(UK) Car hire excess insurance

Finance, Taxes, Banking, Insurance and Retirement
1
Hello, I am sure I should know the answer to this but having just spend an hour trying to figure it out I'm having to turn to you, the amazing English Forum hive mind!

When hiring a car (anywhere) the provider offers insurance excess cover. It's always extortionate. I just booked a car hire in the UK and rejected this option but searching through my car insurance details, TCS membership etc I can't find any reference to this being covered. I think I made a mistake using a UK credit card to pay....and not booking via TCS (it was more costly). Perhaps more fool me?!

Any words of wisdom e.g. where I could buy such insurance before my trip would be much appreciated. Not being a UK resident excludes from many deals available there......

Thank you

2
You can add it to or get it with Swiss travel insurance.

3
I am planning to visit the UK mid-year but I cannot hire a car there because they do not rent to people who are over 80.

Looks like I will have to drive

Done it often before but I was looking forward to sitting in an airplane sipping a glass of wine instead of crouching over the steering wheel all day.

Before I got to the rejected stage they wanted a £1,500 deposit in advance.

Nutters.

4

I buy my car hire excess insurance from http://www.worldwideinsure.com/ for around £70 annually. No problem being non-UK resident. Never claimed so can’t speak to their service in that regard

5
I also used worldwideinsure. I even claimed once. No problems at all.

Now my credit card covers it. Gold credit card from UBS, costs 50 francs more annually than the standard one.

6
Thank you to you all for your reply (I haven't posted enough to be able to thank individually?!)

I definitely made a mistake by not using my UBS Gold card to book! Doh! Since covid I haven't travelled much and unlike in the past hardly ever hire a car. I was hoping for individual trip insurance for 3 days rather than coverage for the whole year (as would be covered with the gold card if I had used it )

I will follow up on the travel insurance vein.

Thanks again

7
I think you can hire a car over 80...I just had a look and (at least) AVIS do in the UK but you need to contact them before booking (as it can depend on location apparently). Check out the "Age information" in their "Location Specific Conditions" pdf on their UK site. I tried to cut and paste the relevant paragraph but failed!

8
It's a shame that Motor rail isn't really a thing anymore.

My parents once put their Triumph TR4 on one of these to get back from Europe:

They're not a thing any more either!

9
Thanks,

I tried Avis but no luck for Heathrow.

10
Sorry to hear! Also apologies not to have seen your reply until now. Hope your trip goes well regardless.

11
No worries.

A son-in-law offered to lend me his Mercedes insured via an app called Cuvva but they do not insure people over 80 either.