rental car insurance

We have rented a lot of cars overseas - through www.rentalcars.com - and just (a) have a credit card that pays travel insurance, including excess etc, and (b) only take the minimum list of included insurance in the rental contract, and this covers Collision Damage Waiver, etc.

We never buy anything extra at all - it is a major profit centre for the car rental companies, so we avoid it.

"my credit card, it offers full insurance coverage for any damage to the car. this is very common with most credit cards."
The Car Rental people have to accept the cover provided by your card company. do not be brash enough to just assume your card will be accepted in a foreign country just because it is at home ( a common mistake when US visitors come to Ireland) Always check. Be prepared to pay a small admin charge for the rental company transferring the rental from their underwriters to yours. Also be aware that a Hold might be placed on some of your card funds for the duration of the rental (I know this is the case in many European countries but its 20 years since I worked in UK car leasing) Basically get all the details from the people who are going to give you the car keys and don't take anything for granted. different countries have different terms and conditions and don't take my word or anyone else's its no my or their car you want to rent ask the key holders.

The Car Rental people have to accept the cover provided by your card company.

I'm not sure that is correct at all ... your choice of insurer is not subject to the approval of the car provider ... they have their own insurance tie-ins, so they are terribly conflicted. Don't listen to them!

We have an annual car hire insurance (with Questor) and when asked if we want to pay the excess waiver fee, we just say no, offering no explanations. Car hire companies don't need to know why you decline their cover, just that you don't want it. We've had no problem at all with that.

It is a legal requirement for car rental companies to provide legal liability insurance in their base price. This is because it is illegal to drive without it. The price may be reduced by increasing the excess you need to pay.

A car rental company is NOT going to give you one of their cars unless they are satisfied that your "optional" insurance is going to cover damage to their vehicle. Better to find out before you get to the collections desk?

The rental company legally has to provide what is generally termed Road risk insurance to cover liability to life and certain other aspects.

Perhaps we're using different terminology here. What we refuse to buy is the extra excess cover, nothing more, nothing less. The car is still insured as you said, by them, but that is within the price and non-negotiable. But we have used our cover in the UK, Seychelles and Australia with no problem at all.

The basic price you are quoted for a rental has to include enough coverage for you to legally drive the car, so you will have liability coverage without paying for any extras, what you will not have is coverage for damage to the rental car. The rental company does not have to accept your insurance coverage for damage and may require you to put down a deposit with your credit card before they will rent you the car if you are not taking their coverage.

Thanks for making that clear marka. I obviously didn't explain myself properly but my main point, that you don't have to buy their excess waiver, remains and the annual cover we have, which is cheaper than car hire companies, even when only hiring a car once a year. It gives us peace of mind!