Drivers Down Under Hit by biggest Car Hire Excess Charges – Don’t go the distance without protection, warns INSURANCE4CARHIRE.COM
11th June 2008
Excess charges incurred by drivers in Australia disproportionately high compared to other motorists
- Drivers charged as much as £2,000 for damage excess
- Save £££'s by taking out an annual worldwide Excess insurance policy
Holiday makers hiring a car Down Under are presented with the biggest excess charges for car hire compared to anywhere else in the world, according to independent excess cover provider Insurance4carhire.com .
A recent underwriter's claims report reveals that motorists in Australia incur the highest excess charges in the event of damage to their vehicle, with sums reaching almost £2,000.
Whilst motorists driving rented cars in European countries such as France and Italy are likely to have more minor scrapes and bumps, the hazards of driving in the Antipodes are on a somewhat bigger scale.
It may sound like a stereotypical joke but the risk of colliding with a kangaroo whilst driving in Australia is actually quite common and this can cause a great deal of damage to the vehicle.
However unlikely you think it is that this will happen to you, the chances of hitting an animal on the road are very real and the cost of repairing the damage can be enormously expensive.
Recent figures from Australian motoring authority NRMA show that of 9,000 claims for animal-related collisions in 2007 in the state of New South Wales, 7,000 of them involved kangaroos.
"Travelling to Australia is a costly business anyway so ensuring you're covered for potentially catastrophic excess charges is a no-brainer," says Simon Vella of Insurance4carhire.com .
Other major contributing factors to costly accidents down under are fatigue caused by driving the very long distances between the country's main towns and cities and the temptation to speed on the long, straight roads.
Even with an excess insurance policy bought from their car rental firm, drivers may still have to cough up in the event of a breakdown or damage to the undercarriage, tyres and windows as many firms exclude this from their policies.
‘When hiring a car abroad many people sign up for the car rental company's own insurance policy, but don't realise that this will not cover them for the excess for damage to these areas," says Vella. "But if you get hit by a large animal, it's pretty likely that some of these places will sustain damage.
"We would strongly advise anyone hiring a car abroad to read their policy documents as they vary from country to country, as does the Excess charge. Better still, buy from a standalone insurance provider before leaving the UK."
Insurance4carhire.com offers low cost policies that can save motorists a small fortune and provide peace of mind all year round.
Europe-wide cover costs just £49, covering the policyholder and all additional drivers on the car rental agreement for multiple use throughout the year.
Annual Worldwide cover costs just £59 to provide protection anywhere in the world where Excess is charged.
Notes about this Press Release:
Founded in 2002 Insurance 4 Car Hire is an innovative online insurance company whose core business is the provision of car rental Excess insurance. The business was born out of the high costs being charged by the car rental companies for Excess cover. Insurance4carhire strives to bring customers annual Excess insurance products offering customers convenience, peace of mind and very significant savings when they rent cars.
In 2005, for the second year running, Insurance4carhire received the accolade of "World's Leading Innovative Ecommerce Travel Product" from The World Travel Awards. These annual awards celebrate achievement in the travel industry and are based on votes cast by travel industry professionals throughout Europe.
To reflect the increasingly global reach of its products, Insurance4carhire changed
underwriters to AIG UK Ltd, a member company of American International Group, Inc., (AIG) in December 2007. AIG is one of the worlds leading insurance companies with operations in more than 130 countries.
Insurance 4 Car Hire is now part of the Towergate Partnership the largest independently owned insurance intermediary in Europe.
Source: Insurance4carhire.com
See Also:
Excess Protection Gives a Financial Boost to All - May 2009
Insurance4carhire.com's Best Drives in the US - January 2009
INSURE4EXCESS.COM Launches New Policies at Competitive Rates
insurance4car hire.com - March 2008
Towergate Partnership announces the acquisition of Insurance 4 Car Hire Agents Ltd - January 2008
Lower prices for car hire excess insurance from December - December 2007
Annual Car Rental Insurance Renewal is here again - October 2007
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