Rental cars insurance
 

If you are renting a car in Spain,Europe.
What kind of insurance would you ask for to have a peace of mind?
Also i noticed that SIXT.com they have the cheapest cars!! Whats up with that??!
Thanx

Ti have peace of mind I would take full insurance (although I get if from my AmEx card). They will insist you take insurance for their car - but there will be a deductible. You should find out how much - and if you're not comfortable with it you may want to pay extra to cover it.

As for liability - not sure how much they provide - or how judgement proof you are.

If the prices are much cheaper find out if it includes taxes and insurance - and exactly what insurance - so you are comparing apples to apples.

Check with your credit card company.

I have rented with SIXT in France and Spain and I use my Amex card which has the automatic prmium insurance pan tied to it. You have to sign up for it with AX. On my last trip the car was broken into and AX handled everything.

I don't buy extra insurance. I pay with my credit card, which takes care of any problem.

I used to take full insurance (usually with AutoEurope) for "peace of mind". But then a phone rep from AutoEurope actually talked me out of it once renting a car in the UK asking me "doesn't your credit card take care of all that?" Indeed it does. But the kicker is that sure enough, that trip we totaled the car in a wreck! If we had taken the "full insurance" from AutoEurope we still would have had a deductible of several hundred dollars and various other items would not have been covered -- like removal and "storage" of the wrecked car", transporting us to our next destination, and other matters. The bottom line was that our credit card paid every penny of expence, but the "full insurance" from the rental car would have still cost nearly a thousand dollars PLUS the cost of the insurance itself! And to get your credit card to pay you MUST DECLINE all optional insurance with the rental car company. Now I know, to take ONLY required insurance and leave the rest to my credit card.

Oh, and by the way -- such a wreck or claim will have NO affect on your own car insurance -- they weren't even notified as it has nothing to do with them.

You will have basic third party insurance with the car - that is a legal requirement in Europe.
You need to check whether your credit card provides insurance - not all do, especially if it is a non North American card.

Decide on how much extra insurance you want to take out, then compare the prices on offer including that level of insurance.
Sixt are a European company and are fine, though some will no doubt say otherwise.

Insurance requirements differ depending on where you are from (citizenship), not just the type of credit card you use. This is determined by international insurance coverage agreements and has nothing to do with the rental car companies. We use Amex Platinum because we are fully covered at no additional expense, but you may find that regardless of the rental car company you choose, you'll be required to have the basic CDW.

If you are worried, and want to be completely covered, with no deductible, then take the zero deductible insurance the rental car company offers. The only problem with that option is that it will generally double the cost of the rental.

My credit cards do not have car insurance. (Insurance through Amex only seems to work for US residents, not Canadians) In 2008 I had the 'full insurance' option through AutoEurope for a very reasonable price as a special.

2,000 euros damage to the car and nothing extra to pay.

Thank you for that insight Patrick. I'm glad I revisited this thread.

Good point about other country's credit cards not having the same insurance coverage that US cards generally have. And it's always a good idea to check first with your credit card company to make sure what coverage you'd have, but all three of my major credit cards (a Visa, a Master Card, and an American Express) all come with the full rental insurance package.

We also use the American Express Premium Insurance plan for rentals in Europe. For a total premium of $24.95 for up to 42 consecutive days of coverage, it's a good deal. More info here:

https://www295.americanexpress.com/p...ntal-LearnMore

MaineGG, I assume you are from the US? What does that policy cover that your AMEX card alone wouldn't automatically cover?

I looked at your link and I didn't see anything that my credit card doesn't already cover -- no deductible, etc. It does say "up to $100,000 theft and damage, which sounds very high, but I''m not in the habit or renting cars that are worth that much. My other credit card policy fully covers any rental car I'd be driving. I'd be asking American Express what they are leaving out when they tell me that my card would also cover all those things. Or are they just looking for an extra $24.95 for coverage they are already providing?

Yes, I am from the US. Interesting questions you raise. I'll take another look at the details of coverage my Amex card provides to see why we thought this was a good plan to have.

It also seems like one of those plans credit cards are always trying to sell -- that protects you from various types of fraud on your card -- but as far as I can tell, credit cards come with the basic same fraud protection automatically.

The American Express Premium Insurance covers more types of cars, including luxury cars and SUVs. It also provides more coverage for the driver and passenger, and is the primary insurer when traveling outside of the country. If you're a Platinum card holder (corporate or personal), you're covered automatically without having to pay the $24.95 fee. Is it a good deal? It’s hard to say until you need it.

“Premium Car Rental Protection (PCRP) is insurance coverage offered by American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. to help protect American Express Cardmembers and Passengers when the Cardmember uses an enrolled Card to pay for a Car Rental from a Rental Company. Coverage includes 1) reimbursement for damage to or theft of the Rental Auto and personal property, and 2) medical expenses and death and dismemberment benefits resulting from a Covered Accident. Coverage is worldwide except for vehicles rented in Australia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, and New Zealand.”