If you’ve ever picked up a hire car, you’ll know how confusing (and expensive) excess charges can be. Rental companies often apply high excess amounts, and that’s where car hire excess insurance can help.
At Cover4Rentals, customers often ask about the difference between our silver and gold cover, and why certain options sometimes appear or disappear while getting a quote.
This guide explains what silver and gold car hire excess insurance include, how they differ, and why the quote journey changes based on your trip details.
Already know what cover you need? Get a quote now.
Anna’s Top Tips💡
- Silver and gold both refund rental excess, but gold offers higher limits and more flexibility for certain trips.
- If you’re hiring in your country of residence, silver won’t apply and you’ll only see gold.
- For USA and Canada rentals, gold may includes extra options like Collision Damage Waiver that aren’t available on silver.
What is car hire excess insurance?
Let’s first answer the question ‘what is car hire excess insurance?’
When you rent a car, the rental agreement usually includes an excess. This is the amount you must pay if the vehicle is damaged or stolen, even if what’s happened is not your fault.
Car hire excess insurance, sometimes called excess insurance for rental cars, refunds you the excess your credit card was charged by the rental company. Standalone policies like the ones we offer at Cover4Rentals also cover areas often excluded by the hire companies’ own excess waivers. This includes the tyres, wheels, glass and the underbody, and means you’ll be getting more cover for less.
What does silver cover include?
Cover4Rentals silver excess insurance policies for rental cars are designed to provide solid and straightforward protection so can have peace of mind when hiring cars. It includes:
Silver also includes curtailment of rental and vehicle drop-off charges on unexpected medical grounds, up to £300 for each.
Our silver car hire excess insurance policies do not cover business rentals or car club vehicles.
What extra protection does gold cover offer?
Gold cover builds on what silver offers by increasing the limits and adding a little more flexibility.
Gold increases:
Cover4Rentals gold excess insurance policies for rental cars also offers an optional Collision Damage Waiver top-up for rentals those renting in the USA and Canada where CDW is not included in the rental agreement. This option is not available under our silver policies and isn’t available for European rentals either.
Silver vs Gold
Silver
Gold
Both policies cover the most common and expensive rental charges, and include protection for the most vulnerable parts of the vehicle often excluded in the excess waivers offered by the rental company. The main difference between silver and gold cover is how much headroom and flexibility you get.
Why do some options disappear during the Cover4Rentals quote journey?
Sometimes customers worry when a cover level or option is not shown when they progress through the quote journey. This is usually simply because the option is not suitable for the details that have been entered, rather than being unavailable.
Silver cover doesn’t apply to rentals in your country of residence, so if you have selected you will be hiring in your country of residence only gold cover will be shown to you.
If you have selected that you’ll be hiring a car in the USA and Canada, then gold cover will also only be shown to you with the additional option of adding CDW.
FAQs
Not necessarily. Gold offers higher limits and extra flexibility, but Silver provides strong protection for many standard European rentals. The right choice depends on your trip.
CDW options only apply to USA and Canada rentals under gold cover. It’s not available for European rentals.
No. Excess insurance refunds costs after you have paid the rental company. You must still accept the rental company’s basic cover where required
Understanding the difference between silver and gold helps you choose the right level of protection without paying for cover you do not need.
To see what options apply to your trip, get a quote from Cover4Rentals today.
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