Glossary
Excess insurance
A product (sold by the rental company or a third party) that reimburses the CDW excess if the renter is charged for damage at return.
Excess insurance covers the gap between CDW and zero liability. Standard CDW typically leaves a 500–2,000 EUR excess the renter is responsible for; excess insurance reimburses that amount if damage is charged against the customer at dropoff. The operator still charges the deposit or card at return — excess insurance is the renter's reimbursement path, not a direct waiver between operator and renter.
Operators sell their own excess product (sometimes branded 'Super CDW' or 'Full Coverage') alongside third-party providers like RentalCover or insurer-bundled travel policies. Third-party excess insurance is usually cheaper than the operator's version because it's underwritten at a wider risk pool; the trade-off is the renter has to claim from the third party after paying the operator, rather than walking away clean. Operators who win on this product do so on convenience, not price.
Excess insurance interacts with deposits: a customer with confirmed excess cover may push for a reduced deposit hold, but most operators decline because the deposit also covers fuel, mileage, and minor unbilled fees that excess insurance doesn't. In renviq, excess products live as separate line items on the booking — distinct from CDW, distinct from the deposit — so the rate card stays clear and reporting shows which products actually move the needle.