Insurance is where a cheap rental quietly becomes expensive. Understanding three terms before you reach the counter will save you both money and a long conversation with the agent.
Third party liability is included by law in every rental in France. It covers damage you cause to other people and their property, but nothing at all on the car you are driving. That gap is filled by the collision damage waiver, usually shortened to CDW, which is bundled into most rates advertised in Europe.
What CDW actually does
CDW is not insurance in the strict sense. It is a waiver: the rental company agrees not to claim the full value of the vehicle from you, provided you pay an excess. That excess typically ranges from eight hundred to two thousand five hundred euros depending on the car category, and it is the amount blocked on your credit card as a deposit. Theft protection works the same way, with its own excess.
At the desk you will then be offered a super CDW, sometimes called excess reduction or full protection. It lowers the excess to a small amount or to zero, at a daily cost of fifteen to thirty euros. Over a two week holiday, that option often costs more than the rental itself.
Two cheaper alternatives exist. Standalone excess insurance, bought online from a specialist provider before departure, costs a fraction of the counter price, but works as a reimbursement: the rental company still charges you, and your insurer pays you back afterwards. Some premium credit cards include similar cover, valid only if the rental was paid with that card.
Whatever you choose, check the exclusions. Tyres, windscreen, roof and undercarriage are commonly excluded from standard CDW, and these are precisely the parts that get damaged on narrow streets and country roads. Photograph the car from every angle before leaving the airport parking, and again on return.
