Excess (Deductible)

The excess — also called the deductible — is the single most important number on a rental agreement, and the one travellers overlook most. It is the ceiling on what you can be charged for a single incident of damage or theft, assuming your waiver applies and you have not broken the rules.

A car can be advertised as "fully insured" and still carry a 10,000–20,000 MAD excess. That means if you damage the car, you pay everything up to that figure yourself; the waiver only helps beyond it. The deposit blocked on your card at pickup is usually sized to match this excess.

You can reduce or remove the excess in two ways: buy the agency’s Super CDW at the desk, or take a separate excess reimbursement policy before you travel. The first is convenient; the second is often cheaper and pays you back if you are charged.

When you compare rental quotes, compare the excess, not just the daily price. A cheaper car with a punishing excess is a worse deal the moment anything goes wrong.