Guide · every airport we measure
Car hire insurance explained: excess, full cover and zero excess
Every rental price already includes basic cover. What it does not include is the excess: the amount you owe if the car is damaged or stolen, often over a thousand euros. Insurance for car hire is really one question: how do you want that risk handled?
Measured prices from our own searches How we measure
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Your four options, side by side
| If the car is damaged | Deposit on your card | Where you get it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic cover in every price | You pay up to the excess | Held in full | Included |
| Full cover DiscoverCars' Full Coverage | You pay the desk, then claim it back within 90 days, up to €5,000 | Still held in full: the desk cannot see this cover | Added when you book |
| Zero excess at the desk the supplier's own | Nothing to pay, nothing to claim | Often lower | Included in some suppliers' prices, or sold at the counter |
| Annual excess policy | You pay the desk, then claim it back | Still held | Bought separately, covers every rental for a year |
Full Coverage terms from DiscoverCars' own help pages (checked 7 October 2026): it repays the excess for damage and theft, plus tyres, wheels, windows, mirrors, lights, roof and undercarriage, and charges like towing and loss of use.
What full cover costs for a week, airport by airport
DiscoverCars' Full Coverage for a one-week rental, typical across each airport's main suppliers, with the deposit you should expect on your card either way. Cheapest first.
| Airport | Full cover, a week | Typical deposit | Cars with zero excess |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubrovnik | €48 | €1,500 | 5% |
| Lanzarote | €53 | €250 | 34% |
| Fuerteventura | €55 | €325 | 33% |
| Palermo | €59 | €550 | 19% |
| Seville | €61 | €300 | 8% |
| Athens | €61 | €850 | 13% |
| Gran Canaria | €62 | €350 | 20% |
| Ibiza | €65 | €1,000 | 17% |
| Pisa | €66 | €500 | 20% |
| Naples | €69 | €500 | 23% |
| Corfu | €73 | €859 | 9% |
| Faro | €74 | €1,100 | 15% |
| Porto | €79 | €1,400 | 13% |
| Chania, Crete | €79 | €869 | 11% |
| Lisbon | €80 | €1,300 | 9% |
| Venice | €83 | €500 | 17% |
| Kos | €84 | €900 | 8% |
| Larnaca | €84 | €900 | 3% |
| Malaga | €84 | €500 | 16% |
| Bari | €84 | €500 | 22% |
| Rhodes | €85 | €961 | 7% |
| Crete Heraklion | €85 | €800 | 15% |
| Zakynthos | €86 | €850 | 12% |
| London Gatwick | €87 | €1,120 | 0% |
| Alicante | €89 | €500 | 29% |
| Tenerife South | €92 | €350 | 43% |
| Madrid | €94 | €500 | 18% |
| Palma de Mallorca | €96 | €830 | 24% |
| Barcelona | €96 | €500 | 25% |
| Nice | €99 | €709 | 3% |
| Manchester | €102 | €672 | 7% |
| Dalaman | €104 | €200 | 12% |
| Antalya | €105 | €230 | 13% |
| Madeira (Funchal) | €109 | €1,000 | 26% |
| Split | €109 | €1,500 | 11% |
| Bodrum | €113 | €200 | 8% |
| London Stansted | €114 | €815 | 0% |
| London Heathrow | €118 | €827 | 5% |
| Milan Malpensa | €118 | €700 | 26% |
| Catania-Fontanarossa | €122 | €700 | 24% |
| Rome Fiumicino | €127 | €700 | 21% |
| Edinburgh | €134 | €585 | 7% |
| Olbia, Sardinia | €135 | €575 | 20% |
| Paris Charles de Gaulle | €144 | €750 | 4% |
| Dublin | €150 | €2,000 | 0% |
| Keflavik | €265 | €500 | 0% |
Median of each airport's main suppliers' quotes for a week; the price for your car and dates is beside every car in our search.
How to choose, in one minute
- You want to forget about it: pick a car with zero excess at the desk. There is nothing to claim and the deposit is often lower. It usually costs more; in our Faro search on 7 October 2026 about one car in ten had it.
- You want the widest cover for the money: full cover repays tyres, windows, roof and underside too. Keep every receipt: you pay the desk first and claim it back.
- You rent several times a year: an annual excess policy covers every rental for one price.
- Whatever you choose: the main driver needs a credit card that can hold the deposit, unless the car says otherwise.
See every price fully covered
Switch on Fully covered and every price includes full cover; tap Zero excess to see only cars with nothing to claim.
Search fully covered →More: what car hire really costs · deposits by airport · debit card car hire · how we measure.