Problems of Hiring a Car Abroad Solved: Launch of the UK’s First Car Hire Insurance Comparison Search Engine
The UK’s first car hire insurance comparison search engine has been launched. From money saving comparison service www.moneymaxim.co.uk the unique service can save anyone renting a car at home or abroad a substantial sum of money. Mark Bower, Managing Director of moneymaxim.co.uk comments on the innovative car hire excess insurance comparison service; “More and more consumers are switching on to the idea that they no longer have to accept a second rate product at exorbitant costs from their car rental company - there are real alternatives available. Until now the only way of finding a car hire excess policy was to trawl through individual insurance websites, noting down prices and features before returning to your favoured site. “All this has now changed with the launch of the UK’s first car hire insurance comparison service from moneymaxim.co.uk, which cuts the whole process from hours to just minutes with prices and features from around 96 variations of policies compared in about 60 seconds.” Cars hired in Europe come with insurance that typically excludes the first £1000 of a theft or damage claim. This can leave holidaymakers seriously out of pocket even for a relatively minor incident. In the US and Canada the position is slightly different, with cars coming either inclusive or exclusive of insurance and customers having the option to buy their insurance at the car hire station or independently. Using the services moneymaxim provide car renters can avoid the excesses in Europe, get full cover in the Americas, and receive additional benefits that are excluded from the insurance policies offered by car rental companies themselves. Research from Which? published in January highlighted insurance charges and undisclosed cover details on car rentals as potential problems of hiring a car abroad. These rarely cover tyres, windscreens, or the underside of the car - leaving customers with significant risks even if they have bought extended cover directly - all items that are normally covered as standard by insurers on the moneymaxim.co.uk panel. Clive Hill, from Berkshire, was one such motorist who was caught out on a holiday to Turkey: “When the wing mirror of my hire car was clipped by an enthusiastic Turkish driver I assumed that it would be covered by the additional insurance I had taken from the car rental company – in fact when I phoned them to report the accident they even told me it was. It wasn’t until we were back in the UK that we got an invoice from the hire firm, and the credit card we used had been debited £315 for repairs!” Continues Mark Bower; “Unfortunately stories like Clive’s are all too commonplace – we feel our service is a real addition to the comparison services available in the UK and will not only save customers money and time, but will allow policyholders to know that when they hire their car they are properly covered.” The moneymaxim.co.uk car insurance comparison service has been widely welcomed by the car hire excess insurance industry. Rowan Devereux, Joint Managing Director Blue Insurance Ltd said; “The car hire excess comparison facility on moneymaximum.co.uk allows consumers to see the additional benefits Blue Insurances supplies with its car hire excess covers. We believe this type of ‘behind the price’ comparison format which highlights additional covers is crucial in allowing consumers to make an informed choice.” To search and find excess car insurance visit: http://www.moneymaxim.co.uk/compare-car-hire-excess-insurance Notes: Mark Bower, Managing Director of www.moneymaxim.co.uk is available for interview as well as the case study Clive Hill from Berkshire. For Images and interviews contact Dale Lovell on 01753 861 207 / 0779 1414 681 or email: dlovell@searchnewsmedia.co.uk for more information. The moneymaxim.co.uk car hire excess insurance comparison service compares prices from the following companies: Blue Insurances Ltd, carhireexcess.com, icarhireinsurance.com, insurance4carhire.com, insuremycarhire.com, intasure.com, protectmybubble.com, Questor Insurance and worldwideinsure.com Background Information on the Car Hire Excess Insurance Market: The car hire excess insurance industry was 'created' back in 2002 when Larry Ursich launched Insurance4carhire. Having a background in the car rental business he realised that the cost of 'insuring the excess' when renting a car from hire firms had grown to such a level that there was potential to create a standalone product offering both better cover and lower costs for consumers. Over the past 8 years further firms have joined the market, the latest, icarhireinsurance, entering the market in March, 2010. The new entrants have brought with them options and innovation and those looking for this type of insurance can find policies covering not just the hire car excess, but baggage loss, carjacking, cancellation and more. Policies catering for car club members have also recently been introduced. Related Links/Stories: Which? Research published 13th January on Excess Car Insurance: http://www.which.co.uk/news/2010/01/steer-carefully-with-car-hire-contracts-194273 When Hiring a Car, Stop Before you Pay the Excess Cover: http://www.independent.co.uk/money/insurance/when-hiring-a-car-stop-before-you-pay-the-excess-cover-1929165.html Which? advice and information on Car Hire Excess Insurance: http://www.which.co.uk/advice/car-hire-abroad/avoid-problems-with-car-hire-abroad/index.jsp - About moneymaxim.co.uk: Launched in 2008 by Mark Bower moneymaxim.co.uk aims to deliver an impartial and independent service both online and through telephone money saving specialists. Visit: www.moneymaxim.co.uk for more money saving advice and information.
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