Before your trip, check to see if there are current travel alerts for your destination – you can also view the latest government advice.
Gaza−Israel conflict: For travellers in, or planning on travelling to, Israel or the Palestinian Territories, please see our travel alert with more information.

Rental Vehicle Excess Cover | Travel Insurance Direct (TID)

There are plenty of different ways to see the world – planes, trains, automobiles and, of course on a cruise liner, but for those with road trips on their mind, it’s worth noting that TID policies automatically include rental vehicle insurance excess coverage.

That being said, whichever plan you choose – The Basics, The Works, or Annual Multi Trip - you'll still need to take out insurance for the vehicle.  However, you may not have to pay the hefty daily rates to the car rental company to reduce your excess. 

Read on for more detail about what's covered.

What does the Rental Vehicle Excess benefit cover?

If your rental vehicle is damaged or stolen while it's in your care, the policy covers the lower of the excess (also known as a deductible) the rental company requires you to pay or cost of repairs.

This means that you may not need to pay the rental company to reduce your excess, but you may still need to pay for the physical damage insurance for the rental vehicle and the liability insurance they offer you (that is, any insurance covering injuries to other people or damage to property not owned by you).

Although TID policies provide cover for Personal Liability, we won't cover you if you injure someone or damage anyone's property while you are driving any motor vehicle, are a passenger, or are otherwise responsible for the motor vehicle.

If the expected rental vehicle excess is more than the amount covered by the policy, we won’t pay any amount exceeding the policy limit. 

Get a quote to get your next domestic or international adventure underway today. 

What types of rental vehicles are included?

The only vehicles that the TID policy covers are those listed in the definition of "Rental Vehicle" within the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

A rental vehicle means any four-wheeled vehicles with a gross vehicle mass less than 4.5 tonnes that you hire from a registered rental vehicle company and have a rental vehicle agreement in writing.

You won't be covered for Rental Vehicle Insurance Excess Cover for rental vehicles other than those mentioned in the definition in the PDS.

Do read this section together with the General Exclusions as these may affect your cover.

Good to know

CDW/LDW - Collision Damage Waiver/Loss Damage Waiver are terms used to describe the physical damage insurance for the vehicle itself.

Contact Emergency Assistance if you need help overseas

Our Emergency Assistance Team are on call 24/7 to help get you back to enjoying your holiday. The EA team are on call 24/7 to help you if you can’t travel back to Australia as planned, and help you access medical attention or hospitalisation if you’re sick.

Get a quote to get your next domestic or international adventure underway today.

Need a hand?

Our Customer Service team is always available to help you to understand the policy, and, and what the policy offers cover for . Our TID travel safety team work to keep customers informed and publish information on major travel events on our website. 

This is a brief summary of cover only. Cover is subject to the full terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions outlined in the Product Disclosure Statement.

Last updated: 18 October 2023

How can we help?

Talk to us

1300 843 843 from Australia or
+61 2 8256 1537 from Overseas.

Monday to Friday
9:00am - 6:00pm

Saturday
Closed

Sunday
Closed

Get in contact with us

Contact us

In an Emergency

Call +61 2 8256 1523
Worldwide 24/7