Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
GUIDE
How to understand car rental insurance and excess
Car rental insurance and excess is the set of questions a renter faces at the counter about who pays when a rental car is damaged. This page reports what the customer-service pages of Avis, Enterprise and SIXT publish about collision damage waiver, loss damage waiver, excess and exclusions, and states plainly where those pages leave the question open. [5] [6] [8]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Avis lists "Protections & Coverages" among its products and services and keeps a claim form and FAQ for incidents, accidents and stolen vehicles. [5]
- Enterprise lists "Rental Coverage" and "Rental Coverage Levels" under Reservations, alongside payment options. [6]
- Avis says different countries may have different rules and regulations, so nothing here can be read as a worldwide rule. [5]
Where each company puts coverage information
Avis groups "Protections & Coverages" with rental add-ons, one-way rentals, long-term rentals and extended roadside assistance in its Products & Services menu. [5] Its customer-service hub links a Claims / Accident Form for filing an incident, accident or stolen vehicle claim, together with a related FAQ. [5] The same hub says its FAQs answer questions about car rental policies and procedures by country, and warns that different countries may have different rules and regulations. [5]
Enterprise places "Rental Coverage" and "Rental Coverage Levels" in its Reservations menu, next to payment options and receipt lookup. [6] Its help area is a general Help & FAQs entry rather than a coverage-specific page. [6] On the loyalty side, Enterprise says members can earn points toward free rental days and that this covers the base rate, time and mileage only. [6]
SIXT runs a services hub that routes readers to one-way, long-term, airport, family, wedding and cruise-port rentals rather than to coverage products. [8] Its rental-information links cover renting under 25, age limits, renting without credit cards, payment methods and unlimited miles, and its terms and conditions sit in the site footer. [8]
What the three pages establish is where to look, not what the cover is. Avis confirms that claims for an incident, an accident or a stolen vehicle have their own form and FAQ. [5] Avis also publishes a separate fraud and scams page aimed at renters who may be targeted by scams. [5] Avis states that it has locations in more than 150 countries and directs renters outside the United States to a worldwide telephone numbers page. [5]
Enterprise publishes location coverage across the United States, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia and the Pacific, and offers a language and currency selector on the page checked. [6] SIXT allows bookings by exact duration, from a single day to several weeks, and notes that availability can vary by destination. [8]
What they do not answer
The same gap applies to the comparison the title suggests. None of the three pages publishes the terms of a payment card's or a travel policy's rental cover, so a comparison between a rental company's own product and card or travel cover cannot be settled from these sources. [5] [6] [8] For the card side, work from the issuer's own benefit terms; the card travel protection checklist collects the questions to put to them.
Exceptions and limits
- Country changes the rule. Avis says different countries may have different rules and regulations and organises its policy FAQs by country, so a product name that looks familiar does not carry the same terms everywhere. [5]
- Destination changes availability. SIXT warns that availability can vary by destination and recommends booking early for peak seasons. [8]
- The Avis page gives a United States contact number and points other countries to separate numbers. [5] Enterprise shows a United States English site with a currency selector. [6] SIXT's hub links United States airport locations and its own terms and conditions. [8]
- Loyalty balances are not cover. Enterprise's points programme covers the base rate, time and mileage only, which is a statement about points, not about protection products. [6]
- Scope of this page. It explains rental-company products and terminology only; it is not legal or insurance advice, and cover varies by country and by card. [5]
Sources
Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. The pages read were the Avis, Enterprise and SIXT customer-service and services pages listed below; other rental companies, including Hertz, Budget, National, Alamo, Europcar and Dollar, are not covered here, and no payment card issuer or travel insurer was checked.
- Avis customer service, claims and contact page (United States), checked 18 October 2026
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car help and reservations menu page (United States), checked 18 October 2026
- SIXT rental car services hub, checked 18 October 2026