What to do In a Car Accident With a Hired Car?
Hire cars present a convenient means of getting around, and when a specific situation calls for a bigger or more efficient vehicle. Suitable for both business and leisure purposes, getting a hire car has never been easier – with car rental companies located close to all major cities and transport hubs across the UK and further afield, such as ourselves at TSP Car and Van Hire in Swindon.
But while hiring a car might be easy, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a number of logistical and safety features to consider – namely what to do if you get into an accident or suffer from car damage during the car hire period.
There is all manner of ways and reasons why you might get into an accident in a hire car – ranging from dangerous driving on the part of other drivers to not knowing the roads well enough and thus surrendering yourself to a misjudged turning or unexpectedly narrow road. Should you find yourself facing the fallout from an accident, no matter how minor, you will want to know that you have all the security and protection in place to ensure the damage can be fixed with minimal cost to yourself – which is where the car accident rental protocols come in.
Car Accident Protocols Before Renting
When you hire a car or vehicle, no matter where or from which hire company, you should be looking for four key protocols which demonstrate a commitment to protecting you as well as the vehicle.
These four protocols ensure that you are adequately covered and that the financial impact of an accident will be as minimal as possible for you – starting with insurance and breakdown cover.
Car Hire Insurance And Breakdown Cover
Insurance and breakdown cover are two protocols to look out for, though they will often be packaged together in the terms and conditions of a car hire policy. Here at TSP Car and Van Hire, we offer a comprehensive insurance package to customers which is secured by an excess fee in the event of an accident. This insurance package allows us to cover most of the cost of repairing a vehicle, holding you liable to the pre-agreed excess fee.
In the case of a breakdown, again TSP offers full breakdown cover that aims to get you back up and running with no extra cost – covering a tow to the garage or to the TSP hire point if the breakdown engineer is unable to get the car started again.
Damage Excess Fee
The maximum excess fee that you will be charged by TSP Car and Van Hire in the face of car damage is £750. This is the same across all our vehicles.
Collision Damage Waiver
The final protocol to look out for is a collision damage waiver, which essentially offers extra cover to an existing insurance policy for further protection if the damage occurs due to a collision. Though this isn’t something we offer here at TSP as part of our cover, we do recommend that those hiring for longer periods of time or for long drives add this to their policy via an independent insurance provider, as it protects you should you be faced with the repair costs of the hire vehicle and a potentially the other vehicle.
Car Hire Accident And Incident Report
So, what do you do if you get into an accident? It is important, just as you would in your own car, to take down the details of anyone else involved and assess the fault – whether your own, or someone else’s.
No matter where the fault lies, you will need to inform the insurance company and the hire company as soon as possible, relaying as much information as possible within your report.
Looking For A Hire Car Or Van?
No matter what you need a car or van for, TSP is here to help. Get in touch with is for more information about our car and van hire policies and to explore the insurance cover we provide. Alternatively, visit our services page to get started with your hire immediately.
