My husband and I can rent a car for 17 days in May. Picking up/dropping off at Madrid airport. By far the best rate we can find requires us to take the Collision damage insurance that Europe Car offers. The problem is that the insurance does not cover damage to windows, the car's underbody, hubcaps, etc. All the things I could see getting damaged....Does anyone know of additional insurance that could be purchased to cover those things that are excluded? The folks at AutoEurope say that Europe Car does not offer any additional coverage. Makes me even more anxious. We usually rent using our American Express card and declining the CDW but this inclusive quote was a lot less. Any ideas suggestions will be appreciated.
Posted by
Auburn, Alabama
1064 posts
Investigate this situation a bit more before you make a purchase. I don't see how a vehicle rented with insurance could be cheaper than one without. Plus, the CDW coverage most companies offer carries such a high deductible, you have to buy super CDW to get any effective coverage. Since you usually pay with American Express, check out their premium coverage. The Web site is at https://www152.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do?source=OPEN
Posted by
Everett, WA
1292 posts
Velda-I researched this issue to death in 2008. I finally rented the car without any insurance (the CDW I was offered had a $1500 deductible) Instead, we purchased a Travel insurance package that included $50,000 in zero deductible car insurance. For less than the cost of the CDW for 5 weeks, we got car insurance, trip cancellation, interruptions, health, evacuation, lost luggage, etc. We used CSA travel insurance. Travel guard also has a policy, but it will not cover people in my state for car insurance. We had a mishap...and CSA paid our claim in full. My research paid off! Like the previous poster, I have never heard of the cheapest option being with CDW insurance. However, you may be able to supplement with travel insurance (which you may be planning on buying anyway)
Posted by
Texas
518 posts
Just remember that with any type of 3rd party insurance, including that you would buy from Autoeurope, if you should have an accident the settlement of the claim will not be immediate. Your trip will be interrupted.
As far as Europecar not offering CDW and super CDW, I have not found that to be true in the UK, France, or Germany. All offered it at the counter. With the company's CDW insurance, if you have a wreck, they just bring you another car. You hand them the keys to your wreck, and your done. If you are in a rural area, it might be a little more time consuming. I had a friend who had a wreck in England and had the super CDW. They had another car and were on their way within 2 hours.
Posted by
Atlanta
1358 posts
I don't know about your trip being interrupted by having a claim. We bought excess insurance (what covers the deductible left from the CDW) last year from dailyexcess.com. We had to file a claim, the rental company put the deductible (1100 euro) on my card and I had to file a claim when I got home. Just read your policy carefully and keep ALL of your paperwork.
Posted by
Dallas
1021 posts
As mentioned, the best and easiest solution is to arrange the car rental insurance through American Express. For $20 per RENTAL, not per day, AE gives you PRIMARY insurance of $50k. So you don't have to get your own insurance carrier involved or the rental company. It's a bargain and one of the main reasons I keep AE.