Hired Car Insurance: What You Need to Consider Before Your Next Holiday

We all look forward to the time of year where we can get away from our work and enjoy some well-deserved relaxation. While a road trip can be a fun and budget-friendly way to escape, it's not always realistic. You may not have a car, or you may be worried that your current car doesn't have what it takes to make it from point A to point B. A hired car is a great way to assure a quality vehicle with the only major concerns being keeping it clean and the gas tank full.

However, when driving a hired you should always get comprehensive car insurance to keep you safe from the what-ifs that await on the open road.

Comprehensive Car Insurance Coverage

Comprehensive insurance can help cover the cost of repairs to your vehicle in the event of accidental or malicious property damage. Such a car insurance policy would also cover theft, fire, hail, and third-party damage—regardless of whose fault it is. Some policies will even cover certain items inside your vehicle, such as a car seat is damaged in a collision.

While it’s important to review your own insurance policy to understand what is included or excluded in your coverage, comprehensive car insurance can generally help cover the cost of repairing your car and any other involved cars in the event of a collision, accidental mishaps like a scratch on the door or hitting a letterbox on the way out of a driveway, and damages inflicted by fires, floods, storms, hail, and other elements.

Comprehensive vs. Compulsory Third Party Insurance?

While compulsory third-party coverage will cover any person you might injure in an accident, it doesn’t cover any damage to property. That includes your vehicle and the person you may have collided with.

Comprehensive insurance not only includes all eligible claims in relation to the above, with the addition of cover for damage to your vehicle if you’re involved in a collision, it may also cover third-party fire and theft.

How much insurance you have is up to you. It’s important to remember that if you find yourself in a situation where you need to pay for damage to someone else’s car, taking out a comprehensive car insurance policy could save you a lot of money in the event of an unexpected incident.

Comprehensive Car Insurance Costs

There is a range of factors that come into play with the cost of comprehensive car insurance coverage. Age, driving record, and type of vehicle are just some of the things that are factored into the average cost for varying types of coverage.

If you’re ready to shop for comprehensive car insurance, buckle up. There are a lot of different insurers, and it can be tricky to navigate through the world of premiums, excesses, exclusions, and policy features. It is recommended to compare policies and see what is in the best interest of your protection and your wallet. Fortunately, there are services to help you wade through the information. iSelect is one such resource, providing lots of neatly aggregated information in an easy-to-navigate way. If you're researching comprehensive car insurance, iSelect is a good place to start.

Extras for Comprehensive Insurance Policy Holders

With some insurers, you can pay a slightly higher monthly premium to expand the amount of coverage you have.This would get you coverage for any damage to a windshield or any window glass and for roadside assistance in the event you find yourself with automobile trouble. It could also help with towing, lost keys, or dead batteries. These extras are highly recommended if using a hired car or for long-distance treks. Speaking of hired cars, if you are without your personal car during a claim, adding such coverage policy might cover a hired car so you can still get around.