Explore Malta
with Confidence

Driving in Malta is a fantastic way to explore the country, but don’t let a hefty car hire excess ruin your trip. In
Malta, car rental agreements usually include basic insurance with a high excess (deductible), often ranging around
€1,000 up to €2,000 (or even €2,500 for higher-end rentals). This means if your hired car gets scratched, dented,
or stolen, you could be charged thousands of euros by the rental company. Even minor incidents can be costly, 
for example, rental companies might charge about €250 for a scratched door, €300 for a punctured tyre, and up to
€750 for a cracked windscreen. Car Hire Excess Insurance saves you money by covering these charges.
Purchasing excess cover from an independent provider like Gigasure is far cheaper than buying the rental
company’s own insurance. Rental desks in Malta often push their “excess waiver” or Super CDW products hard, but
at 2–3 times the price of independent policies (often €15–€25 per day at the counter, versus roughly £2–£5 per day
with Gigasure). By choosing Gigasure, you avoid the rental counter upsell and save significantly while getting
superior cover. (Tip: Rental companies’ waivers might still exclude tyres, glass, underside, etc., or have lots of small
print – Gigasure covers those gaps.)

In busy towns like Sliema, St. Julian’s or the capital Valletta, traffic is heavy and parking spaces are tight, increasing
the chance of minor dings and scrapes. It’s easy to accidentally scuff a wheel on a curb or scrape the
undercarriage on an uneven lane. Given these risks, having an excess insurance policy is simply smart. You can
drive with peace of mind, knowing you won’t face an unexpected €1,500 bill for an unlucky scrape or collision.

Yes, absolutely. Considering the high excesses on Maltese car rentals, excess insurance is well worth the peace of
mind. The cost of an independent policy like Gigasure’s is relatively low, often around £2–£5 per day for a
standalone cover (or even less per day if you buy an annual plan) – which is minor compared to a possible €1,500
charge you’d face for an accident. Car hire companies charge a lot for their own excess waiver (sometimes €15–
€20+ per day, which can easily add up to over £100 for a week), so independent cover can pay for itself even if you
never make a claim. And if you do need to claim for any damage, you could save hundreds or even thousands of
euros by not having to pay the rental company's excess.  

In Malta’s driving conditions ( congested traffic, unfamiliar narrow roads, and tight parking spots), the likelihood of
small incidents is not negligible. Having excess insurance means you can relax and enjoy your road trip, knowing
you are protected against those unpleasant surprise costs. In summary, it’s a modest investment for
potentially very large savings, a trade-off that savvy travellers find more than worth it.

By law, all car rentals in Malta include basic third-party liability insurance as a minimum. This covers damage or
injury you might cause to others. In addition, most Maltese car hire deals come with Collision Damage Waiver
(CDW) and Theft Protection as part of the standard package. CDW means the rental company’s insurance will
cover damage to the vehicle beyond the excess, and Theft cover protects against the car being stolen – but
importantly, both usually come with an excess that you remain liable for. The exact excess amount is stated in your
rental agreement (commonly around €1,000–€1,500 for economy cars, higher for luxury vehicles).

There’s no legal requirement to purchase the rental company’s extra insurance or excess waiver, those are
completely optional add-ons. Rental agents in Malta may offer additional products like Super CDW to reduce the
excess to zero, but you have the right to decline these. Instead, many travellers use a standalone excess insurance
policy (like Gigasure’s) bought independently before travel.

The excess (deductible) on hired cars in Malta can vary by rental company and vehicle type. In general, it often
ranges from around €1,000 on the low end up to €2,000 or more on the high end. For many standard car
hires, you’ll see an excess around €1,200–€1,500. Luxury models or higher-risk rentals can come with even larger
excesses (sometimes €2,500 or more).

To illustrate: you might rent a compact car with a €1,200 excess, if any damage happens, you must pay up to
€1,200 and the rental’s insurance covers the rest beyond that. Some companies might offer lower excesses (e.g.
€300–€500) for very small cars or with special deals, but those are relatively rare in Malta. Always check the terms
of your rental agreement; it will clearly state the excess amount. Keep in mind this is the sum the company
will hold on your credit card as a deposit and potentially charge you if you return the car with new damage.

With Gigasure’s excess cover, you don’t need to worry about the exact excess amount, whatever it is, if you incur
charges (up to the policy’s limit), you can claim them back from us. In effect, our insurance reimburses those fees,
bringing your financial liability down to £0 once your claim is approved.

Some premium credit cards (or bank accounts) do offer rental car damage cover, and a few travel insurance
policies include a hire car excess waiver as an add-on. It’s worth checking the fine print if you believe you have
such coverage. However, be cautious: credit card coverage often comes with strict conditions (for example, you
usually must decline the car hire company’s CDW/insurance and use that card for the rental, and there may be
exclusions or lower coverage limits). Travel insurance car hire cover likewise might not be as comprehensive – often
it has lower claim limits or excludes certain types of damage (like to tyres or windscreens).  

Gigasure’s Car Hire Excess Insurance is a dedicated policy, specifically designed for this scenario. It features high
claim limits and covers all the common exclusions (including damage to wheels, glass, roof, underside, misfuelling,
and keys), with a quick and straightforward claims process. It can serve as your primary solution or as a reliable
backup if you don’t want to risk any gaps in coverage from other sources.

In short, while some travellers might have some protection via a credit card perk or a general travel insurance
policy, many prefer the certainty and broad cover of a specialist car hire excess policy when driving in Malta. This
way, you know you’re fully covered without the worry of fine-print exceptions.