Frequently Asked Questions

To purchase a CHEW Insurance policy, you must be aged between 23 and 84 at the time of buying this policy and be resident in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man).

You must hold a full valid UK driving licence or a full valid internationally recognised licence to drive the hired vehicle in the country where you are driving.

You must be eligible to hire and drive the vehicle and be able to keep to the terms of the hire agreement.

You must not be driving against the advice of a medical practitioner, and you must not be on a current driving ban.

Yes, the minimum age is 23 and the maximum age is 84.

The vehicle you are hiring must be:

• Less than 10 years old.
• Valued at no more than £70,000 at the start of the hire agreement.
• Have no more than 9 seats.

Cover will not be provided for the rental of trailers, caravans, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, mopeds, motorbikes, off-road vehicles, vans, motor homes or camper vans.

When you hire a car in the UK or abroad, your rental agreement usually includes an excess – the amount you must pay if the vehicle is damaged, stolen, or involved in an accident. Car Hire Excess Waiver Insurance reimburses this cost, protecting you from potentially large out-of-pocket expenses and giving you peace of mind throughout your trip.

If your hire car is damaged or stolen, you’ll usually have to pay the first part of the repair or replacement cost yourself. This amount is called the excess and typically ranges from £500 to £2,000, depending on the car.

Your policy schedule or certificate of insurance will show the area you have chosen, which is further defined in the policy wording.

Europe is defined as: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan, Azores, Balearics, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, British Isles, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Corfu, Corsica, Crete, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Eire (Republic of Ireland), Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Holland (Netherlands), Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kos (Greek Island), Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madeira, Malta, Mediterranean Islands, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Rhodes, Romania, San Marino, Sardinia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom and Vatican City.

Worldwide covers car rental agreements anywhere in the world, including the countries defined as Europe.

No cover will be provided under your policy if you are travelling to a country or an area where the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) or the World Health Organisation (WHO) advise against all or all but essential travel to. You should check www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice before you travel.

This policy must be purchased before the start time and date of your hire agreement.

Yes, this policy will cover the first seven named drivers on the hire contract.

A named driver can drive the car without the lead driver being present. This policy does not cover a named driver if they hire a car independently to the lead driver. The lead driver on the hire contract must be the same person as the policyholder named on the certificate of insurance.

The quickest way to make a change to your policy is to contact CHEW through our online web chat (Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm) or by email at info@chewinsurance.com.

If you change your mind or the terms and conditions of this policy don’t meet your needs, you can cancel your policy by contacting us at info@chewinsurance.com. Provided your hire agreement has not started, no claims have been made and no incidents have occurred which may give rise to a claim needing to be made, your policy will be cancelled and a full refund of your insurance premium will be made.

Your rights to cancel your policy after the start date shown on your certificate of insurance:

• If you have arranged a Single Trip and the period of insurance has already started, no refund can be made.
• If you have arranged an Annual policy and you cancel within 14 days of the start of the period of insurance, provided no claims have been made and no incidents have occurred which may give rise to a claim needing to be made, your policy will be cancelled and a full refund of your insurance premium will be made. If you cancel after 14 days of the start date of the period of insurance, no refund can be made.

Policies issued from February 2026:

TBC

Policies issued between 01/07/2024 and 31/12/2025:

You can contact your insurer’s claims team: on 0345 040 5975 or email at claims@acastaeurope.co.uk

You will be required to provide some information and documentation to support your claim. This includes:

• A copy of your hire agreement.
• A copy of the local police report (if required).
• The hire company’s accident damage report and photos of the damage.
• Invoices, receipts, and other relevant documents.
• Your bank details for reimbursement.

To make sure your claim is valid, you might be asked for additional information. Don’t worry, you’ll only be asked for what is absolutely necessary and the requests will be fair.

Yes, CHEW provides cover to replace damage, lost of stolen car keys/key fobs that are used to operate the car. This extends to replacement locks and locksmith charges, key programming and key delivery if applicable.

Yes, you’re covered for the cost of a locksmith to open the car if you accidentally lock yourself out, up to the amount shown in the table of benefits. The locksmith must be approved by the hire company before being called out.

Yes, CHEW includes cover for the lead driver’s personal possessions which are stolen or damaged following forcible entry to the car or theft of the vehicle.

Freedom Insurance Services Limited, of which CHEW is a trading style, is covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service. If you have a complaint, please contact us in the first instance so that we can put things right. This does not affect your right to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Further information about the Financial Ombudsman Service can be found at their website: financial-ombudsman.org.uk

If your complaint relates to your policy, please contact the Customer Service Manager by telephone on 01480 220 673, by email at complaints@chewinsurance.com or in writing at Freedom Insurance Services Ltd, 58 Market Square, St Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 2AA. Please be ready to quote your policy reference number so we can locate your information.

If your complaint is regarding claims service please refer to your policy wording.

If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome and you do wish to complain please forward details of your complaint, as follows:

Ask the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) to review your case. Their address is Exchange Tower, Harbour Exchange Square, London, E14 9SR. For enquiries and consumer helpline telephone 0300 123 9123 from a mobile or 0800 023 4567 from a landline. Further information can be found at their website www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk. FOS can only consider complaints after YOU have received a final response from US. YOU are also able to use the EC On-line Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr who will notify FOS on your behalf.

Yes, cover applies if you accidentally put the wrong type of fuel into the car. This cover includes flushing the engine of the wrong fuel, additional travel expenses if the car cannot be used due to misfuelling and car recovery.

Yes, most car hire companies will offer their own vehicle hire excess insurance at the rental desk. However, it’s usually significantly more expensive than standalone policies, such as CHEW, that you can buy in advance.