Car hire insurance in Portugal, on a Madeira rental

The wheels, the undercarriage, the windscreen and the interior of the car. Under the standard insurance, damage to those four is the renter's to pay, and the car's page lists the higher levels of cover it offers; the search has a filter for full insurance.

The insurance is void for deliberate damage to the car, whether from vandalism or neglect.

The excess is set car by car, from zero on some cars to a large sum on others, and the car's page shows it next to the price.

Look at the excess and the deposit together. They are separate amounts: a car can pair a low price with a high excess, or a zero deposit with an excess of its own.

The deposit is taken at the handover at Madeira Airport or wherever the car is delivered, and released after the return. It is set car by car, is zero on some, and is usually higher on cars delivered on the west coast. Depending on the car it can be held on a credit card, a debit card or in cash; the car says which, and the search can filter by the deposit and by the card it takes. A card used for it must be physical, embossed and in the main driver's name.

Some rental companies keep the deposit for 21 to 30 days after the return. A fine, or an unpaid toll invoiced to the rental company after the return, is taken from it, with administration costs added for a fine.

Tell the rental agent straight away and get a police report, unless the agent agrees otherwise. The rental conditions make both a condition of the insurance, and the renter carries the full cost of the damage if either is missing.

Keep the phone number you booked with switched on for the whole rental, because the rental conditions require the company to be able to reach you, and photograph the car at the handover so its condition at the start is on record. Fines and parking charges are the renter's to pay in every case.

The same rental conditions for Portugal apply on Madeira as on the mainland. Madeira adds a regional fee on top: 2 euros for each full rental day, up to 10 days and 20 euros per contract, collected by the rental company at pick-up, separately from the price paid online. The island's expressways and main roads are free to drive.

Every hire car on Madeira includes third-party liability cover, which is compulsory on every rental car in the EU. On Madeira, a rental contract may not be made conditional on buying insurance that is not compulsory. Whether more cover is worth having turns on the car.

Each car's page compares its levels in a table before you book, with the price of each, free on some cars. Where a higher level is priced, skipping it lowers the price and raises what you pay if the car is damaged.

Each Madeira hire car shows its cover as up to four levels, and the abbreviations map onto them. TPL, third-party liability, is Minimum coverage: it covers damage to other cars in an accident and not the rental car itself. CDW is Basic coverage, limited collision coverage: it pays for damage to the car's body from a traffic accident above the car's excess, the renter pays up to the excess, and glass, lamps and wheels are not covered.

SCDW, or SuperCDW, is Full Coverage, full coverage with limited driver liability: it adds glass, lamps and wheels, excluding tyre damage and punctures, and it can keep the same excess as CDW. Full CDW is Full Coverage Plus, full damage coverage with no driver liability for accident-related damage, and the search's Full insurance filter shows the cars that offer it.

Car hire excess insurance is cover bought separately from another insurer, and what it can save on a Madeira rental depends on the car's excess, which is zero on some cars and a large sum on others. With cover from another insurer, the rental company still deducts the excess from your card if there is a claim, and you then claim it back from your own insurer. Before buying any extra insurance or damage waiver, get a detailed description of what it covers.

A Madeira hire car can bring charges even with the highest cover on offer, because some costs stay with the renter whatever the level: fines, fuel and parking fees are the renter's to pay. The cover itself has limits: a police report is needed at every level, Full Coverage Plus included. Under Madeira law, the deposit may not be drawn for damage without prior notice and proof of the damage.

If a Madeira hire car is stolen, get a report from the police and tell the rental agent at once. Theft Protection is the cover for it: offered as an extra on some cars, free on some, it covers only the rental company's losses from the theft, and it needs a stolen-car report certified by the police.

Third-party liability, which every car includes, does not cover theft of the rental car. Belongings left in the car are not covered by any extra offered on Madeira cars. Check on the car's page whether Theft Protection is offered, and at what price, before you book.

Personal Accident Insurance, offered as an extra on some cars and free on some, covers damage to the health of passengers in an accident while driving the rental car; belongings are not covered by it or by any other extra offered on Madeira cars. Third-party liability, which every car includes, does not cover injury to the driver of the rental car. Across the EU, optional insurance can be taken out for other risks, such as injury to the driver, theft of the vehicle or its contents, and legal assistance. The car's page lists the extras it offers before you book.