And if you pick up your car at the airport, you’ll save a lot of time and money on transfers. Renting a car is a way to live a local experience, to feel part of the country, because you move as you would a local, also allows you to have maximum freedom in movements and stops, allowing you to reach the places less “tourist”.   In the same way, if you travel for work, it is a practical and useful means. We, therefore, assume that you have the skills and information you need and you can drive away from home as you save up to half on a car hire!

Knowing you can save on car hire

Hundreds of brokers allow you to compare the various car rental prices in Italy or abroad, and make all the considerations about the level of the company to choose and everything else.

But you need to know that real convenience revolves around insurance. I’m sorry to let you get into the technical aspects, but you need to explain some short notions about car rental policies (for those who need them).

• Imagine imagining what it is (the maximum amount that the insurance is willing to pay). If the damage caused exceeds this amount, the insured must pay the difference out of his pocket.
• The sum that remains payable by the insured in the event of a claim is deductible. Keep this in mind because you play a lot on it.
• TPI (Third Party Insurance) is already a lesser-known term that refers to third party cover, in which a clarification is necessary: be careful to check the maximum! In some countries (e.g. North America), the law obliges companies to include it in the rental, but with a very low ceiling. In this case, seriously consider purchasing additional insurance (often free of charge) usually called Excess Liability Insurance (ELI).
• CDW ( Collision Damage Waiver ), also known as “Kasko”, is the insurance that covers damage to your vehicle. Be careful, because often this does not cover everything (for example excludes crystals and tires, just those most prone to accidental damage). It also requires payment of the deductible.
• TW ( Theft Waiver ) is the most common term for identity theft insurance. This term too often has a high deductible.
• DER ( Damage Excess Refund ) refers, however, to the total or partial demolition of the franchise. It is almost always sold separately (and at a high price) from companies.
• Roadside assistance is the policy, almost always optional, which covers the costs of roadside assistance.

Then there are an infinite number of personal, special or complimentary insurances that we cannot deal with in detail, firstly because we would need a separate treaty, and secondly because you already hate yourself enough for the perhaps too specific digression, even if it is necessary.

Did everything seem too complicated? Be aware that for this reason, the topic is the ideal terrain to hide traps and thieves.

For those who, like lawyers, bask in the quibbles, good news: to complicate things a bit, you have to know that each country has different laws and sometimes companies enjoy sadistically changing the acronyms and their names of different types of policies. The CDW is also called DW or LDW, the TW can be called TPC or TP. The DiER or similar proposals have the most disparate names and can even just reduce, instead of cancelling, the deductible. The most fashionable is SuperCDW, very evocative and inviting for poor victims who sometimes have to pay the same amount due to the rental of this type of policy.

I know you’re thinking of something like that: “VFNC, Toto, here’s what I’d dedicate to you… you’re rejecting me with all these acronyms!  I just wanted to save on car rental and maybe more….. “. A little patience, we are coming to the point: everything will be clearer.

The real main reason for saving on car rental is here. In practice, the main insurances ( TPI, CDW and TW ) are almost always included (and required by law – but always pay attention to the ceilings). Usually, the DER and the Roadside Assistance must be purchased separately at the rental counter. So you may have to pay the excess and be surprised by some events.

Here’s the real trick to save on car rentals, off-road vehicles, off-road vehicles, vans and so on

Saving on car rental does not only mean talking at the time of booking but especially in case of problems and therefore it would be better to have all the possible insurance, enjoy the holiday in peace and above all not having to worry about accidents or damage to the car (real or boasted by some cunning renter). This, however, has a very high cost and rarely predictable online, as the insurance surcharges are often sold only to the front office. And there’s more: the insurance companies offered by the companies often have exclusions (loss of keys, damage to the windscreen, and so on) that instead represent the most frequent damages.

And here we are finally: how to save on car rental while maintaining maximum serenity? Many brokers offer the possibility to book the car and add insurance that cancels the franchise and also covers other events. This policy is provided by the intermediary at a much lower cost than that proposed by the rental companies.  However, the international sites that provide a similar service are now more than one.

Another excellent method is to rent a car where you prefer, then sign a specific policy that replaces the DER, refunding the excess, and that also covers roadside assistance, damage to windows, tires and so on And I guarantee you that in the field of car rental is very difficult to have high ratings, due to the most diverse problems.

However, there are many insurance companies, more or less specific, that provide this useful, practical and economical service. The important thing is that you have understood the concept, then choose freely ….. also because no one has paid me to promote it!

With these methods, you can save up to 50% on car rental because the complementary insurances often have the same cost as the rental! In the event of a claim, the company will still keep the deductible from the security deposit (which you will have to pay at the time of rental), but the full amount will then be returned by your insurance (in a few days if you have chosen a voucher).

Travelling often reveals many more facets than you can imagine, and this is also part of the charm. If you want to save and optimize you need to know them. Always be careful about how car rental insurance works in the country you’re going to, so you can better evaluate all the proposals and choose the one that best suits your needs.