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Compare car hire insurance prices with MoneyMaxim
When you hire a car in Spain, like in the majority of car hires in Europe, you would usually expect to have the main insurances included with your hire car. You could just decide to take no further cover over and above this, however this option could leave you liable for a large excess and for any exclusions to the Collision Damage Waiver.
Taking out a European car hire excess insurance policy alongside the main insurance, means you can be reimbursed should you have to pay out for any excess or incur damage to parts of the car which may not be covered by the main insurance.
So when it comes to finding the best car hire excess insurance in Spain, which particular features might you want to consider?
By running a quotation through the MoneyMaxim car hire excess insurance comparison service you can easily compare different features from the leading excess insurers here in the UK.
We take you step by step through the process so you can understand how to find the best cover for your rental car insurance needs in Spain.
As mentioned, car hire in Spain normally includes the main insurances of Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), Theft Protection and Third Party. It is important that you establish that you have these with your hire as an excess policy only works if you do! This is especially relevant to those living outside the UK. If you find you do not have the main insurances, or do not understand what these are, then a quick call to MoneyMaxim and we can help guide you.
The car hire excess policies through MoneyMaxim, subject to terms and conditions, will cover you for the excess on your CDW or theft cover, and also reimburse you for the cost of damage to the wheels, tyres, roof, underbody and glass elements of the car which are all areas often excluded from your CDW.
When you run a quote with MoneyMaxim, there are only a few questions to answer. The policy must be taken out in the name of the lead driver (the person taking charge of the car) and purchased before you actually have the keys in your hand.
Choose a European policy if you are just hiring in Spain. This will cover not just the mainland, but also the Balearic Islands such as Majorca, Menorca or Ibiza or the Canary Islands (Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, La Gomera or El Hierro).
If you are planning a second car hire later in the year outside Europe consider a Worldwide policy. Strange as it may seem, not all insurers have the same definition of Europe so if you are unsure as to which would cover you select 'A specific country' and selecting from the drop down list, the results will be filtered appropriately for you.
You will need to have permission from your car hire company if you are planning to drive your car into another country, however any excess insurance policy for Spain would also cover nearby countries such as France, Gibraltar or Portugal.
An exception to this is Andorra as not all policies cover car hires there - so it's best to use the Specific County filter if travelling there.
Do you need annual or short term cover? If you are hiring a car for more than 17 days during a year then an annual policy can work out cheaper for you. Less than this and short term would be the way forward. An annual policy enables you to hire as many cars as you want during the year as along as the total number of days in one single hire does not exceed the stated trip length limit on the policy.
Entering your correct residence is important as not all policies are available to customers worldwide. It may also have a bearing on the policies that are open to you where you are hiring. The criteria for residency differ between companies so, if you are not sure where you would be considered resident, then take a look at their terms and conditions.
This may seem an odd question but the reason is some policies are not available to those hiring in their own country. If you say 'yes' to this question - for example if you are Spanish or an Ex-Pat living there and hiring in Spain - then any insurers who do not allow home rentals will be filtered out.
After you have clicked 'Get Results' you will be presented with a table of results. You can compare the levels of cover offered by each provider. Additional information is shown when you hover or click on each line. Each individual's needs are different from the next so it is important you consider each policy and what it offers to discover which car hire excess policy is best for your trip to Spain.
If you are hiring a vehicle with over 9 seats, a van or a motorhome then relevant policies are available through MoneyMaxim. Just select the applicable vehicle type in answer to the first question.
Breakdown Cover - This feature is not the equivalent to AA or RAC service. It is the responsibility of the car hire company to provide you with a mechanically sound vehicle. If something were to go wrong then you need to contact them first. Do not attempt repairs without their permission. Some breakdowns fall outside of this, however, such as a puncture. This is seen as negligence and you would be held responsible. Towing is offered by all the excess insurers but limits vary so compare these if this is a concern for you.
Personal Effects / Baggage Cover - A good travel insurance policy will usually offer much better coverage for your personal items than those through a car hire excess policy. Also bear in mind that there are conditions which apply to baggage cover under excess policies such as not being left on show in the vehicle. Baggage cover may therefore not be a crucial feature when choosing your excess insurance for Spain if you have travel insurance.
Courtesy Car Cover - This feature will cover a car you are borrowing from a garage perhaps if your car has gone in for repairs. Tick the box at the top of the table to be covered for the excess in this scenario as well. There needs to be a signed formal agreement with the garage which documents your liability. You would need to check the excess insurance would cover you if you then decide to take the borrowed car overseas - presuming you have permission from the garage of course!
Car Club members - If you are a member of a car club (these are clubs where as a member you can borrow cars for short periods, picking up and returning the vehicles to allocated spaces usually within the larger cities) there are policies to cover car club excess insurance. Do check any policy carefully if you require this cover as some policies would only cover car clubs in say the UK.
Multiple lead driver policies - The excess insurance policies shown in your results table will all cover at least one additional driver on a car hire free of charge. However, if you require a policy which will allow more than one lead driver - if for example you will be hiring more than one car at the same time then tick the box to 'Show policies allowing more than one driver to rent cars independently of each other'. Please note that conditions do apply and more information can be found on our Multiple lead driver page. These are only available as annual policies.
More questions? - don't hesitate to call the MoneyMaxim team who will be delighted to assist you in your search to find additional car hire insurance for Spain - we have been helping customers find car hire excess insurance for 10 years now and will be happy to help you too.
This content was last reviewed on 31/10/2023