Car Hire in Australia: need for SLI?
In summary, is it sensible to take out Supplementary Liability
Insurance (SLI) when hiring cars in Victoria, New South Wales, Northern Territory and Queensland? I have read past threads about car hire insurance but cannot find a clear answer. This is partly because I cannot find out just what is covered by the mandatory insurance. By way of background: o we are UK residents o we shall be hiring cars in Melbourne, Sydney, Ayers Rock and Cairns o we intend to take out separate insurance against excess, tyres, windows etc from Questor or the like since the hire companies charges seem exorbitant (eg AUD33 a day from Thrifty in Ayers Rock). o the separate insurance providers invariably offer policies with and without SLI. I know that SLI is highly desirable (in my view essential unless one is a gambler) in the USA and Canada where there is otherwise little or no cover for third party liabilities What I can't find is the position in Australia (in the States/Territories mentioned above) as regards damage to third parties and third party property. The hirers sites generally just say that compulsory third party insurance imposed by the various State and Territory Registration Authorities is included in the cost (often with a fee shown for it). But I can't see what it covers and for how much. Any advice - if only on where to look - would be much appreciated. -- R |
Car Hire in Australia: need for SLI?
gravel roads, road trains, roos, completely different to what most tourists
have encountered b4, high likelihood of glass damage but still more like buying the car again $230/week $33/day isnt bad, for the rental co -- _ _ "neverwas" wrote in message m... In summary, is it sensible to take out Supplementary Liability Insurance (SLI) when hiring cars in Victoria, New South Wales, Northern Territory and Queensland? I have read past threads about car hire insurance but cannot find a clear answer. This is partly because I cannot find out just what is covered by the mandatory insurance. By way of background: o we are UK residents o we shall be hiring cars in Melbourne, Sydney, Ayers Rock and Cairns o we intend to take out separate insurance against excess, tyres, windows etc from Questor or the like since the hire companies charges seem exorbitant (eg AUD33 a day from Thrifty in Ayers Rock). o the separate insurance providers invariably offer policies with and without SLI. I know that SLI is highly desirable (in my view essential unless one is a gambler) in the USA and Canada where there is otherwise little or no cover for third party liabilities What I can't find is the position in Australia (in the States/Territories mentioned above) as regards damage to third parties and third party property. The hirers sites generally just say that compulsory third party insurance imposed by the various State and Territory Registration Authorities is included in the cost (often with a fee shown for it). But I can't see what it covers and for how much. Any advice - if only on where to look - would be much appreciated. -- R |
Car Hire in Australia: need for SLI?
almostbob wrote:
gravel roads, road trains, roos, completely different to what most tourists have encountered b4, high likelihood of glass damage but still more like buying the car again $230/week $33/day isnt bad, for the rental co Fair point (although I am not sure why road trains are a bigger risk than French artics tail-gating me at 110 kph in the rain on the autoroute). But damage to the car from gravel* etc are all covered by the policies I am looking at. The main issue I have is whether or not to include the SLI. That said, another issue is whether car hirers in Oz are willing to sign off a car on its return. Or do they - like those in the USA - insist on you dropping the car off and leaving them to "find" scratches etc later - possibly after the cars been scraped in their yard? *though I'm too old to chance driving unpaved roads in a hire car in remote locations so we'll be sticking to the Stuart Highway etc -- R |
Car Hire in Australia: need for SLI?
neverwas wrote:
almostbob wrote: gravel roads, road trains, roos, completely different to what most tourists have encountered b4, high likelihood of glass damage but still more like buying the car again $230/week $33/day isnt bad, for the rental co Fair point (although I am not sure why road trains are a bigger risk than French artics tail-gating me at 110 kph in the rain on the autoroute). But damage to the car from gravel* etc are all covered by the policies I am looking at. The main issue I have is whether or not to include the SLI. That said, another issue is whether car hirers in Oz are willing to sign off a car on its return. Or do they - like those in the USA - insist on you dropping the car off and leaving them to "find" scratches etc later - possibly after the cars been scraped in their yard? *though I'm too old to chance driving unpaved roads in a hire car in remote locations so we'll be sticking to the Stuart Highway etc My wife and I hired a 4WD campervan (brand spanking new) for 9 weeks in Australia earlier this year from one of the major companies. We relied on the hire company's insurance cover which seemed OK. We drove more than 16,000 km, about 4,000 of that on dirt/gravel roads and tracks with quite a few creek crossings. At the end of the hire the hire company rep gave the van a 60-second inspection and signed it off on the spot. -- Norman (from the UK) |
Car Hire in Australia: need for SLI?
On 3 Jan 2010 16:27:07 GMT, "Norman" wrote:
neverwas wrote: almostbob wrote: gravel roads, road trains, roos, completely different to what most tourists have encountered b4, high likelihood of glass damage but still more like buying the car again $230/week $33/day isnt bad, for the rental co Fair point (although I am not sure why road trains are a bigger risk than French artics tail-gating me at 110 kph in the rain on the autoroute). But damage to the car from gravel* etc are all covered by the policies I am looking at. The main issue I have is whether or not to include the SLI. That said, another issue is whether car hirers in Oz are willing to sign off a car on its return. Or do they - like those in the USA - insist on you dropping the car off and leaving them to "find" scratches etc later - possibly after the cars been scraped in their yard? *though I'm too old to chance driving unpaved roads in a hire car in remote locations so we'll be sticking to the Stuart Highway etc My wife and I hired a 4WD campervan (brand spanking new) for 9 weeks in Australia earlier this year from one of the major companies. We relied on the hire company's insurance cover which seemed OK. We drove more than 16,000 km, about 4,000 of that on dirt/gravel roads and tracks with quite a few creek crossings. At the end of the hire the hire company rep gave the van a 60-second inspection and signed it off on the spot. They will sign off on the spot as Norman says. I am not sure what extra policy you are contemplating I do take extra coverage with me through my travel insurance. I did have an accident in Tasmania, but that time my coverage had been arranged locally so I do not know if supplemental insurance was a part, but I did not have to pay even though the front corner of the driver's side was clipped by a right turning vehicle. Joseph Coulter Joseph Coulter Cruises and Vacations www.josephcoulter.com |
Car Hire in Australia: need for SLI?
On Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:37:02 GMT, "neverwas"
wrote: In summary, is it sensible to take out Supplementary Liability Insurance (SLI) when hiring cars in Victoria, New South Wales, Northern Territory and Queensland? I have read past threads about car hire insurance but cannot find a clear answer. This is partly because I cannot find out just what is covered by the mandatory insurance. By way of background: o we are UK residents o we shall be hiring cars in Melbourne, Sydney, Ayers Rock and Cairns o we intend to take out separate insurance against excess, tyres, windows etc from Questor or the like since the hire companies charges seem exorbitant (eg AUD33 a day from Thrifty in Ayers Rock). o the separate insurance providers invariably offer policies with and without SLI. I know that SLI is highly desirable (in my view essential unless one is a gambler) in the USA and Canada where there is otherwise little or no cover for third party liabilities What I can't find is the position in Australia (in the States/Territories mentioned above) as regards damage to third parties and third party property. The hirers sites generally just say that compulsory third party insurance imposed by the various State and Territory Registration Authorities is included in the cost (often with a fee shown for it). But I can't see what it covers and for how much. Any advice - if only on where to look - would be much appreciated. |
Car Hire in Australia: need for SLI?
On Sun, 03 Jan 2010 12:37:02 GMT, "neverwas"
wrote: In summary, is it sensible to take out Supplementary Liability Insurance (SLI) when hiring cars in Victoria, New South Wales, Northern Territory and Queensland? I have read past threads about car hire insurance but cannot find a clear answer. This is partly because I cannot find out just what is covered by the mandatory insurance. By way of background: o we are UK residents o we shall be hiring cars in Melbourne, Sydney, Ayers Rock and Cairns o we intend to take out separate insurance against excess, tyres, windows etc from Questor or the like since the hire companies charges seem exorbitant (eg AUD33 a day from Thrifty in Ayers Rock). o the separate insurance providers invariably offer policies with and without SLI. I know that SLI is highly desirable (in my view essential unless one is a gambler) in the USA and Canada where there is otherwise little or no cover for third party liabilities What I can't find is the position in Australia (in the States/Territories mentioned above) as regards damage to third parties and third party property. The hirers sites generally just say that compulsory third party insurance imposed by the various State and Territory Registration Authorities is included in the cost (often with a fee shown for it). But I can't see what it covers and for how much. Any advice - if only on where to look - would be much appreciated. Supplemental (how apropos!) to my other note, I recommend either their insurance or a coverage from a third party (be sure that you are covered in Australia as OZ and NZ are often included with Italy as exceptions to general coverage. There are a lot of nocturnal beasts who seem intent on destroying the invasive car population one car per beast. |
Car Hire in Australia: need for SLI?
"neverwas" wrote in message m... In summary, is it sensible to take out Supplementary Liability Insurance (SLI) when hiring cars in Victoria, New South Wales, Northern Territory and Queensland? I have read past threads about car hire insurance but cannot find a clear answer. This is partly because I cannot find out just what is covered by the mandatory insurance. By way of background: o we are UK residents o we shall be hiring cars in Melbourne, Sydney, Ayers Rock and Cairns o we intend to take out separate insurance against excess, tyres, windows etc from Questor or the like since the hire companies charges seem exorbitant (eg AUD33 a day from Thrifty in Ayers Rock). o the separate insurance providers invariably offer policies with and without SLI. I know that SLI is highly desirable (in my view essential unless one is a gambler) in the USA and Canada where there is otherwise little or no cover for third party liabilities What I can't find is the position in Australia (in the States/Territories mentioned above) as regards damage to third parties and third party property. The hirers sites generally just say that compulsory third party insurance imposed by the various State and Territory Registration Authorities is included in the cost (often with a fee shown for it). But I can't see what it covers and for how much. Any advice - if only on where to look - would be much appreciated. -- R From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_insurance "In South Australia, Third Party Personal insurance from the Motor Accident Commission is included in the licence registration fee for people over 16. A similar scheme applies in Western Australia. "In Victoria, Third Party Personal insurance from the Transport Accident Commission is similarly included, through a levy, in the vehicle registration fee. "In New South Wales, Compulsory Third Party Insurance (commonly known as CTP Insurance) is a mandatory requirement and each individual car must be insured or the vehicle will not be considered legal. Therefore, a motorist cannot drive the vehicle until it is insured. A 'Green Slip,'[citation needed] another name CTP Insurance is commonly known by due to the colour of the pages the form is printed on, must be obtained through one of the seven main insurers in New South Wales. "In Queensland, CTP is a mandatory part of registration for a vehicle. There is choice of insurer but price is government controlled in a tight band. "These state based third party insurance schemes usually cover only personal injury liability. Comprehensive vehicle insurance is sold separately to cover property damage and cover can be for events such as fire, theft, collision and other property damage." I hope this helps. Not sure of the exact coverage but I doubt if many Australians take out extra insurance of the kind you are thinking about. Perhaps you could check out the web pages of the various licensing authorities. Gerrit |
Car Hire in Australia: need for SLI?
As I understand it:
1. You don't have to worry about personal injury insurance; all States have such insurance included as part of the car's registration. (CTP = compulsory third party insurance; all registered vehicles are so covered). You can't even buy such insurance excepting as part of registering a vehicle. 2. Most car rental places already include some form of damage insurance, its just that these typically have quite high excesses (eg you pay the first $2,000 on any claim). In this case, you are really only insuring the excess. If they don't explain this on their web pages, I am sure you could ring them and ask them. This is called "CDW" or collision damage waiver insurance, though it covers theft etc as well. 3. All rental car insurance is a rip-off, and those policies offered at the point-of-sale by the car rental company are a massive rip-off. 4. If you rent a car using an Amex credit card, its quite possible that you will get free CDW through Amex (which shows you what a rip-off this insurance is, that Amex gives it away free). 5. If you can't get free CDW insurance through Amex, my suggestion would be to find a car rental company with a reasonable excess, and simply don't bother. |
Car Hire in Australia: need for SLI?
[Default] On Sun, 03 Jan 2010 16:00:14 GMT, "neverwas" offered the following words of wisdom: almostbob wrote: gravel roads, road trains, roos, completely different to what most tourists have encountered b4, high likelihood of glass damage but still more like buying the car again $230/week $33/day isnt bad, for the rental co Fair point (although I am not sure why road trains are a bigger risk than French artics tail-gating me at 110 kph in the rain on the autoroute). Do NOT expect to find the same standard of roading in OZ as you enjoy in Europe |
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