Rental desk extras can double the cost of car rental2, yet whilst almost two thirds (64%)2 believe rental desk extras are over-priced, only one in four (23%)2 never buy extras at pick up, according to iCarhireinsurance.com’s annual 12-country car hire costs study1 and a new Opinium Survey2 of 1,000 UK car hirers.

The average global cost of a week’s car hire this summer is £3691 and the average cost of extras are £189 for car hire excess protection, £53 for tyre and windscreen excess cover, £72 for a sat nav, £68 for an additional driver, and £70 for a child car seat, adding an additional £452 on average. This takes the total weekly cost to £821, double the average cost of a hire car.

The most expensive extra is car hire excess protection. Drivers are liable for the excess, the first part of a claim, if the hire car is damaged or stolen, even if it isn’t their fault. The average excess amount that a car hirer could be liable to pay is around £1,5001, but can be over £2,3001 according to iCarhireinsurance’s study.

Worryingly, fewer than four in ten (38%)2 say they buy excess protection, with 25%2 buying it from the rental company and 18%2 from an independent insurance company. This means more than six in ten (62%)2 hire car drivers are taking the risk of having to pay the excess amount if the car is damaged or stolen. This is perhaps not surprising when more than half (57%)2 car hirers believe excess protection sold at the rental desk is a “rip off”2.

Rental companies charge on average £1891 for excess protection cover, with an additional £531 for windscreen and tyre excess cover – totalling £242. However, a car hire excess reimbursement insurance policy, from a specialist provider like iCarhireinsurance.com costs from £33.153 for a week’s European policy, covering damage, theft, and tyre and windscreen cover, with annual European policies from £41.993.

Ben Wooltorton at iCarhireinsurance.com said: “When booking your hire car make sure you check the price of any extras you will need. It can be more cost effective to bring your own child’s car seat, your own sat nav, and consider if you really need that extra driver. It’s a good idea to have excess protection but consider buying it in advance from a standalone car hire excess reimbursement insurance provider like iCarhireinsurance.com. “

  1. The study analysed the cost of hiring a compact car and extras (such as excess protection, car seats, satnavs and extra drivers) from 26 July – 2 August 2025 in 12 countries – Australia, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK, and the USA. Prices were compared from six major rental companies: Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt. 
  2. Opinium online survey with 1000 adults who have hired a car in the UK or abroad took place between 21 – 28 March 2025.  28% have bought from a rental company, 18% from an independent insurance company, and some have bought from both. The combined figure including those who have bought from both is 38%.
  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 30-85 purchasing an excess Europe annual policy excluding in-country (UK) cover. 
Disclaimer: All prices contained in this article were correct on the original date of publication. Prices may change over time, so for current prices, please get a quote.