Van hire excess Insurance
Van hire excess insurance explained
When you rent a van you will have cover called collision damage waiver(CDW). However, rental companies impose an excess. This is the amount that you are still liable for if a claim is made. Unlike car hire excess van rental excess is on a daily basis. We have partnered with Insure my Van Hire who offer van rental excess cover from £10.99 per day.
Please take careful note, rental excess by the rental company does not cover to glass, wheels or van underside. Taking out a van hire excess insurance policy provides cover for the excess plus will also provide cover for damage to underside and glass. Van hire excess protection comparison service by Insuremyvanhire.
What is excess protection insurance?
If you cause damage to a hire van you will be held responsible for the van hire excess amount. The excess amount can be sizable, especially in the UK. The excess is the amount that you will be held responsible for. So if rental comes with an excess of £3,000 and repaid costs is £4,000 you will be responsible for the £3,000. The rental company is liable for the £1,000.
Van hire excess providers Comparison Table
When looking at the table below you may ask yourself what is excess on excess? Incredible as it may seem 2 providers who deserve a mention Questor and Icarhierinsurance do not fully cover the excess! The cheapest Questor is the biggest offender with a £200 excess on the excess. So if you want the cheapest option be prepared to fork out 200 if you have an accident.
The other 2 Insure my Van and Reduce my excess in our view are the real contenders for your money. With Insuremyvan working out slightly cheaper and they also offer cover up to 7 additional drivers
| Provider | Excess Cover Limit | Excess on Excess | Drivers Age | From per Day | Purchase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| InsuremyVanHire | £6,500 | Full Cover | 21 and 85 inclusive | £10.99 | Buy Online Now |
| ReducemyExcess | £7,000 | Full Cover | £12 | ||
| icarhireinsurance | £2000 | £100 - £200 | £13.99 | ||
| Questor | £2,500 | £200 | 21-84 inclusive | £6.33 | |
Van hire excess insurance can be sizable
Typical excess amounts are over £1,000 and higher the more expensive the van. This will be recovered against you even if the damage caused is not your fault, example a dent in the car park.
The two key events that can occur is an accident or theft of the rental van. As either can happen, you should consider taking out van hire excess cover. This can reduce your excess to a smaller amount or waive the excess to zero, leaving you with zero liability.
How does van rental excess insurance work?
It is important to note this insurance will not waive you of having to leaving an excess deposit with the local rental company. As such, please make sure that your card will be able to cover the reserve amount set by the van rental company. The reserve amount is a reserve only and will be cancelled on safe return of the rental van, minibus or camper van.
What should I do if offered local excess insurance by the van rental company?
The actual rental company will always try and sell their excess insurance policy, priced at a daily rate. If you have been wise to take out a separate van rental excess insurance then simply smile and politely refuse.
If the rental company does not return the full excess amount how do I claim?
If the rental company makes a charge for damages you can claim these back direct from the van rental excess policy that you purchased. Follow the rental company guidelines if in an accident and keep all documentation. At rental end forward all details to the excess insurance company for processing.
What is collision damage waiver?
Collision damage waiver is the optional insurance that you will be offered by the van rental company to reduce that amount that you will be held liable for (the excess). It is offered as an additional daily amount added to the base rental cost. Some rental companies offer varying degrees of waiver, which will reduce your excess by a fixed amount, the more you pay, the more is waived normally to an excess of zero. However, you are still liable for damage to underside and wheels.
The van hire company will offer you additional insurance to also reduce or waive the excess. However, it is cheaper to take out a separate standalone van hire excess insurance policy. A van hire excess policies can cover you for one year and cover both van and car rentals excess amounts in the UK or worldwide.
What is LDW Loss damage waiver?
The insurance provided by our partner Questor insurance includes Loss Damage Waiver (LDW). LDW covers damage to the glass, tyres, underside and sunroof of the van. The glass element includes all glass such as windscreen, side windows and headlights. LDW also provides cover for damage to the hired vehicle wheels and wheel trim.
These items covered by LDW are your responsibility under the van hire contract. Any damage and you will be responsible and liable. This is why Questor excess insurance includes these as standard in their van hire excess insurance policies.
Who provides van hire excess insurance in the UK?
As more and more people are becoming savvy of the excessive charges for buying excess protection direct from the rental provider, more options exist for buying annual excess cover. Whilst not a crowded market the key players as of 2021 include Questor, Insurance4Carhire, Icarhierinusrance and Reducemyexcess Whilst the AA offer car rental insurance that covers van hire they do not provide an actual AA van hire excess insurance product.
Does van rental include hire and reward insurance?
All the main car rental companies do not offer van rental with hire and reward insurance. Why? Because using a van for hire and reward brings additional risk than just using it for your business or personal use. Van couriers tend to be on the road most of the day, working to fixed deadlines. This extra stress and time on the road increases the risk of an accident. As such the driver needs additional cover often referred to as hire and reward insurance.
I rent a van a few times each year, can I take out an annual policy?
Unlike for car rental annual polices are currently not available for van rental only daily van excess cover is available.
Yes the excess policy can provide cover for a rental van, car or a rental minibus
Some, but not all providers of van hire excess insurance stipulate the driver must be 24 or over. If you are a young driver shop around as policies do exist for underage van hire excess. However, It will be more expensive.
If an incident does happen the rental company will deduct the amount from your card, and you will need to claim direct on your policy. The process is fairly easy, but you need to keep all receipts given to you by your van rental hire company
Many providers exist one of the bigger players is Questor insurance. A typical policy will have both inclusion and exclusions and these will vary and must be compared to find the best deal or a deal that meets with your full requirements.
For Questor the following eligibility criteria currently apply
Van hire excess insurance comparison
A van rental excess insurance policy gives you protection when you need to rent a van in the UK. Rentals cars and vans come with a huge excess, the amount that you are liable for. In addition, the cover you get does protect the underside mirror or damage to wheels. The solution is to take out van hire excess.