I'm trying to get some annual insurance to cover the £500 excess  when I hire a car.  I'm aware of insurance4carhire.com and www.worldwideinsure.com - but they will only cover you if you're not hiring in your country of residence, or are at least 150 miles away from home.  Can anybody suggest a company that will provide an annual policy for those of us not going very far?

Thanks 

Hi,

 I dont want to suggest any car insurance to you but i suggest you make a search on the net for a reliable insurance company that can offer things you need..

you can use this site for your car fast search http://www.nightbirdssolutions.com.

Polar:can you not just pay the CDW charge if it is offered?

Exactly what I was going to suggest!!

When I hire out a car, I always take the damage waiver and pay an extra £30 odd. It will depend on the length of time you hire the car out for. However, I doubt it will be as dear as taking out an added insurance policy!

That's where you could be wrong - an annual policy against car hire excess is £49, so it's not that expensive at all, covering every driver named on the rental agreement, and including theft, fire, and all damage, including undercarriage, windows and tyres. Many of the 'top-up' insurance policies you buy at the desk don't actually cover you for all that - they often just reduce your excess.

If you hire a car more than once a year, I think that it's worth it to take out the extra policy. Do be aware, though, that most of these policies won't insure you if you rent within 150km of your normal place of residence, and some (eg Worldwide) don't cover you for hire in your entire country of residence.