The insurance available when you rent a motorhome in Canada covers both damage to the driver's own vehicle and damage to the vehicles of third parties and their property. However, the renter is always responsible for the excess in the first instance until any third party liability can be established. If you are involved - and not at fault, in a traffic accident you are initially required to pay the rental company the excess (including if the opposing party in the accident flees the scene).
It is also important to mention - with respect to the latter, that some drivers in North America drive without insurance or with very little cover. Therefore, if you cause an accident you are required to pay for the repairs to your own vehicle and those of the third party as well as all property damage costs up to the limit of the excess.
An insurance contract is entered into between yourself and the rental company at pick-up time. We recommend that you allow adequate time when you pick up your vehicle and ask the rental company's customer services staff about any aspects that you do not fully understand. Every rental company negotiates different insurance conditions with its insurer and then offers these to its customers when they collect their vehicles.
Please note that some of our rental company partners will include most or all of the options below in their base rental rates. With others, the additional options will be available for purchase at pick-up time if required. If in doubt, please refer to the 'Important rental info' provided on our website for each rental company.
This is the standard insurance policy that is normally included in the daily rental rate. The CDW comes into play in the event of an accident, vandalism, fire or theft. There is an excess to pay and this amount varies depending on which rental company you request us to book for you.
This excess can be reduced by purchasing an additional insurance option: the VIP supplement. This is included in the rental rates with some of our rental company partners. As well as this, the VIP option enables you to reduce your maximum liability limit that applies with those damage incidents that are not covered by the CDW.
The maximum amount of public liability insurance (liability for damage caused to a third person or their property) cover you are given with the CDW insurance is limited. Please refer to each rental company's 'Important rental info' section on our website to see what this upper limit is. The VIP insurance mentioned above doesn't alter this limit. To increase the amount of insurance you have (the 'sum insured') for claims made by third parties for damage you cause to them or their property you may be able to purchase a so-called SLI supplement. This option does not cover any damage to the rental vehicle. In the case of Cruise Canada and CanaDream Campers this supplement is already included in the rental rates.
Exceptions
In general, damage to the vehicle as a result of a breach of the rental agreement, by dangerous driving or as a result of other illegal activities (e.g. drink driving, etc) are not insured in any way.