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    HOW TO PROTECT
    YOUR EXCESS

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    Full Damage Protection | Zero Excess | Breakdown Protection with Zero Excess | Frequently Asked Questions


    Save on car hire coverage with Auto Europe

    In order to protect your car hire excess, we have prepared three different packages ready to be booked on our website. They are: Full Damage Protection, Zero Excess, and Breakdown Protection with Zero Excess. Since these matters require thorough explanation, we have created a short overview of the products, which comprises the most frequently asked questions. Read the product descriptions carefully in order to select the package which suits you best. Please bear in mind that not all the products are offered with all suppliers, for all car categories or in all destinations. For more general advice on car rental coverage, please consult our extensive guide.

    Excess explained

    The excess, or deductible, is the sum you are still liable to pay for damage to the car or theft of the car. Your rental includes the basic coverage that limits your liability to a certain sum of money. We will illustrate this with an example. If the excess for your rental is €100 and the damage to the car is an estimated €500, the driver will be held responsible for €100, while the rest of the sum will be compensated by the coverage package. The amount of the excess or deductible depends on the category of the car and the car hire company. Our booking engine shows the amount of the excess in the Terms, Conditions & Local Fees.
     

    Full Damage Protection

    Auto Europe offers the Full Damage Protection to its customers. Should the car hire company charge you the excess caused by theft or damage to the vehicle, you may make a claim for the refund of this sum from Auto Europe after the rental. First, you will need to pay the excess directly to the car hire company. In the event of a claim, you need to prepare all mandatory documents and apply for the refund with Auto Europe. In order to process your claim, Auto Europe demands to be presented with all the documents required. Full Damage Protection includes also the wheels, roof, glass, and undercarriage.

    Example of a rate that includes Full Damage Protection:

    Full Damage Protection

    Zero Excess

    The local car hire company will offer you the Zero Excess package, which can also be booked on Auto Europe's website. Zero Excess will completely eliminate your excess. If the damage made to the vehicle is covered by the package, you will not have to pay for anything. However, if the damage is not covered -common exclusions comprise wheels, glass, tyres, roof and undercarriage - you will still have to pay for the damage.

    Example of a rate that includes Zero Excess:

    Zero Excess

    Breakdown Protection with Zero Excess

    You are offered an opportunity to "upgrade" your Zero Excess cover. It comes in the form of Breakdown Protection with Zero Excess, available only for pick-ups in the USA. This product will cover towing fees, unused day refund due to medical reasons or car damage and damage to additional items (GPS, child seat, etc.),  in addition to glass, tyres, wheels, roof and undercarriage, which are normally not covered by Zero Excess. Again, you will first need to pay for the damage or other fees prior to making a claim for a refund from Auto Europe. Please remember to supply all the required documents when making the claim after the rental.

    Example of a rate that includes Breakdown Protection with Zero Excess:

    Breakdown Protection with Zero Excess

    Frequently Asked Questions

    1. Advantages of purchasing excess protection directly from Auto Europe
    Time Saving - When booking your car hire online, you can also book and pay for our products at the same time. Therefore, you will not have to worry about the additional coverage anymore, nor will you have to check whether it is offered by the local car hire company, or pay for the service locally.
    Money Saving - Even when the local company does offer additional types of coverage, Auto Europe's products are usually significantly cheaper than those locally offered packages.

    2. Auto Europe's excess protection and deposit - will it still be needed?
    Yes, you will still have to leave a security deposit directly with the car hire company. Similar to all car rentals, you will need an international credit card in the name of the main driver, under whose name the booking was made. The security deposit will be blocked on this credit card. Therefore, it is extremely important that the main driver has an international credit card in their name with a sufficient credit limit. You will need to present this card to the car hire supplier when picking up the car.

    The majority of car hire companies will require a deposit even when booking the Zero Excess product. Please be sure to check the terms and conditions along with local fees prior to finalising the booking process. You can find the information on our booking engine.

    3. The local car hire company representative insists I purchase their additional insurance although I have already obtained an Auto Europe excess protection product. Do I still have to purchase their insurance?
    Any local car hire company's employees are usually trusted with sales, too, and, as such, they will probably try to sell various company products to customers. With a few exceptions, all insurance products offered locally will be optional. If the offered product is said to remove the excess, most probably it will not be needed in addition to the one purchased from Auto Europe.

    The car hire company may offer insurance covering the car parts not normally covered by the basic package included in Auto Europe rates. These may include glass, roof, undercarriage, wheels and the like, usually exempt from the basic coverage. Should this be the case, it is entirely up to the customer to decide whether they want to buy this additional insurance or not. Please bear in mind, Auto Europe's Full Damage Protection already covers these items. You will, however, first need to pay for the damage, and then claim a refund from Auto Europe. If you do not possess a credit card or fail to present it during the pick-up, you will be required to purchase additional insurance locally from the car hire company.

    4. What documents will I need to claim an excess refund from Auto Europe?
    The Terms, Conditions & Local Fees in the booking engine on Auto Europe's website will provide you with a detailed list of documents needed to make a refund claim. Please remember, it is essential that you obtain a police report even if the incident did not involve any other parties. Please contact the police in case of any kind of incident, as you will need the report to claim a refund.

    5. I would like to purchase one of the above products. However, I cannot see this option on the booking engine. What could I do?
    Some products are not available for all vehicles or in all destinations. When they are, you will see the option to add them to your booking before you proceed with the payment.