Self-Drive Hire FAQs

Self drive hire insurance is a specific insurance for vehicle hire companies. Businesses that want to rent out their vehicle(s) must have an insurance policy to cover them when a vehicle is out on-hire and give cover when it’s not on-hire as well. Something a standard vehicle policy cannot offer. A vehicle rental company must have self-drive hire insurance.

We can arrange self-drive hire insurance for most types of vehicle including motorhomes, motor caravans, campervans, horseboxes, splitter vans, everyday car and van rental.

Fully comprehensive insurance will cover your vehicle if it is involved in an accident. You are covered for damage caused to other peoples’ vehicles/property or for injuries they sustain. In addition you are also covered for the loss of, or the damage caused to, your vehicle by fire or theft as well as any damage your vehicle sustains in an accident or for any damage caused by vandalism.

We will normally be able to indicate a premium immediately over the phone or use our online quote form to receive a quote via email.

No. We realise that you need to concentrate on hiring out your vehicles and don’t want to be swamped by paperwork, so we try to keep this to a minimum. In most cases you will be able to continue to use your standard hirers form but the insurer may want to vet this to make sure it contains acceptable and compliant wording.

There is no limit to the amount of vehicles on a policy.

Yes, as long as you have made the finance provider aware of your intentions to hire the vehicle out.

Each vehicle is rated individually meaning make, engine size, and value can affect its premium.

The main factors include the type of vehicle involved, the value of the rental vehicles, the area of the country in which your operation is based, and the claims history of the business.

Please refer to our self-drive hire process attachment which explains what must be completed each time the vehicle is hired out. The hire process is the same for family members and hirers unless the family member is a permanent named driver.

‘Off-hire cover’ means insurance for your hire vehicles when not on hire – for example, when being driven by an employee of the business or when parked at your premises. We automatically include this cover at no cost to you.

We can cover self-drive hire risks in most regions of the UK subject to insurer’s acceptance.

Yes, we can offer insurance for self-drive hire fleets, call us to discuss your requirements.

No, we do not offer this.

On a referral basis these can be considered.

We have no requirement for a camper to be reclassified with the DVLA, as long as it is utilised as a camper we can provide cover.

The insurers will accommodate additional seatbelts. However, we must be notified and the seatbelts must be fitted by a professional.

Yes, we can cover horseboxes up to 18t.

Yes. In most cases we can arrange for you to pay for your self-drive hire policy in six or ten monthly instalments at competitive rates. Credit terms are subject to acceptance of your application and full written details are available on request.

No, we only offer annual policies.

We only offer annual policies for self-drive hire which allow for a maximum hire period of 90 days.

As long as they pay the deposit via a cleared and traceable method. This can include PayPal, bank transfer, credit or debit card. Even a cheque is acceptable as long as it is cleared before the vehicle is hired.

No, we don’t offer courtesy cars.

No, we do not offer or recommend standalone/excess waiver polices.

A co-insurance clause makes you responsible for a proportion of any loss. For example, a 25% co-insurance clause would mean that you are responsible for a quarter of any loss with the insurer covering the remaining 75%. On self-drive hire insurance policies, a co-insurance clause is often applied to ‘theft by hirer’ and, in the case of motorhomes, campervans, and certain horseboxes, fire damage claims caused by cooking or heating appliances.

We do not offer an additional cover to cover the 25% not covered in policies.

You may be required to pay a ‘minimum and deposit premium’ even if you don’t complete the first year of cover or change to a vehicle that commands a lower premium. Insurers normally remove this on your first renewal.

Your excess will vary depending on the type of vehicle, age of driver, and the track record of your business. The minimum excess on our self-drive hire insurance policies is generally £500, which applies to most damage claims. A co-insurance clause of 25% applies to theft claims and fire claims caused by cooking and heating appliances.

High value and performance vehicles will generally have a higher excess but these will be shown on your quote. The policy will generally include an additional excess for young drivers, typically £300 for a driver aged between 21 and 24 years.

Although we are aware of different hiring software and apps, we have no affiliation or recommendations of which ones to use.

In the first instance any claim should be reported to our dedicated self-drive hire claims department. However, you can approach the insurers claims department independently.

In the event of a claim, your self-drive hire policy will be reviewed prior to the renewal. This gives us the opportunity to market the policy and approach our panel of providers to secure you our most competitive premium. Claims from a hirer made under your self-drive hire policy should not impact your other personal motor policies.

Theft may occur when a hirer fails to return a vehicle at the end of a hire period or treats the hired vehicle as their own property – for example by selling it to another party.

Yes. You must verify the hirer’s identity using a form of photo identity such as a passport and two recent utility bills (dated within 90 days) sent to the same address as on the driving licence. You also need to take a copy of their photocard driving licence and a rental agreement must be completed per hire per driver. We recommend all evidence obtained is kept for a two year period in addition to the rental agreement and proof of the hire deposit payment.

One utility bill must be collected from each driver along with one other appropriate secondary proof of address, which must have the same address as the licence address. Please refer to the Self-Drive Hire Process attachment.

We automatically cover drivers with two x 3 point driving convictions. Should you have a hirer with more than two x 3 point driving convictions or a conviction that resulted in more than three points, please refer to us as we can have cover agreed on a case-by-case basis.

Yes. We realise that you need an insurance partner with a flexible and realistic approach to help you maximise value from your self-drive hire fleet. We contact the insurer directly and get a swift response so you won’t miss the opportunity to hire.

Yes. Generally, drivers aged between 21 and 75 will be accepted at normal terms provided they have held a full licence for at least two years and have a good driving record. Drivers aged over 75 may be accepted but at a higher rate. For splitter vans, performance cars, or high-risk vehicles there may be further age restrictions applied.

Usually there will simply be an increased excess for the hirer, however, sometimes you may need to charge an additional premium. The precise terms will be confirmed on a case-by-case basis.

Yes, all of our policies include driving within Europe.

We automatically covers drivers from EU, USA, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Any licence not automatically covered can be referred to the insurer.

The cost of the cover is based on your vehicle value:

• Vehicles up to £20k – Sum insured £5,000 – £55.00

• Vehicles up to £30k – Sum insured £7,500 – £65.00

• Vehicles up to £40k – Sum insured £10,000 – £75.00

• Vehicles up to £50k – Sum insured £12,500 – £85.00

• Vehicles up to £60k – Sum insured £15,000 – £90.00

• Vehicles up to £80K – Sum insured £20,000 – £100.00

• Vehicles up to £100k – Sum insured £25,000 – £110.00

Yes, you can add or cancel the policy at any point (subject to no claims occurring) on a pro-rata basis, although a cancellation can incur a small fee.

This product is designed to cover one single vehicle, which is declared on your policy schedule.

The sum insured is on a cumulative basis across the period of cover, so once the sum insured cap is hit, the policy will not pay out on any further claims until renewal.

As an example, if your vehicle is worth £22,000 and you take out the £30k cover for £65 (sums insured £7,500) a 25% co-insurance clause would make you liable for £5,500. In this instance you would still have a further £2,000 able to be claimed if a second claim was to occur within the same period.

You can only make a claim under this policy when the declared vehicle on the policy schedule has been stolen by the hirer and not recovered or the vehicle is recovered following theft by the hirer but is declared a write off. You must first submit a claim under your self-drive hire insurance policy which will be subject to a theft by hirer excess being deducted from the settlement. The claim must have occurred within the period of the excess protection cover. There are some exclusions, which will be set out in your policy wording.

Yes, but some companies refer to it in different names. Each policy has its own terms and conditions, depending on the insurer.

No, it must be purchased in conjunction with a self-drive hire insurance policy.

Yes. However, you will only be paid out for the maximum cover limit of the policy purchased, as stated on the schedule.