You pay for the repair if you damage a rental car, because your rental agreement makes you contractually responsible for returning the vehicle in the condition it was rented in – unless a damage waiver or insurance policy covers that cost for you. The amount you actually pay out of your own pocket depends on one number in your rental agreement: the excess. This guide explains who pays, what the excess is, what to do in the minutes after an accident, and how to challenge a damage charge you disagree with.
This article provides general guidance on rental car damage procedures in Greece. It is not legal advice. For your own situation, read your rental agreement and your insurance policy terms.
How to Handle an Accident in a Rental Car
To handle an accident in a rental car, secure everyone at the scene first, document the damage second, and notify your insurer and the rental company third. Your financial exposure comes down to the insurance you held at the moment of the accident, so the cover you choose at booking decides most of the outcome before the accident ever happens.
Rental Center Crete’s all-inclusive premium insurance bundles the cover types described below into a single policy, so you do not have to price and compare Collision Damage, Liability, Personal Accident, and Personal Effects cover separately.
The sections below set out the general rules to follow if you damage or crash a rental car in Chania, Heraklion, or anywhere else in Greece.
Insurance Coverage Options
Your liability for rental car damage is capped by the excess, and it is funded from up to 3 possible sources: the rental company’s cover, the credit card you paid with, and your own car insurance policy.
After a rental car accident in Greece, the first rule is that you are responsible for the damage or loss of the vehicle. You must return the car in the same condition as before the accident, even when someone else caused the damage. The rental company then recovers the repair cost from whichever source of cover applies to your rental.
What Is the Excess and Why Does It Matter?
The excess is the maximum amount you have to pay if the rental car is damaged, and it is the single figure that decides your real cost. Insurance does not always mean zero cost – the excess is the part of the damage bill that stays with the renter even when a policy is in force. The lower your excess, the smaller the amount you carry yourself; the higher your excess, the larger the bill you absorb before any cover starts working for you.
Two terms travel together in every rental agreement, and each one describes a different amount:
- Excess (also called the deductible). The excess is the most you will have to pay if the car is damaged.
- Deposit. The deposit is the amount the rental company ring-fences on your credit card to show that you have the funds to cover the excess.
According to UK Competition and Markets Authority guidance published on GOV.UK, damage charges are the single largest cause of car rental complaints, and cheaper rental deals commonly carry the largest excess and deposit amounts. Reducing your excess – through an all-inclusive policy or separate excess insurance – reduces the deposit that gets ring-fenced on your card at the same time. Check the car rental excess and the insurance deposit written into your own rental agreement before you sign it, because these amounts vary by company, by car category, and by the cover you select.
What Insurance Covers for a Rental Car
Rental car insurance covers 4 distinct risks, and each optional cover type answers a different question about who pays. Rental Center Crete offers all-inclusive premium insurance that combines these covers into one policy – read the full terms and current rates on our insurance page.
Car rental companies in Greece may provide optional supplemental insurance or add-ons for an extra charge. The optional insurance usually includes the 4 cover types described below.
Collision Damage (the collision damage waiver, or CDW). Choose Collision Damage cover and the rental company waives your vehicle repair or replacement costs if the car is damaged or stolen during the rental. However, the insurance does not cover damage from reckless driving or under an unauthorized driver. Across the market, a basic collision damage waiver is a waiver rather than full insurance, and GOV.UK guidance notes that it often excludes items such as tyres and glass – so read what your own waiver includes.
Liability. The liability coverage pays for medical expenses and property damage that the third party incurred in an accident in a rental car. Your personal car insurance may cover the same liability, so check both policies to avoid paying twice for the same protection. If you hold only minimum liability insurance, the coverage may not be enough to protect you when you are involved in a car accident.
Personal Accident Insurance (PAI). The insurance only pays for injuries that the rental car driver or the driver’s passengers may have suffered in an accident in a rental car. The insurance also covers ambulance expenses and death benefits.
Personal Effects Coverage. The coverage covers lost or damaged personal property in the damaged rental car. Reliable renters and homeowner’s insurance policies can offer similar coverage. This coverage is unnecessary unless you want to avoid filing a claim or paying your homeowners or renters insurance policy.
You pay for each optional coverage separately, at a per-day rate. It might seem like a few euros a day, but the daily rates accumulate quickly across a multi-day holiday in Greece – which is why an all-inclusive policy is usually the simpler calculation.
What Counts as Fair Wear and Tear?
Fair wear and tear is the normal deterioration a car picks up from ordinary, contract-compliant use, and it is not chargeable damage. Chargeable damage, by contrast, is a new defect caused during your rental period.
The line between the two sits in your rental agreement, and rental companies define it differently. Marks that typically fall under fair wear and tear include light surface scuffs, faded paint from sun exposure, and small stone chips picked up from ordinary road use – a car driven on a public road is exposed to stones thrown up by other vehicles, and that exposure is unavoidable. Marks that are typically treated as chargeable damage include dents, scratches that go through the paint, cracked glass, and kerbed wheels.
Do not assume a threshold. Ask the rental desk where the line sits for your specific vehicle and agreement, and get the answer before you drive away.
Document the Car at Pickup and at Return
Photograph and video the car at pickup and again at return, because your own timestamped images are the evidence that settles a disputed damage charge later. This one habit prevents more damage disputes than any other step in this article.
Follow these 5 steps at the rental desk:
- Inspect the car for dents, scratches, chips, and other defects before you accept it, and allow enough time to do it properly.
- Photograph all four sides of the vehicle, then take close-ups of every existing mark, plus the odometer, the fuel gauge, and the interior.
- Record a slow walk-around video, because the file carries an automatic timestamp that proves when you took it.
- Report every defect you find, however minor, while you are still on the rental company’s premises.
- Sign the pre-rental inspection form only after all existing defects are noted on it, get the rental company to sign it too, and keep your own copy.
Repeat exactly the same routine when you return the car. GOV.UK consumer guidance recommends this pickup inspection procedure for precisely this reason: undocumented pre-existing damage is what turns into a charge against the last renter.
What to Do After an Accident in a Rental Car in Greece
Follow these 6 steps in order after an accident in a rental car in Greece: get everyone to safety, call the emergency services, record what happened, document the vehicle, call your insurance company, and contact the rental company.
Get everyone to safety
Move everyone out of harm’s way, including yourself, immediately after an accident. Do not move anyone who is in extreme pain, who may have broken a limb, or who may have injured their back – wait for the emergency services to arrive.
Call the emergency services
Carry the emergency numbers for every country you visit. Some countries have more than 1 emergency number, so keep at least two numbers on you that connect you directly to the local ambulance, police, or fire service.
Record what happened and exchange details
Photograph the scene, the damage to every vehicle involved, and the surrounding road signs, then exchange your personal details with everyone affected once you have confirmed that everyone is safe. This applies whether you hit another vehicle or someone else’s property. If the car owner is not present at the scene, leave a note with your details under their windscreen wiper.
Make sure everyone exchanges car registration numbers, telephone numbers, and addresses if the accident involves more than two vehicles or people. Note the following 5 details:
- The make, colour, and model of every vehicle involved
- The date and time the accident took place
- The weather conditions, the state of the road, and the street lighting, if any
- The damage that occurred to property or to any vehicle
- The injuries sustained by drivers, pedestrians, and passengers
Ask about a police report when there are injuries, when a third party is involved, or when public property is damaged. Minor damage with no third party often does not require police attendance, but your rental agreement and the rental company’s instructions decide the answer for your case.
Call your insurance company
File a claim with your insurance provider as soon as possible. Claim denials are often the result of a policyholder failing to file a claim soon after an accident, so call and report the accident at the earliest opportunity.
Contact the rental company
Contact the rental company – their contact details are in your rental agreement – and tell them what happened without leaving out any detail. Reputable rental companies in Greece handle recovery, repairs, and replacement of the rental car if needed, and they deal with the insurance companies or third parties involved in the accident.
Ask about roadside assistance and towing if the car is no longer safe to drive. Do not keep driving a vehicle with a flat tyre, wheel damage, or a broken headlight, and arrange recovery through the rental company rather than on your own.
Ask which accident or damage report form you need to complete as well. A phone call alone rarely closes the file – most rental companies require a written damage report, and completing it promptly keeps your claim moving.
Do not arrange repairs yourself
Never repair the rental car yourself or pay a third party directly at the scene. Rental companies do not usually refund money that a renter has paid out without clearing it with them first, so a repair you arrange on your own initiative is a cost you are unlikely to recover. Report the damage instead and let the rental company manage the repair.
How to Dispute a Damage Charge
To dispute a damage charge, request the evidence first and pay nothing until you have seen it. A rental company that charges you for damage should be able to show you what the damage is and what it cost to repair.
Work through these 5 steps:
- Request the damage report, dated photographs of the damage, and an itemised repair invoice from the rental company.
- Compare that evidence against your own pickup and return photos and against the signed pre-rental inspection form.
- Raise the dispute in writing before you pay, stating clearly which charge you dispute and why – a written record beats a phone call.
- Check the invoice for charges beyond the repair itself, because policies commonly add administrative fees or “loss of use” charges for the days the vehicle is off the road.
- Escalate to your card issuer or your insurance provider if the rental company does not resolve the dispute, and use any arbitration or conciliation service the company belongs to.
GOV.UK consumer guidance makes the same core recommendation: if you dispute a damage charge, ask for evidence of the damage and an invoice for the repair bill. Never make a hasty payment on a charge you have not seen documented – the evidence you gathered at pickup exists exactly for this moment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I dent my rental car?
Report the dent to the rental company as soon as you notice it, and photograph it before you return the car. You are responsible for the repair cost up to your excess, so a dent costs you nothing beyond that cap when a damage waiver or all-inclusive policy covers the vehicle.
What is acceptable damage to a rental car?
Acceptable damage is fair wear and tear: the light surface marks, sun-faded paint, and small stone chips that a car picks up through ordinary use. Dents, deep scratches, cracked glass, and kerbed wheels are treated as chargeable damage instead. Your rental agreement defines where the line sits.
What should I do if a car rental company is claiming damages?
Ask the rental company for the damage report, photographs, and an itemised repair invoice before you pay anything. Compare that evidence with your own pickup photos and the signed inspection form, dispute the charge in writing if the evidence does not support it, and escalate to your card issuer or insurer if the dispute remains unresolved.
Do I still pay if the accident was not my fault?
You remain contractually responsible to the rental company for the vehicle, even when another driver caused the damage. Collect the other party’s details at the scene, because those details let the rental company and the insurers pursue the party at fault.
Does insurance mean I pay nothing?
Insurance reduces your cost to the excess rather than to zero by default. Check the excess written in your rental agreement, and choose an all-inclusive or reduced-excess policy if you want that remaining exposure removed.
Rent with Rental Center Crete
Rental Center Crete has rented cars in Crete since 1975 and is officially licensed by the Greek National Tourism Organization under Registration N°: 1039E00810009100. Our all-inclusive premium insurance is built so that a damaged car does not turn into a guessing game about who pays.
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