Car hire agreements usually come with a basic 'collision damage waiver' (CDW) insurance which could still leave you liable for over £1000, car hire excess insurance provides full cover.

Car hire insurance covers the driver not the car so once covered you can drive any hire car, it can be purchased for the duration of the hire period or annually which works out cheaper for multi trips.

In the event of a collision or theft you pay the excess to the hire company and claim the cost back from the car hire excess insurance policy.