In short
- Not automatically. Motor policies are written around the insured car, so whether yours covers a hire car, and which damage, depends on its PDS.[1]
- CTP goes with the vehicle: in a hire car, the hire car's CTP covers injuries you cause, and no CTP covers damage to cars.[2]
- Travel insurance often includes car hire, but domestic and international cover differ; card insurance usually needs the trip paid on the card.[3]
- At Rentzy you're liable up to the A$2,500 excess per incident, more in the clause 9.3 cases; you pay Rentzy and claim from your insurer yourself.
Does my comprehensive car insurance cover a hire car?
Only if its wording says so. Moneysmart's descriptions of the common types of motor cover are all written around the insured car: comprehensive covers damage to your car and to other people's cars or property; third party property damage covers damage your car does to other people's property.[1] A hire car isn't the car on your policy.
So read what your policy says, if anything, about driving other cars, and separate two different things:
- Damage to the hire car itself. This is what the rental company's excess is about. Does the policy pay for damage to a car you don't own but are driving under a hire agreement?
- Damage you do to someone else's car or property. Does the policy's liability cover follow you as a driver, or only the car it insures?
Look at the exclusions as well. Moneysmart gives damage caused by an unlicensed, drunk or drug-affected driver as a typical one, and notes that insurers set premiums partly on who will be driving.[1] A policy priced for one car and named drivers may not stretch further.
What about CTP insurance?
CTP belongs to the vehicle, not to you. In Queensland its cost is included in registration fees, and if someone driving a Queensland registered vehicle causes a crash that injures someone, the CTP insurer of the vehicle being used funds the injured person's treatment, rehabilitation and compensation.[2]
So in a hire car it's the hire car's CTP that responds to injuries you cause, not the CTP on your own car. CTP doesn't cover damage to vehicles or property, which is where the other policies come in.[2]
Does travel insurance cover a rental car in Australia?
It can. Moneysmart includes car hire in its list of what most travel insurance policies cover, and says cover differs between domestic and international travel, so a policy built for overseas trips may treat a hire car at home differently.[3]
- Check the policy is a domestic one, or that its domestic cover includes car hire.
- Check the trip is the kind it covers. A hire car in your own city while your car is off the road may not be "travel" under the policy's definitions.
- Check the limit on the car hire benefit against the excess you'd owe.
- Check the exclusions. Moneysmart warns that an insurer might decline a claim if at the time you were drunk, affected by drugs or doing something illegal.[3]
Does my credit card's insurance cover the hire car?
Card insurance is usually travel insurance with conditions attached. Moneysmart describes it as cover some credit cards offer for overseas travel, often advertised as complimentary but paid for through the card's fees or interest rate.[3] Its credit card guide makes the same point: extras like travel insurance are usually not free.[4]
To be covered you usually have to pay a certain amount of the travel costs on the card; the cover may apply only to the cardholder, not a spouse, children or additional cardholders; and it generally covers only the trip you paid for with the card.[3] For a hire car in Australia, check whether domestic trips count at all.
What should I look for in the PDS?
The product disclosure statement (PDS) is the document to read, for each policy.[3] The ACCC suggests asking about gaps in a hire company's liability cover, such as single-car accidents, and whether your own insurance fills them; and, if the car is damaged, reviewing your policy to see whether the cost is covered.[5] Against a Rentzy rental, these are the points that decide it:
| Check in the PDS | Why it matters at Rentzy |
|---|---|
| Does it cover damage to a hired car, and up to what amount? | You're liable up to A$2,500 per incident (clause 9.2). |
| Does it still pay when the hire contract makes you liable beyond the excess? | Clause 9.3 lists cases where the excess limit doesn't apply (clause 9). |
| Does it pay lost rental income? | Clause 9.4 can add rent lost while the car is off the road, up to the limit it sets. |
| Are other drivers covered? | Only you and drivers Rentzy approves in writing may drive (clause 2.1). |
| Where does it apply? | The car may not leave Queensland without written consent (clause 7.2). |
| How quickly must you notify? | Rentzy needs to hear about any accident, damage or theft immediately (clause 9.1). |
How does a claim work if I rent from Rentzy?
Keep the itemised charge and the evidence Rentzy sends with it; that's what an insurer will want to see. If you're thinking of buying cover just for the rental, rental car excess insurance explains how standalone policies work. If your own car is off the road and you want your insurer to pay for a hire car, that's a different question, covered in renting a car while yours is being repaired.
What if my insurer won't pay?
Complain to the insurer first, through its internal dispute resolution. Moneysmart notes that the General Insurance Code of Practice sets the standards insurers should meet in handling claims, and that if you can't reach agreement, AFCA offers free, independent dispute resolution.[3]
AFCA handles complaints about car and travel insurance, including a declined claim and a dispute over who was liable for a car accident or an insurance excess. Call 1800 931 678 (free call) or complain online.[6]
Sources
- Moneysmart (Australian Securities and Investments Commission): Choosing car insurance (read 23 October 2026)
- Motor Accident Insurance Commission (Queensland Government): What is CTP insurance? (read 23 October 2026)
- Moneysmart (Australian Securities and Investments Commission): Travel insurance (read 23 October 2026)
- Moneysmart (Australian Securities and Investments Commission): Choosing a credit card (read 23 October 2026)
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC): Car hire (read 23 October 2026)
- Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA): Insurance complaints (read 23 October 2026)
Written by the Rentzy team at Rentzy Car Rentals. Rentzy prices, fees and rules in this guide come from our published terms and update with them; rules set by others (roads, tolls, licences, transport) are from the official pages above, as read on the dates shown. Something out of date? Tell us.
