Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) for rental cars
A PAI is not a standard part of our all-in rental price. As specialists in car hire, we are happy to explain the importance of Personal Accident Insurance and whether it is advisable to take it out locally.
What is Personal Accident insurance?
A Personal Accident Insurance or POI (Passenger Accident Insurance). A POI/PAI is a liability cover, namely that of the driver towards passengers. It is a voluntary insurance that provides additional cover in case of personal injury, disability and death. Comprehensive POI/PAI also covers other expenses such as damages, home modification in case of disability and funeral expenses.
So PAI insurance does not cover damage to the car itself, but of course that is already covered with our all-inclusive cover which includes damage and theft insurance. Furthermore, much of the coverage of a POI/PAI is also already included in the compulsory third-party insurance of the car. On top of that, Sunny Cars does an additional €10 million third-party cover.
Should I take out passenger insurance or not?
So, you already have extensive insurance coverage when you rent through Sunny Cars. Do you want maximum security for your passengers and does the local rental company offer a PAI (Personal Accident Insurance)? Then you can choose to add the PAI when signing your rental contract with the local rental partner. For this, you will need to make an additional payment on the spot. Whether or not you do this is your own choice. The Consumers' Association says the following about this:
"Personal accident insurance is not immediately necessary. But it is an insurance to think about. Passengers can always claim damages on the third-party insurance of the person who caused the accident. This could be the driver or an opposing party. Necessary medical expenses are covered through health insurance, both for the driver and passengers. However, health insurance does not cover the costs of, say, a funeral or permanent disability."
Of course, what is always advisable when going on holiday is to make sure you have good travel insurance. This will cover extra costs for accommodation or transport in case of illness or accident, reimburse your healthcare costs based on local costs (which are sometimes much higher than in the Netherlands) and provide coverage for funeral costs or disability. Always check the policy conditions of your travel insurance carefully to see exactly which cover applies to you.
