If you are renting a car in North America, however, there may be only the barest minimum third party cover offered and it is up to you to arrange further covers, such as Theft Protection (TP), Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI).

If you are worried about any difference in the use of the words renting or hiring a car, the BBC helpfully points out that there may be differences in use between the UK and the United States, but the meaning is exactly the same.

Excess

Whether the hire car comes with its own insurance package or you have arranged the necessary waivers separately, the cover is almost certain to carry an excess or excesses – which are typically called deductibles in North America.

These have a tendency to be very expensive and certainly more than you expect to pay on your own private motor insurance back at home. An excess or deductible of more than £1,000, for instance, is by no means uncommon.

Insurance

At Bettersafe, we are especially alive to the potential expense such a liability exposes you to and have developed a car hire excess insurance policy suitable for use in practically any part of the world and for any kind of car you might be driving.

The cover is simple and straightforward and maybe arranged directly online in just a few minutes. Your certificate and all necessary policy documents are then immediately available.

The insurance ensures that you are promptly reimbursed any excess or charges raised in addition to your basic rental agreement, up to pre-agreed limits.

Policies may be chosen according to the part of the world in which you are driving – and for those driving in North America, the Caribbean and Latin America, our cover also includes full Collision Damage Waivers, Theft Protection and Supplemental Liability Insurance.

Unlike the car hire excess insurance you may be offered by your car rental company, our simple, standalone policy also covers accidental damage to all parts of the vehicle, including the undercarriage, roof, windows, wheel and tyres – which are often excluded from the cover provided by car rental companies.

Above all, you are likely to find our policies considerably cheaper than those offered by car rental companies, thus making it a sensible money-saving precaution to arrange your hire car excess insurance from an independent, UK-based specialist provider before you set out on your proposed travels.