# Car hire excess insurance: getting the rental deductible back > Rental cars in Germany and across Europe usually come with collision cover that carries an excess, in German Selbstbeteiligung. After damage, the rental company charges that amount to your card. A separate excess policy from a German insurer refunds it, often including glass, tyres and underbody, and usually costs less than the waiver offered at the desk. Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-hire-excess.php Updated: 2026-11-11 ## What does car hire excess insurance pay? It refunds the excess the rental or car sharing company charges you after an accident, theft or other insured damage, up to the sum insured. It works on a reimbursement basis: you pay the rental company first, then send the rental agreement, damage report and invoice to the insurer. The rental agreement normally has to include collision damage waiver or comprehensive cover with an excess. The policy does not replace the deposit held on your credit card. ## At a glance - **Compulsory?:** No, a voluntary add-on to the rental agreement - **How it works:** Reimbursement: pay the rental company, then claim - **Typical excess:** in Europe often around EUR 600 to 3,000 per claim - **Requirement:** collision cover with an excess in the rental agreement - **Policy type:** single rental or annual policy ## Desk waiver or your own policy: what changes at pick-up At the desk, rental companies sell a waiver that cuts the excess to zero or a small amount, priced per day. The appeal is simplicity: after damage nothing is charged, and the deposit is often lower or dropped. The price adds up over a week, and the German automobile club ADAC reports that members are regularly pressed to buy such extras. A standalone excess policy is a contract between you and an insurer. The rental agreement stays as booked: the excess remains in it, the deposit is still blocked on your credit card, and the rental company charges you first if something happens. Knowing this, you can decline the desk offer and insist on the rate you reserved. Make sure your card limit covers the deposit. ## Glass, tyres, underbody and roof: the usual gaps Many rental companies carve the most exposed parts out of their collision cover: windscreen, tyres and rims, underbody and roof. A stone chip on the autobahn or a kerbed alloy is then billed in full, even though the agreement says comprehensive. Stronger excess policies name these parts explicitly, and some add lost keys, misfuelling or towing. Whether a policy refunds only the excess under the collision cover, or also damage the rental company has excluded from it, is the main difference between German policy wordings. ## Buying in Germany as a newcomer German excess policies come as single rental cover, priced by rental days, or as an annual policy for any number of rentals, each up to a maximum length. Cover generally has to be bought before you collect the car. Some policies are only open to residents of Germany, and some exclude rentals in your country of residence, so check both if you rent at home as well as on holiday. Car sharing is common in German cities and is not included in every policy. Providers charge excesses from a few hundred to more than a thousand euros depending on car class and driver profile, and sell their own protection packages. If you share cars often, choose an annual policy that names car sharing. Policy documents are usually in German, so ask us for a summary in English before you sign. ## What is covered - Excess under the collision cover after an accident - Excess after theft of the rental car - Vandalism, fire and natural hazards, depending on the policy - Glass, tyres and rims where the policy names them - Underbody and roof where the policy names them - Car sharing vehicles in many annual policies - Additional drivers listed in the rental agreement ## What is not covered - Damage while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and intentional damage - Drivers who are not named in the rental agreement - Breaches of the rental terms, such as banned countries or unpaved roads - Fines, tolls and fuel charges - Wear and tear and purely mechanical breakdown - Damage that was already there when you collected the car ## Who needs it - Holidaymakers who booked the cheaper rate with an excess - Frequent renters and business travellers with several rentals a year - Car sharing users who do not want to pay for a protection package on every trip - Newcomers without a car of their own who rent for weekends and moves ## Who does not need it - A separate policy if the car is already booked with zero excess and glass, tyres and underbody are included - Double cover if your credit card demonstrably refunds the excess on rentals paid with it ## What it costs A standalone policy usually costs a fraction of what the desk waiver adds up to over the rental period. An annual policy tends to pay for itself from the second or third rental. **What drives the premium:** - Single rental by days or annual policy - Sum insured per claim - Europe or worldwide, with or without USA and Canada - Vehicle type: car, van, motorhome - Car sharing included or not - Any deductible within the policy itself _We do not quote premium ranges, because we lack a current independent market comparison for this line. Your premium is only fixed in the quote._ ## The policy levels on the market - **Single rental:** Cover for one rental period, priced by day. Suits one holiday a year. - **Annual policy, Europe:** Any number of rentals in Europe, each up to a maximum length. For people who rent or share several times a year. - **Annual policy, worldwide:** As above plus long-haul trips, depending on the policy including USA and Canada, often with a higher sum and extras. ## How to recognise a good policy | Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Sum insured | covers the excess on a small car | also covers high excesses on larger classes | If the sum is lower than the excess in your rental agreement, you carry the difference. | | Glass, tyres, underbody, roof | excess under collision cover only | all four named explicitly | These are the parts many rental companies exclude from their own cover. | | Car sharing | not covered | station-based and free-floating included | Regular users save the protection package on every single trip. | | Territory and residence | Europe, residents of Germany only | worldwide including USA and Canada, home rentals included | Some wordings exclude certain countries or rentals in your country of residence. | | Maximum rental length | a few weeks | longer rentals as well | In an annual policy each rental is capped. A long road trip can exceed the cap. | | Policy deductible | fixed deduction per claim | no deduction | A deduction inside the policy eats into the refund on small claims. | ## Insurers on the German market The German market is small. It is carried by travel insurers and by specialist intermediaries with changing underwriters behind them. This list is an overview of insurers that write travel and rental car protection. Whether a company currently offers a suitable policy is something we check when we quote. - **HanseMerkur Reiseversicherung**: Hamburg travel insurer with its own rental car policy, sold via brokers, travel agents and online - **ERGO Reiseversicherung**: travel specialist of the ERGO group with its own rental car policy, formerly Europäische Reiseversicherung - **die Bayerische**: Munich insurance group with a rental car protection product - **Würzburger**: specialist travel insurer, often behind intermediary brands - **Union Reiseversicherung**: travel insurer of the Versicherungskammer group, also sold through savings banks 95 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance. (Finanzielle Verluste, Gewinnausfall). Source: BaFin company database, 2026-09-18; EU insurers without a German office excluded. ## Typical claims and who pays - **Scrape in a tight multi-storey car park** (the excess, often EUR 600 to 3,000): The standard case: the rental company charges the excess under its collision cover and the policy refunds it up to the sum insured. - **Stone chip on the autobahn** (windscreen at the rental company's rates): Glass is often excluded from the rental company's cover. Only policies that name glass refund the bill. - **Kerbed alloy wheel** (rim and tyre at list price): Tyres and rims are the most common dispute at return. A strong policy includes them. - **Underbody hit on a gravel track** (up to the full repair): If the rental terms ban unpaved roads, this is a breach of contract. Neither the collision cover nor the excess policy pays. - **Rental car stolen abroad** (the theft excess): The theft excess is often higher than the accident excess. A police report and the keys are essential. - **Dent in a shared city car** (a few hundred to over EUR 1,000): Car sharing is only covered if the policy says so. Report existing damage in the app before you drive. ## Myth or truth - „With my own excess policy I can decline the extra cover at the desk." ✔ True. The desk waiver and your own policy protect against the same risk. You are entitled to the rate you booked. - „The insurer pays the rental company directly." ✘ False. It is a reimbursement product. The rental company charges your card first and the insurer then pays you. - „Comprehensive cover in the rental agreement includes windscreen and tyres." ✘ Often not. Many rental companies exclude glass, tyres, underbody and roof. The rental terms say so. - „Without collision cover in the rental agreement, an excess policy is of no use." ✔ Correct. It requires collision cover with an excess. It does not pay for the full damage to the vehicle. - „An annual policy covers a rental of any length." ✘ No. Each rental is capped at a maximum number of days. Longer rentals need a suitable policy or single rental cover. ## Common mistakes - Buying the desk waiver on top and paying twice - Trying to buy cover after the car has been collected - Choosing a sum insured below the excess in the rental agreement - Returning the car without photos, a handover report or, where required, a police report - Assuming the policy lowers the deposit on the credit card ## FAQ ### Do I still have to pay the rental company first? Yes. The rental company charges the excess to your card or sets it off against the deposit. You then submit the documents and the insurer refunds you. ### Does the policy reduce the deposit? No. Nothing changes for the rental company, which blocks the deposit as for any agreement with an excess. Your credit card needs enough headroom. ### Can I buy a German policy if I have just moved here? Usually yes, once you are resident in Germany. Some insurers only accept residents, so a German address matters more than nationality. ### Does it work if I booked through a comparison portal? As a rule yes. What counts is the rental agreement with the rental company and that it includes collision cover with an excess. ### How is this different from the refund product sold by booking portals? Portals often sell their own excess refund for that single booking. It works in a similar way but only for that rental. An annual policy covers all your rentals wherever you book. ### Are glass and tyre damage always included? No. Some policies refund only the excess under the collision cover. If glass, tyres, underbody and roof are not named in the wording, do not count on them. ### Is gross negligence covered? It depends on the policy. Driving under the influence is excluded throughout. Whether other grossly negligent behaviour leads to a reduction is set out in the wording. ### Does it cover a van for moving flat? Only if the policy includes vans. Many are limited to passenger cars or to a weight limit, so check before you hire a van for a move. ## Legal basis and sources - [Insurance Contract Act (VVG, German)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vvg_2008/) - [BaFin company database (licensed insurers)](https://portal.mvp.bafin.de/database/InstInfo/) ## Request quotes We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-hire-excess.php#anfrage --- Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.