A chic sports car for the weekend, a motorhome for a dream holiday or a van for moving house: rental cars are very popular. Accidents involving hire cars are therefore not uncommon. What do you need to consider in this constellation? We have compiled the dos and don'ts for you here.
What counts as an accident with a hire car?
Any collision with another vehicle or object, regardless of who is at fault and regardless of the amount of damage, is an accident and must be reported to the hire company.
Special features for accidents involving hire cars
Of course, as with any other car accident, the basic principle from driving school applies: secure the accident site and treat any casualties.
Subsequently always the police be notified and an accident report drawn up - because the car does not belong to you.
Not your car = not your decision!
The hire car is the property of the hire company (e.g. Enterprise, Sixt, Europcar) and you are only a temporary user. Practically all rental contracts therefore stipulate that the police must be called in the event of an accident. obligatory prescribed. Every rental contract we know of states that you must inform the car hire company of an accident immediately - i.e. without culpable delay. Typically, this means on the same day or within 24 hours. In addition to the obligatory first phone call, we strongly recommend sending an e-mail with the accident report. The text form of the e-mail is valuable for you as proof in the event of a dispute.
The Accident report you should draw up yourself. Make a note of all relevant data such as the licence plate number, names, telephone numbers and insurance information of the people involved. One Accident sketch as well as photos of the damage, the surrounding area and possible skid marks help to document the accident. The vast majority of car hire providers have corresponding forms in the glove compartment. There are now also some providers with corresponding apps.
Goods Witnesses At the scene of the accident, be sure to take their contact details - they can play a decisive role if anything is unclear.
Accident victims like you get the best support from fairforce.one.
Have your accident reported now free of charge and without obligation by our regulation specialists.
What you should definitely avoid:
Regardless of whether it was your own fault or someone else's and regardless of whether it was supposedly only a minor fender bender or a major incident:
- Leaving the scene of an accident without taking action is considered Hit and run, which is a criminal offence in Germany and always leads to a complaint and unpleasant mail from the public prosecutor's office.
- The Police must always be notified. Even if you "only" got stuck on an underground car park wall, a driveway or a fence, everything has an owner who now has a claim for compensation against the hire car company for the accidental damage to their property. Even in these cases, call the hire company immediately and agree on a course of action.
If you fail to make the mandatory notification, you run the risk that the car hire company will not pay for the damage to third parties - i.e. the other party involved in the accident, the car park, the fence, etc. - or the damage to the hire car as an insurance benefit, but will charge you for it.
- Also verbal agreements with the other party involved in the accident or a "settlement under the table" are not permitted - after all, the vehicle does not belong to you.
- For the same reason, you should never use the Insurance of the other party involved in the accident contact us - as a tenant, you are not the owner and therefore not entitled to claim!
Claims for damages that you can assert yourself relate to your own property, your own health and your own assets. If you have been injured in an accident through no fault of your own (Claim for compensation for pain and suffering) or things that belong to you were damaged in the accident (Entitlement to compensation for material damage), or flights, hotels, shops are cancelled due to an accident, then the statutory right to compensation applies to you and you can assert these claims.
Take the easy route with us after an accident
Don't have the nerves or time for a lengthy and complicated claims settlement? We recommend: Take the smart route and use the tried-and-tested service via fairforce.one
Special service via the fairforce.one platform: you get a personalised HIS! This means that you receive all the information that is important to you directly and securely on your smartphone. If necessary, you can also reach your personal specialist directly on the phone.
Step by step to clever claims settlement:
- Report your accident to us by calling the toll-free number 0800 30 111 60 or simply online.
- Within just 2 minutes, a certified expert from the Germany-wide network will contact you and discuss the next steps with you.
- Now you can breathe easy: from now on, your concerns will be dealt with competently and in a solution-orientated manner!
Frequently asked questions about an accident with a hire car
What must be done after a hire car accident?
Securing the scene of the accident, caring for the injured and always informing the police - this is mandatory for hire cars. In addition, the hire company must be informed immediately, usually on the same day. An e-mail with the accident report serves as written proof.
Can I contact the other party's insurance company myself if I have an accident with my hire car?
No. As the renter, you are not the owner of the vehicle and therefore not entitled to make a claim against the opposing insurance company. Only the lessor can assert claims in connection with the rental vehicle.
What claims for damages can I assert myself?
You can only make claims for your own damage, e.g:
- Compensation for injuries
- Reimbursement of damaged personal items
- Compensation for lost holiday benefits or business trips
What happens if I do not report the damage?
Failure to report this can result in you being liable for all damage - both to the hire car and to third parties. Insurance benefits are usually refused in such cases.
