Third-party liability insurance
Third-party liability insurance relieves us of financial responsibility for damage caused to others, such as damage to vehicles or personal injury. Having valid third-party liability insurance is mandatory for all cars driven on public roads. Rental companies therefore include its cost in the basic vehicle rental price, while additional fees generally apply only to optional insurance.
Will third-party liability insurance alone prove sufficient? In many cases, yes; however, we should answer this question individually, taking the purpose of renting the car into account. If we plan to drive for a short time around a city we know and park exclusively in secured car parks, third-party liability insurance alone should be enough. A longer, multi-day trip to unfamiliar areas may, however, be sufficient reason to purchase a more expensive insurance option.
Comprehensive insurance
Comprehensive insurance (autocasco) releases us from financial responsibility for damage to the rented vehicle, although we should be aware that certain restrictions apply. Purchasing comprehensive insurance is not mandatory for cars driven in Poland, but in some countries it is compulsory.
By searching for the phrase cheap car rental Gdańsk and visiting the website of the first car rental company we come across, we can easily check the approximate cost of such insurance. The problem is that it does not always provide protection with the same scope. Some incidents and types of damage may be subject to so-called exclusions from insurance coverage, meaning that the rental company will not receive compensation for them and will instead ask us to reimburse the costs.
Another issue to bear in mind is the need to provide a so-called excess (when booking a car in English, we will encounter the term "excess"), usually amounting to several hundred or even several thousand złoty. What does this mean? We are responsible for damage caused, out of our own pocket, up to this amount. If the damage is greater, the insurer will pay the rest.
Baggage insurance
If we are taking a long trip in a rented car with lots of luggage, it is worth considering purchasing additional insurance to protect it against theft or damage. Unfortunately, this will not always provide the protection we need most, as this type of insurance usually contains numerous exclusions and does not cover certain high-value items that we generally most want to insure.
Additional information
When choosing optional insurance for a rented car, we should always carefully read the contract we are signing. If we want to minimize the risk of unfavorable provisions being included, it is worth using comparison websites such as https://www.taniwynajemaut.pl and focusing our search on rental companies belonging to well-known networks (Avis, Hertz).