Nissan Juke - Loss of Excess on Hire Car due to damage by hail

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Thu 26 Jul 2012 18:13
Nissan Juke - Loss of Excess on Hire Car due to damage by hail - Richard9

We have recently hired a car from Avis for 2 weeks in Austria. While we were there, there was a heavy hailstorm which left small marks/dent in the roof and bonnet. Avis state that, as the damage occurred while we had the car, we are responsible for the insurance excess (790 Euros). The Collision Damage Waiver/Theft Protection covers the balance.

The hailstorm was obviously an event over which we had no control or influence and it does not seem reasonable to be held liable for the damage caused by it. This has been put to Avis, but they still say that the excess is payable in accordance with their standard Terms and conditions.

Are they right? If not, what legal reasons are there to refute their claiming our excess?

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Thu 26 Jul 2012 18:46
Nissan Juke - Loss of Excess on Hire Car due to damage by hail - RT

If it was fully comp on you own car or indeed your house you'd still have to pay the excess.

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Thu 26 Jul 2012 18:59
Nissan Juke - Loss of Excess on Hire Car due to damage by hail - thunderbird

The excess is the part you have to pay. It applies to all insurnace policies, normally the bigger the excess the smaller the premium, If you are not to blame you claim it back from the guilty party. In this case you may struggle.

Were you not aware of the size of the excess when you hired the car, normally you can pay a small extra premium to lower it considerably if you meet the hire companies conditions.

As it stands you are responsible for the excess, there is no way to avoid paying it.

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Thu 26 Jul 2012 19:23
Nissan Juke - Loss of Excess on Hire Car due to damage by hail - FP

Too late now - but are you aware you could have insured your excess?

One method is to take out a stand-alone policy specifically for this - but you'd need to check the small print very carefully. On mine, an Act of God is not excluded.

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Thu 26 Jul 2012 21:15
Nissan Juke - Loss of Excess on Hire Car due to damage by hail - ifithelps

As others have said, there are no grounds for you not paying the excess.

I don't see how anything else can go wrong, but insurance companies can be funny things.

They've accepted liability, so if I were you, I'd pay up and draw a line under it before they have the chance to come up with some barmey notion which might land you with a bigger bill.

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Thu 26 Jul 2012 21:29
Nissan Juke - Loss of Excess on Hire Car due to damage by hail - FP

I think a lot of people get tangled up in the wording. "Excess" suggests an amount of money "over and above" a certain sum.

It would be better (and it is often so worded in insurance policies) if people thought of the excess as "the first £xxx of any claim", in other words, the bit which the insurer does not pay.

It's the same with any motor or home insurance. If there is a choice, you can get the premium to drop if you offer to pay more "excess" - quite logically.

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Sat 28 Jul 2012 19:40
Nissan Juke - Loss of Excess on Hire Car due to damage by hail - Armitage Shanks {p}

It would never occur to me not to take seperate insurance to cover the £xxx that I might be liable for on a rental. Avis wanted £130 to cover my liability on a recent 7 day rental - I bought it in UK for £30 thru insurance4carhire

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