Does Excess Insurance cover Bodywork Claims?

If the bodywork of my rental car is scratched, dented or damaged will car hire excess insurance protect me?

Car hire excess insurance policies can confuse buyers as sometimes they specifically mention that they insure tyres, wheels, underbody and roof but not that they cover scratches or dents to rental vehicles.

Policyholders do not need to worry though, as any damage to the car's bodywork would be covered as a claim under the car rental company's collision damage waiver (CDW) cover.

As excess insurance policies cover the excess on hire car's CDW (the first part of the claim you are responsible for), the cost of the excess on the bodywork damage would then be paid for by your excess insurer. If it were minor damage (costing less than the excess amount), the insurer would pay the whole bill. If it were major damage, the policy would pay the full excess and the car hire company would pay the remainder.

You just need to ensure that the single incident excess limit of any policy you find on our car hire insurance comparison service is an amount that is higher than the excess you are liable for in your car rental agreement.

This content was last reviewed on 11/10/2023

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