Hire car insurance for the elderly

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Sat 24 May 2008 12:50
Hire car insurance for the elderly - bintang
I tried to hire a car in Orkney recently. I am over the 76 year-old limit but the hire company said I would be covered under their policy (cost included in the hire price) so long as I could produce my insurance certificate. But my insurers, Equity Red Star, said they never insured for hire cars. They did not say why, just that they never did it. The hire company were baffled, as I am. Is this general policy?
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Sat 24 May 2008 12:59
Hire car insurance for the elderly - Optimist
Isn't the hire company saying "as long as you can show us your normal insurance cert we will cover you on our policy for the hire car."?
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Sat 24 May 2008 13:02
Hire car insurance for the elderly - bintang
Isn't the hire company saying "as long as you can show us your normal insurance
cert we will cover you on our policy for the hire car."?


Yes - but Red Star would not agree. I don't know why their agreement was needed but it wasn't worth the risk of driving without cover.
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Sat 24 May 2008 13:10
Hire car insurance for the elderly - Optimist
What's it to do with Red Star if you show your cert to someone else?

Did you manage to get the cover?
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Sat 24 May 2008 13:19
Hire car insurance for the elderly - bintang
What's it to do with Red Star if you show your cert to someone else?
Did you manage to get the cover?


I don't know. I didn't get the cover so my wife hired the car.
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Sat 24 May 2008 16:50
Hire car insurance for the elderly - martint123
It's only as evidence that you are currently driving (well paying out to drive) nothing at all to do with your existing cover.
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Sun 25 May 2008 13:47
Hire car insurance for the elderly - bintang
It's only as evidence that you are currently driving (well paying out to drive) nothing
at all to do with your existing cover.


So I would assume. I will try to get a straight answer from Red Star but past experience has not been encouraging. Time to change insurers I guess.
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Sun 25 May 2008 15:47
Hire car insurance for the elderly - Armitage Shanks {p}
Who on earth are Red Star? I've never heard of them but that doesn't mean they don't exist, obviously. When you next renew your insurance shop around a bit and, if/when you get a good quote, ask the company the hire car insurance question. Most companies insure you to drive a garage courtesy car when your own car is in for service or repair, what is so different about a hire car?
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Sun 25 May 2008 16:11
Hire car insurance for the elderly - Armitage Shanks {p}
Further to my post, above. Today's Sunday Telegraph quotes Europcar as saying "There is no maximum age limit in France, Spain, Italy or Portugal, 80 in Belgium and Denmark and 70 in Malta"

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Sun 25 May 2008 23:05
Hire car insurance for the elderly - martint123
So I would assume. I will try to get a straight answer from Red Star
but past experience has not been encouraging. Time to change insurers I guess.


It's nothing to do with Red Star. I read it as the hire car place wanting to see your policy - and that's all.

(I thought Red Star was British rail parcel service??!!??;)
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Sun 25 May 2008 17:34
Hire car insurance for the elderly - CGNorwich
Bintang

Many car hire companies do impose an age limit - its usually a result of a limitation imposed by their own Insurers

Some are prepared to waive the limit, for example Hertz, if you are able to provide a letter from your own Insurer confirming that you have had no accidents in the last year. They can then provide cover under their own Insurance . I suspect that such a letter is what they were after rather than sight of your certificate of Insurance.

It is likely that your Insurers, Red Star, who are major and well respected motor insurer misunderstood the enquiry as a request from you for Insurance of a hire car, which as you state is something that they, or indeed most Insurers would not be prepared to provide
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Sun 25 May 2008 23:08
Hire car insurance for the elderly - Pugugly
I assume its Equity Red Star - a venerable and much respected insurance company.
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