Car rental insurance in Prague: BASIC, SILVER and GOLD explained
Car rental insurance in Prague: BASIC, SILVER and GOLD explained
Insurance is the part of car rental where people either overpay out of anxiety or underpay and find out later. Both happen for the same reason: the counter explains the options in ninety seconds using words that mean nothing until something goes wrong.
There is really only one number that decides how much a scratch costs you, and it is not the daily rate. It is the excess. This page explains what that number is, what CarLove’s three levels actually change, and when paying more is worth it.
3
levels to choose from
0 €
excess with GOLD
0 €
deposit with GOLD
EU
cover valid across the union
The excess is the number that matters
Every rental in Europe comes with collision damage cover as standard. That sounds like full protection and it is not. The cover has an excess, sometimes called a deductible: the amount you pay yourself before the insurance takes over.
So if you kerb a wheel and the repair is 300 euros, and your excess is 800 euros, the insurance pays nothing. You pay all 300. The cover only starts to matter once the damage is larger than the excess, and most rental damage is not.
This is why comparing daily rates without comparing excesses tells you almost nothing. Two companies at the same price can leave you exposed to wildly different amounts.
One question to ask any rental company
Not "is it insured", because the answer is always yes. Ask "what is the excess, and what is excluded". Those two answers tell you what a bad day actually costs.
What every rental includes
BASIC is in the price of the car at CarLove. Three things are insured from the start.
Collision damage
Damage to the rental car in an accident, up to the value of the vehicle, with an excess you pay first.
Theft
Loss of the vehicle if it is stolen. On BASIC and SILVER the excess still applies; only GOLD removes it.
Third party liability
Damage you cause to other cars, property or people. Legally required in the Czech Republic and never optional.
The important thing to understand is that BASIC does not mean "not covered". It means everything runs through the excess. Moving up a level is not about buying cover you did not have, it is about taking specific items out of the excess.
BASIC
Everything goes through the excess. Bodywork, glass, wheels, theft: you pay up to that figure yourself.
Tyres and wheels are worth singling out. A kerbed alloy on a cobbled street is one of the most common ways a city rental ends badly, and it is the item that separates SILVER from GOLD. Stone chips in the windscreen are the other frequent one, and those move as soon as you take SILVER.
A word about theft
It appears on every insurance table and it should not drive your decision. Modern cars with immobilisers are hard to steal, and the Czech Republic is not a country where rental cars disappear. Choose your level on the basis of scratches, glass and wheels, because those are what actually happen.
The three levels
BASIC
Included
Collision damage, theft and third party liability are all insured, but everything runs through the excess. A deposit is held on your card for the rental.
SILVER
from 10 € / day
Bodywork and glass come out of the excess. The sensible middle for a city rental, where a scratch or a stone chip is the likely problem.
NO DEPOSIT
GOLD
from 20 € / day
Bodywork, glass, tyres, wheels and theft all come out of the excess. No deposit is held on any card.
Insurance is quoted per day, but the per day figure moves. Two things push it.
How long you rent
The longer the rental, the lower the daily cost of cover. On a two week trip the difference between BASIC and GOLD per day is much smaller than it looks on a weekend quote.
Which car
An economy car costs less to cover than a large automatic or a premium model, because the repair bills behind the policy are different.
The practical consequence: price the insurance for your actual dates and your actual car rather than reading a single figure and assuming it applies. The starting points are 10 euros a day for SILVER and 20 euros a day for GOLD, and both are available for rentals of two days or more.
Does my credit card already cover this?
Possibly. Card issued rental cover is real and some of it is good. It is also the source of more unpleasant surprises than any other part of this subject, because of how it is structured.
The typical arrangement works like this. You decline the rental company’s cover, pay the whole rental with that card, and if the car is damaged you pay the rental company yourself and then claim the money back from your card’s insurer.
⚠ The word to look for is "secondary". Most card cover is secondary, which means it reimburses you after the fact rather than paying the rental company directly. You are still out of pocket first, and still dealing with the claim from home, weeks later.
Five things worth checking with your card issuer before you rely on it:
1
Does it apply in the Czech Republic? Some policies list excluded countries. Central Europe is usually fine, but it is worth thirty seconds to confirm rather than assume.
2
Which damage types are excluded? Glass, tyres and wheels are commonly excluded from card cover, which is exactly the damage a city rental is most likely to suffer.
3
Is your car class eligible? Large vans, nine seaters and premium models are frequently outside card cover. If you booked a Caravelle or a BMW, check specifically.
4
Primary or secondary? Primary pays first. Secondary reimburses you afterwards. The difference decides whether you are out of pocket while the claim runs.
5
Does the deposit still get blocked? Yes. Card cover does nothing about the deposit, so the money is still frozen on your account during the rental. Only GOLD removes it.
None of this means card cover is worthless. It means it is a reimbursement mechanism rather than protection at the counter, and it is worth knowing which one you have bought.
Four situations, four answers
What happens
BASIC
SILVER
GOLD
You scrape the bumper in a car park
you pay the excess
✓
✓
A stone cracks the windscreen
you pay the excess
✓
✓
You kerb a wheel on a cobbled street
you pay the excess
you pay the excess
✓
The car is stolen
you pay the excess
you pay the excess
✓
Three of those four are scratches, glass and wheels. They are the ones that actually happen, and they are what the levels are really about. Fines are not on the list because no policy anywhere covers them.
Which level to take
BASIC or SILVER is enough if
You are staying in and around Prague
The rental is short
You are comfortable with the excess figure
You have checked your card cover properly
You are not parking on cobbled streets nightly
GOLD earns its money if
You are driving abroad
The rental runs longer than a few days
You do not want a deposit frozen
You are on motorways where chips happen
You would rather not think about it at all
The cross border case is the strongest one. Handling a minor incident from another country is slower and more expensive than handling it at home, and there is no cross border surcharge at CarLove, so trips to Dresden, Vienna or Bratislava are common. GOLD removes both the excess and the deposit for exactly those trips, and it costs less per day the longer you are away.
The deposit, and how to avoid it
With BASIC and SILVER a deposit is held on your card for the duration of the rental. It is not a charge, it is a hold, and it comes back. But it is real money that you cannot spend while you are travelling, and on a debit card the release can take several business days after you return.
GOLD removes the deposit completely. Nothing is held, on any card. This also solves the prepaid card problem: Revolut, Wise and similar cards usually cannot process a pre-authorisation hold, so with GOLD the question never comes up.
A debit card is accepted at CarLove and no credit card is required, which is unusual in this market. The payment terms set out the details, and the rental conditions cover documents and the minimum age of 21.
If something does happen
Insurance only works if the paperwork is right. Two rules cover almost every case.
✓Call the police for anything with another party In the Czech Republic a police report is needed for injury, disputed fault or larger damage. Without it a claim can fail.
✓Photograph everything before anything moves Both cars, both plates, the position on the road, the damage close up. Two minutes now saves a long argument later.
What is an excess and why does it matter more than the daily rate?
The excess is the amount you pay yourself before the insurance pays anything. Most rental damage is small, so it usually falls entirely inside the excess and the cover never activates. Two companies with the same daily rate can leave you exposed to very different amounts.
What is included in the rental price without paying extra?
BASIC, which insures collision damage, theft and third party liability. Everything runs through the excess, and a deposit is held on your card for the rental period.
How much do SILVER and GOLD cost?
SILVER starts at 10 euros per day and GOLD at 20 euros per day, for rentals of two days or more. Both cost less per day on longer rentals, and both are cheaper on an economy car than on a large automatic or a premium model.
What is the difference between SILVER and GOLD?
On BASIC both run through the excess. SILVER takes glass out of it, and GOLD takes out glass, tyres and wheels. A stone chip on the motorway and a kerbed alloy on a cobbled street are the two most common kinds of damage, which is why this is the difference that matters.
Does GOLD really mean I pay nothing for damage?
For bodywork, glass, tyres, wheels and theft, yes: the excess is zero and no deposit is taken. Damage caused by reckless driving, racing or deliberate acts is outside every policy, at every company. Fines also remain yours.
My credit card includes rental cover. Is that enough?
Check five things: whether it applies in the Czech Republic, whether glass and tyres are excluded, whether your car class is eligible, whether the cover is primary or secondary, and whether the deposit is still blocked. Most card cover is secondary, meaning you pay first and claim later, and it does nothing about the deposit.
How do I avoid a deposit being blocked on my card?
Take GOLD. Nothing is held on any card. This also solves the prepaid card problem, because cards such as Revolut and Wise usually cannot process a pre-authorisation hold.
Is the cover valid if I drive to Austria or Germany?
Yes. Cover applies across EU countries for authorised rentals and there is no cross border surcharge. Tell us before you travel, and remember that each country has its own vignette or toll rules.
Can I add GOLD after I have picked up the car?
The insurance level is chosen when you book or at handover, so decide before you drive away. If you are unsure, ask what the excess is on your specific car and the answer usually makes the decision for you.
What happens to a speeding fine from a camera?
It stays with you at every insurance level. Camera fines reach the rental company first and are then passed to the driver, often months later. No policy anywhere covers traffic penalties.
Know the excess before you drive away
Three clear levels, no deposit with GOLD, and a debit card is all you need to book.
