Hiring a car can be a worrying time- you’re driving a car that doesn’t belong to you and any damage done while in your possession is your responsibility. We want to make it as easy and straight forward for you to enjoy your holiday with your hire car and so have explained the process you should follow in the event of an accident.
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Insurance
We would always recommend that you take out adequate insurance to cover all eventualities. Any insurance will need to be in place before you collect the hire car; insurance cannot be taken out while the vehicle is in your possession.
All bookings through Zest Car Rental come with Collision Damage and Theft Waiver (CDW) as standard with either no insurance excess or Excess Reimbursement Insurance (ERI). We also offer an additional top-up insurance through a third party here in the UK to cover the parts of the vehicle that are excluded under the CDW policy. Unfortunately, due to the terms of the insurance provider, residents of certain countries are not eligible for this product.
The supplier may offer you their local insurance; this can be declined if you have our top-up insurance or alternative policy.
Damage and repairs
Your hire car may need unexpected repairs during your rental. Some can be considered wear and tear, and others may be more costly. We’ve compiled a list of potential repairs you may face and how you should deal with them. In the event that serious damage has been done to your car, such as there’s a scrape or scratch on the bodywork, or there’s a dent, there’s a set procedure you will need to follow.
Paying for damage
With a booking that includes CDW with no insurance excess, you wouldn’t have to pay for any eligible damage.
When claiming under a reimbursement policy (such as the Excess Reimbursement Insurance or top-up insurance) you will need to pay the supplier initially for any repairs. You will then need to submit a claim to the insurance provider. They will require certain information that must be obtained from the supplier. Through Zest’s third party insurance provider of the ERI and top-up insurance, this is usually a copy of the rental agreement and the damage invoice.
You will also need to provide a copy of your insurance certificate (contained within your car rental voucher), a copy of the bank statement showing the transaction for the repair costs, and copies of your driving licence (front and back).
If you’ve been involved in a road traffic accident, you will need a police report in order to support your claim.
Photo by: Monkey Business/Adobe Stock
Claiming under our additional top-up insurance
While we liaise with the supplier in getting the necessary documents for you, you can be starting the claims process. This means your claim can be processed as soon as the documents are received from the supplier.
All claims must be submitted online through the link provided with your car rental voucher. Should you ever need support in starting the claims process, or have queries about an ongoing claim, please don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Support Team.
Problems arising on-rental
Should you have any issues or queries throughout your rental period, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We operate a 24/7 emergency telephone support service as we appreciate certain issues can be easier to resolve at the time rather than retrospectively.
Written by Jessica Juby.
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