What is my excess?

What is an excess?

If Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Theft Waiver (TW) are included in your booking, there will most likely still be an excess. The excess is the amount you are liable for if there is damage or theft to the rental car during your rental. 

How does it work?

For example, if CDW and TW are included and your excess is 1000 EUR, you are liable to pay up to 1000 EUR if there is damage or theft to your rental car. If there is damage for more than the excess amount (in this example over 1000 EUR), this will be covered by the included CDW or TW. Tyres, windscreens and undercarriage are in some cases not covered by CDW and TW insurance, so you may be liable for these items in addition to the excess amount. 

When you go to pick up your car, the car rental company will place a hold for the excess amount on the main driver’s credit card as a deposit in case of damage. The hold will be removed when the car is returned with no new damage, but the amount could take a few days to be available in your account.

How does excess reimbursement insurance work?

If you purchase an excess reimbursement product through one of our insurance providers, or have your own car hire excess policy, you will still need to leave a deposit for the excess and pay excess for potential damage to the car hire company. You can then make a claim with your insurance company for a refund.