Holidaymakers hiring a car this autumn half term could find themselves paying more for the excess waiver than for the hire car itself, according to new research from iCarhireinsurance.com , a leading provider of stand-alone car hire excess insurance.
The study compared the cost of hiring a medium compact car (such as a VW Golf) from six major rental companies - Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz & Sixt - across six popular destinations: Barcelona, Faro, Milan, Nice, Tenerife, and Larnaca, for the week 25 October to 1 November 2025.
| Destinations / Average Costs | Car Hire - 7 days (25 Oct to 1 Nov 2025) | Super Damage Waiver (sold by rental companies) | Tyre & Windscreen Waiver (sold by rental companies) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | £192 | £199 | £68 |
| Faro | £135 | £188 | £67 |
| Tenerife | £145 | £160 | £61 |
| Larnaca | £330 | £160 | £50 |
| Nice | £234 | £154 | £65 |
| Milan | £300 | £238 | N/A |
| Average Cost | £223 | £183 | £62 |
The waivers sold by rental companies cost on average £245 (Super Damage Waiver £183 and Tyre and Windscreen Waiver £62) and together exceed the average weekly car hire charge (£245). This works out at more than £35 per day.
Drivers who do not buy excess protection risk being liable for an excess of over £1,8002 if the hire car is damaged or stolen - even when it isn’t their fault.
The excess protection sold at the rental desk is often significantly more expensive than arranging standalone excess reimbursement cover in advance. For example, a week-long European policy from iCarhireinsurance.com covering damage, theft, and tyre and windscreen protection costs from just £33.153, with annual European policies starting at £41.993.
Travellers can also face steep costs for additional extras purchased at the rental desk, including paying for an extra driver costing on average £742, a sat nav costing on average £89, and a child car seat costing on average £72.
Adding these extras from the rental company, along with excess protection (£245), increases the total cost by £480, bringing the average weekly car hire bill to £703.
Ben Wooltorton from iCarhireinsurance.com said: “Autumn is a great time to travel in Europe - it’s cooler, less crowded and often more affordable than summer. But it’s still easy to spend far more than you need to at the rental desk.”
“You could save hundreds of pounds by bringing your own child seat and sat nav, avoiding unnecessary extras, and buying car hire excess reimbursement insurance in advance from a specialist provider like iCarhireinsurance.com.”
1 This is the cost of the average Super Damage Waiver (£183), combined with the average cost of Tyre and Windscreen cover (£62), as revealed in the iCarhireinsurance.com cost survey which compared the cost of hiring a medium compact car (such as a VW Golf) from six major rental companies - Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz & Sixt - across six popular destinations: Barcelona, Faro, Milan, Nice, Tenerife, and Larnaca, for the week 25 October to 1 November 2025.
2 The average damage starting excess, according to iCarhireinsurance.com’s cost comparison study, was £1848. The study also analysed the cost of extras (Such as excess protection, car seats, sat navs and extra drivers).
3 £33.15 based on a 30-year-old UK resident buying an 8-day single trip car hire excess policy from iCarhireinsurance.com for use in Europe. £41.99 annual price is based on a UK resident aged between 30-80 purchasing an excess Europe annual policy excluding in-country (UK) cover.
