Hire car insurance

[cupraricky]

Hoping to go to Italy in the near future and will need to do a little driving. Firstly I've been told the Italians r nuts in car sister this true?
Looking at hiring from Avis, and I did notice in another thread someone mentioned about taking out car hire excess insurance its only about £8.

Any how, any body any experience of what driving in ltaly is like and also any advice on hire cars / insurance etc?

Thanks

 

[Airhead]

I've driven in Italy a couple of times - Milan, Verona, Lake Garda and surrounding areas and it was grand. I have experienced much worse drivers in other parts of Europe (Portugal stands out!) but city driving can be a bit of an experience - they're not really aggressive, just a bit impatient and like the sound of the horn! Hire cars usually carry a few war wounds though so should be carefully checked over before leaving the compound. Excess insurance is a must wherever you are as the standard excess can be extortionate. The hire companies' excess reduction fees are generally high so third party providers are probably the way to go although that generally means paying the excess and claiming it back from the third party provider, which could be a hassle (thankfully I've never had to make a claim).

 

[Paddy_R]

@Arfur is just back from Italy where he hired a car. He sent me pics of it and it was a basically new car but it needed a door a rear bumper already. I've used Car Hire Excess Insurance | From £2.39 Per Day in the past, didn't need to use their services thankfully but the cover appeared good on paper.

 

[Arfur]

Car hire excess is a good call as @Paddy_R has said... I also haven't had to use them so far but it does give you the protection from the huge excess that hire car companies would charge.
As for driving in Italy. I had a brand new hire car that had been bashed about 4 times already, they don't bother fixing them until they are going to be sold which says it all. The driving is manic in the cities, people are aggressive and forceful but if you keep your shoulders out and ignore the beeps its grand. The folks on scooters however are insane lol!

 

[Nickyyy]

Theyre a bit mad on the motorways, other than that its OK

Toured Italy last year, remember being overtaken by a fiat 500, I was doing 90-100 mph lol

 

[johnm]

So what is the craic with hiring a car in Italy, never done it anywhere before and were starting in Palermo and making our way up to Naples over two weeks but will only have the car for around 8/9 days. Also, do I just need my license? nothing else like a cover note from my insurance or anything?

Pay for the actual rental of the car which is around 300 which includes CDW & TP
Excess - get it from that car hire place @Paddy_R linked above.

So in the small print of it (enterprise carhire) they have the below. If I get the excess insurance would I have to pay that then claim back or do they pay that if there is any need for it? Will they hold 2600 on the credit card as it says it needs to be available?
Same for the deposit, so surely it just needs to have 500 available on it.....I think im over complicating it in my head.


Excess
The car has a damage excess of EUR 1000.0 (Includes tax) and a theft excess of EUR 1600.0 (Includes tax). Please ensure that you have the excess amount available on your card when you pick up the car.
Deposit
The supplier will require a deposit amount of EUR 500.0 at pick-up. It is a guarantee held on the credit card in the event of damage or theft of the vehicle. It will be automatically released if there is no damage or theft during the rental period.

 

[Coog]

First time I had to drive in Italy I was given a brand new 3 series with about 100km on it and all four corners had been marked. It also took me an hour to get it out of the carpark

 

[VEN©M]

if you use a 3rd party to insure your excess, if there is major damage or theft, you are liable to pay what the car hire specify in their terms as the excess, it can vary. You would then use the company you took the excess insurance policy to claim back. If you take the car hire companys option at the desk, you can basically drive the car in as a wreck and walk away but its significantly more costly per day.

 

[impact]

Just left a car back in to Avis in CDG Paris and had to wait half an hour for three people getting scalped for damage.
First American was refusing to pay and wouldn't sign saying he didn't damage car and he was going to fight it, second couple stung for a scratch which they said was on car already and being charged 471 euro they refused to sign. Third couple the car had damaged from somebody hitting them and they were being charged must have been for new door as woman was near in tears.

Some companies seem to rip the bag out of it, some ones in Spain we hired off on holiday don't seem to even interested in checking other than a glance as long as the car is back.

 

[johnm]

Yeah it seems like some of them can be a nightmare, so they only hold the deposit, not the excess value?
Do they check if you can pay the full excess value in one go?

 

[gpaevo]

Some car hire companies are indeed kunts. Last year I had seven hire cars and took out an annual excess policy with 'insurance4carhire' for £40. Thank fook I did.

The first rental I had was a 308 GTI with less than 1000k in the clock. The wheels were kurbed to hell when I lifted the car and I had signed to acknowledge the damage. On returning the car 24hrs later the ****ers tried to sting me for a new mark on the alloy highlighted by the rim protection on the tyre having a crack in it. Absolutely no way was I taking that. Told the girl at the returns desk to stick it up her hole and I'd be on the phone to the manager.

Getting the p***k on the phone later that day 'he had had the car checked and the wheel needed refurbed and a new tyre at the cost of £500'. Long story short I got raped for the tyre. I highlighted to him that the previous renter would have been raped for the cost of the wheel refurb and it was fraud to attempt to charge me for it. The tyre I couldn't get away with as i'd missed it on collection. £250 later for a tyre I called the excess policy company. Sent them the paperwork and they reimbursed me with 12hrs. Best £40 i'd ever spent.

The lesson I learnt from the on was every signal car I now rent I video the handover and film each and ever panel, wheel etc so I can't the ****ed over again.
Was telling a fella in work not long after and it turns out his brother works for a car hire company, they make their money to the damage claims BUT they never fix the motors as they get sent to auction at 10k.

I've driven around Naples, Sorrento, Amalfi. They are mad on the roads down there.

 

[impact]

The lesson I learnt from the on was every signal car I now rent I video the handover and film each and ever panel, wheel etc so I can't the ****ed over again.

Did the same actually on the hire car earlier, every inch photographed. Again because last car at enterprise in CDG where they tried to sting me for money for a mark on the sill of a mondeo. The mark was minimal to the point that even if you were fussy with cars you'd probably never fix it. Argued for half an hour that a) I never done it and b) there's no way I could have spotted it as the car was collected in pitch dark in the rain with only a phone torch to inspect and you had to get on your hands and knees to even see it. Brought the manager out to see if they could find the damage on the car and she couldn't even after I told her were to look. Ended up giving up as I had to catch a flight and refused to sign but manager put a note on file. Got charged 150 which work covered however about a month later they reimbursed it but it was more the principle of them being crafty kunts.
Full insurance everytime.

 

[Pumesta]

The last time I had a hire car I completely missed the fact the sill was stoved in underneath ,it looked like it had come down on the point of a kerb. You would have had to get down on your hands and knees or stand way way back from the car to see it. I noticed it when I was walking up to it in a car park. I got lucky I washed the car before it went back as the dent stayed cleaner than the rest of the sill. Then neatly parked it between two other cars at Enterprise in the hope they wouldn't get down on their hands and knees... They didn't lol

 

[Lyons]

Trying to get a hire car sorted at the minute, can anyone recommend any companies they've used? As with anything, there are millions to chose from. Firefly seems to be the cheapest at the deposit is E920, compared to Hertz whos deposit is E1500.

With regards to the excess insurance companies, do they actually provide insurance cover on the car too for driving? Or do they just deal with the excess? If the former, who do you use to insure the driving of the car?

 

[VEN©M]

just did budget in Lyon a few weeks ago. 1000 euro excess. Was pretty straightforward. My little fiesta had quite a few little nicks here and there although the paperwork had nothing indicated on it so i took about 20 photos of the damage on collection. i'm glad i did as when i returned it, the guy was going to charge me for a scratch on the rear bumper until i showed the pictures from when i collected it and there was the scratch.

the excess companies cover just that, the excess. You should obviously get the standard insurance as part of the deal when you buy online.

 

[gpaevo]

Trying to get a hire car sorted at the minute, can anyone recommend any companies they've used? As with anything, there are millions to chose from. Firefly seems to be the cheapest at the deposit is E920, compared to Hertz whos deposit is E1500.

With regards to the excess insurance companies, do they actually provide insurance cover on the car too for driving? Or do they just deal with the excess? If the former, who do you use to insure the driving of the car?

The additional insurance companies only cover the excess. The insurance for driving the car is covered by the hire car company. Just read the small print to see exactly what you are covered for. It varies between companies.

I've used most of main hire companies with no issue and used firefly last year in Spain. I always book through the like of holidayautos etc as it's cheaper. I've a Sixt account but still cheaper going through the websites that cover all the companies.