Car hire insurance abroad

What does car hire insurance cover?

Every car on SabreCar lists its cover levels, up to four, under the same names. The level you pick decides how much of any damage you pay and, on some cars, how big the deposit is. Before you book, the car shows each level’s price, its deposit and whether it is offered at all.

Minimum coverage is third-party liability (TPL) only: it pays for damage you cause to other vehicles, not for the hire car.

What is a collision damage waiver (CDW)?

On a hire car, CDW is Basic coverage: limited cover for collision damage to the hire car itself. Limited means you still pay part of any damage, up to a cap the car sets. Super CDW, listed as Full Coverage, keeps a driver share too; on one Volkswagen Polo in Dubrovnik for a week from 16 November 2026, that cap fell from €1,100 on Basic coverage to €350 on Full Coverage. Full Coverage Plus removes the driver share for accident damage altogether.

What is the excess on a hire car?

The excess is the most you pay toward damage to the hire car under the level you chose, and each car shows its own figure. A 2018 Suzuki Swift in Split for the same week held a €500 deposit on Basic coverage, with your share of any damage capped at €500. Full Coverage Plus cost €140 for the week and took both to zero.

For zero excess car hire, look for Full Coverage Plus on the car. It is not on every car: 48 of the 93 Split cars offered it that week.

Do you need separate car hire excess insurance?

The cover that applies when you collect the car is the level on your booking, shown on the car before you book, with its own deposit and excess. Full Coverage Plus, where the car offers it, removes the driver share for accident damage on the booking itself.

What does car hire insurance not cover?

• Standard insurance does not cover damage to the wheels, the undercarriage, the windscreen or the inside of the car.
• Minimum and Basic coverage list glass and tyre damage as not covered.
• The insurance is invalid for deliberate damage, vandalism or neglect.

These rules sit in the rental terms of every destination on SabreCar.

What should you do after an accident in a hire car?

Call the rental company straight away and get a police report, unless the company agrees otherwise. Skip either step and the insurance on the car can be cancelled, which leaves the whole cost with you.