cruise stop and my
memories there are that traffic was busy but doable. Parking seemed to
be an issue for some of the people we saw. The city itself is quite
walkable.

There is a bus from Athens to Nafplio every two hours and the cost is
13 euros.

My preference is actually not to drive, but the issue is how to cover Epidavros and Myecenae on a 2-night trip.

If your preference is to not drive, check if there is a tour that covers both Epidavros and Mycenae on the same day from Napflio or Athens.

Here's one example from my Google search that includes Corinth as well: https://www.getyourguide.com/nafplio-l7909/from-nafplion-mycenae-corinth-canal-and-epidavros-day-tour-t290955/

Thank you, pam. According to the RS Guide, Mycenae is best visited in the quiet hours to appreciate the acoustics. I am concerned that the tours may not be conducive for that appreciation.

If the real question is the one in the title: "Do we need additional insurance coverage for a rental car in Athens?"

The answer is no.

I'll be a bit provocative, I admit, forgive me.

If you want to be completely covered, and if plan to take a KTEL bus, have you checked what insurance covers you in case of an accident? Does the KTEL company have any exclusions?

If you book an organized tour, do you also check their insurance and refund policies?

Have you checked what expenses your travel insurance covers (medical, repatriation, transportation, miscellaneous costs), and do you have insurance in case you cause damage to your accommodation? What does it cover exactly?

To get back to the rental car: rental companies in Greece don't care about the family relationship between the second driver and the primary driver as long as all drivers have a valid license. Essentially, adding a second driver is either permitted (with or without an extra fee) or it is not. It doesn't matter who she/he is.

If the real question is the one in the title: "Do we need additional
insurance coverage for a rental car in Athens?"

The answer is no.

Thank you!

I'll be a bit provocative, I admit, forgive me.

No problem.

If you want to be completely covered, and if plan to take a KTEL bus,
have you checked what insurance covers you in case of an accident?
Does the KTEL company have any exclusions?

I believe my medical insurance will cover that. And then go after KTEL to make up the money.

If you book an organized tour, do you also check their insurance and
refund policies?

Refund, yes. Insurance, no.

Have you checked what expenses your travel insurance covers (medical,
repatriation, transportation, miscellaneous costs), and do you have
insurance in case you cause damage to your accommodation? What does it
cover exactly?

I am not intending to cause damage to my accomodations. The others, yes, they cover.

To get back to the rental car: rental companies in Greece don't care
about the family relationship between the second driver and the
primary driver as long as all drivers have a valid license.
Essentially, adding a second driver is either permitted (with or
without an extra fee) or it is not. It doesn't matter who she/he is.

OK, so, in many states in the US, the spouse is automatically covered, so there is not need to have them included as an additional driver. From your answer, it appears that in Greece they have to included separately (with the required fee). That exactly is what I wanted to know: thanks for clarifying.

As you probably figured out, that was just a demonstration of all the different ways a trip can go sideways.

My philosophy is much closer to the saying: "A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."

From my own experience, we've never had the slightest issue renting cars in Greece. In fact, I've found that the smaller and more local the rental company is, the less picky they are about the car's condition when you return it. The only thing they really care about is bringing it back with the same fuel level it had when you picked it up.

But if you'd rather have comprehensive insurance so you can drive around Greece with complete peace of mind, just in case, that's entirely up to you.

Thank you, JoLui. Athens Car Rental quoted three times that of Europcar (with unclear presence in Piraeus port) and so we will go with the latter with whom we have had good experience, and I do not see much negative reviews in Greece. There is a list of companies renting from Piraues Port but I only can see Hertz, Sixt and Europcar as those I have heard about. Europcar certainly stays open the longest out of the three, including on Sunday.

For insurance, I will go with my Chase Freedom Flex: they seem to have primary rental car insurance if I decline coverage from the car
rental.

However, I am open to getting recommendations from local companies that have some presence at Piraues Port.

To my knowledge, Athens Car Rental (ACR) only has a central office located in Marousi, a suburb near the airport, but no physical office in downtown Athens, at the airport, or in Piraeus. An employee will travel to those locations to drop off or pick up the car.

I assume you've located Europcar Piraeus:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/WLrjwUvcqBWQ32eWA

They are about a 10-minute walk from Gate E9, where the Seajets ferries arrive. I assume you also saw that they have a direct phone number for the Piraeus office:
+30 210 418 4448

For insurance, I will go with my Chase Freedom Flex: they seem to have
primary rental car insurance if I decline coverage from the car rental

I don't think you can completely decline the rental company's insurance, you'll have to take at least the basic coverage. Whether you have other insurance is none of their concern, and they won't check its authenticity or its terms and conditions. All that matters to them is ensuring the car is covered by the insurance policy they are contractually partnered with.

The risk you take is that for a damaged vehicle you get a $2500+ charge on your credit card some months later for damages or "loss of use" - even with a supplemental policy. Lots of exclusions in some of those also. Ask me how I know!