Most car rental companies in Kuwait offer CDW insurance coverage to the cars. CDW is collision damage waiver and it is not exactly equal to comprehensive insurance, though, at first sight, both look similar. Let us briefly see what CDW really covers.
Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) does not equate to comprehensive car insurance, even when it is understood as ‘fully comprehensive’. As the wording implies it is principally designed to cover damage caused in a collision with another vehicle and not single-vehicle damage. In the past, both types of damage would have been covered – as long as the driver had not been particularly negligent. Today, as budget car rental firms have emerged, the scope of CDW cover has shrunk and new exclusions are added in CDW.
A good car rental firm will provide cover if, for example, the car is damaged by driving over a rock on a bend in the road or if it skids on an oily road and hits a wall; a cheapskate company will try to claim negligence on the part of the driver and charge for the full cost of such damage.
When a customer does not pay the car rental company to wave damage, and a rented car is stolen, or damaged by accident, vandalism, weather etc., the customer or other insurance must pay to the rental company the full cost of repair, plus administrative charges and, in some countries, loss of use. There are also charges for towing, storage, impound, administrative fees and diminution of value of the car associated with insurance terms. A proper insurance covers all such costs and leaves the liability to the insurance company.
The rental company’s damage waiver normally covers accidental damage and towing a damaged vehicle, as long as the renter complies with the rental contract and with the damage waiver. CDW helps the renter to avoid paying huge amounts to the renting firm in case of a collision. But in CDW there are certain conditions included. The collision must have a known reason for some companies and certain insurance service providers offer CDW for unknown reasons too. You should be careful to select your insurance policy while renting a car. A properly chosen insurance policy makes your travel even more comfortable and tension-free.
