Overseas rentals

There can be different rules when hiring a car in other parts of the world. Here are some points to watch out for when visiting the UK, the US, Australia, and Europe.

• Some Australian car-rental firms charge a single-vehicle-accident excess when you have an accident that doesn't involve another car. This can be A$2000 on top of the standard excess. So unless you've paid the excess waiver, you could pay upwards of A$5000 if you have a crash where no other vehicle is involved.
  
  Pegasus is one local rental company that charges a $2000 excess for a single-vehicle accident. That's double its standard excess of $1000.
  
  
• Legal liability in the US is very different from here. A travel insurance policy won't usually pay up if you're sued over a car crash, and the standard liability cover that comes with the rental car may not be enough. But you can buy extended protection (known as "EP") from the American rental company. This gives you greater cover if you injure someone or damage property. Look for EPs that give you at least US$1 million coverage.
  
  
• In the UK and Europe rental brokers are common. A rental broker buys and sells bulk car rentals and passes on discounts to you. Brokers don't own cars. You book and deal with them, but a rental company agent like Hertz supplies the car.
  
  When you use a broker make sure you know which rental company owns the car because - if anything goes wrong - you'll be held to the company's terms and conditions.
  
  
• Crossing borders in Europe is usually allowed, although check your rental agreement first to see where you can go. You should be allowed to hop west (Italy to France, France to Spain) but it might not be possible to hop east (Italy to Slovenia, Slovenia to Croatia).
  
  In North America, it's usually fine to cross between the US and Canada but it may be harder to head south to Mexico.
  
  Tell the rental company or broker your itinerary to avoid problems.