Windscreen, tyres and underbody: why is this damage often not covered on a rental car?

You paid for extra cover, so you expect a damage-free return to cost nothing. Then a claim arrives for a chipped windscreen or a damaged rim. Glass, tyres, wheels and the underbody are the parts rental waivers most often leave out. Knowing that before you drive changes how you check the car and what you buy.

Why these parts are treated differently

These are the parts that get damaged in normal driving without a collision: a stone from a lorry, a pothole, a kerb in a narrow street, a gravel road. Because the risk is high and hard to prove either way, many companies exclude them from the basic waiver and sell separate cover.

What consumer bodies found:

• Which? scored excess waivers and excess insurance policies on 17 elements in 2024, including tyres, windscreen and underbody cover. It found desk waivers that left out underbody damage, and a company that made tyre cover an optional extra.
• Which? also gave an idea of costs: a puncture could cost as much as 300 euros to rectify, and a replacement windscreen around 750 euros.
• The Austrian ECC advised in June 2026 to look for comprehensive cover without excess that includes glass, tyres and rims.

1Read the exclusions before you drive

Look in your terms or your waiver for words like "glass", "windscreen", "tyres", "wheels", "rims", "underbody", "undercarriage" or "roof". Also check excluded situations, such as unpaved roads or driving abroad without permission. The terms check helps you find them. Our explainer on CDW, excess and super cover shows how the layers of cover fit together.

If you have standalone excess insurance, check whether it covers these parts. Many policies do, which is one of the reasons people buy them. See how to claim the excess back.

2Photograph these parts at pick-up

Standard walk-around photos often miss the very parts that cause disputes. Add:

• the windscreen from outside, at an angle in good light, so small chips show;
• each wheel and tyre, low down, showing the rim edge and sidewall;
• a low shot along each side and under the front and rear bumpers;
• the roof, if you can.

ECC Malta advises checking at pick-up that the tools for a tyre change are present. If the car has a repair kit instead of a spare wheel, photograph it too.

3If something happens during the trip

• Report the damage to the company straight away, and ask what to do.
• Do not arrange a repair yourself without permission. ECC Malta warns not to attempt to repair the car without the company's prior consent.
• Photograph the damage and, if possible, the place it happened.
• Keep receipts for anything the company asks you to pay on the spot.

Konsumentverket advises contacting the company as soon as possible, following its instructions and keeping copies of any police or damage report.

4Gravel and unpaved roads

Unpaved roads are a common reason for underbody and tyre claims, and some contracts exclude them entirely. In Iceland, the official travel safety site notes that gravel roads and F-roads are not off-road driving, but that driving off these roads is strictly forbidden, and warns that no insurance covers damage to a vehicle while crossing a river. If your route includes such roads, check your contract first.

5If you receive a claim for these parts

Ask for:

• photos of the damage at return, with date and time;
• the repair invoice or estimate;
• whether a chip was repaired or the windscreen was replaced, and why;
• the exact clause that excludes the part from your cover.

Then compare the claim with your pick-up photos. A chip visible at pick-up is not yours. A tyre that was already worn is not new damage. Our guide on estimates and repair invoices explains how to question the amount, and the amount check shows whether it is in a normal range.

Quick checks per part

These parts cause disputes because damage there is easy to miss at both ends of a rental. A few extra photos at pick-up give you the comparison you will need later.

When to object

If the part was covered, the damage was already there, or the amount is not explained, object in writing. Our guide on how to dispute a damage claim and the letter templates help you write it.