Car Rental Insurance Exclusions

Car hire insurance is designed to reduce certain risks during a rental, but it does not cover every situation, cost, or type of damage. EliteMotion does not offer a collision damage waiver or any other product that reduces your liability under the Rental Agreement. This page explains the main exclusions that customers should understand before accepting a vehicle, especially for bookings made without a security deposit.

For bookings made without a security deposit, the exclusions below are not covered. The renter, approved driver, or contracting party may remain responsible for these losses, charges, fees, penalties, and costs.

EliteMotion does not require a security deposit for standard bookings. Where a security deposit is taken, the amount is stated on the Rental Agreement or booking confirmation. It is applied to amounts due under the Rental Agreement, including the contractual excess, excluded losses, charges, and fees, and it is not a limit on your liability.

The security deposit is refundable after the vehicle is returned, subject to inspection and deduction of any unpaid rental charges, damage costs, fines, penalties, continued hire, missing items, fuel charges, or other amounts owed under the rental contract.

Insurance does not remove renter responsibility. The renter, approved driver, or contracting party may remain liable for losses, damage, costs, fees, penalties, excess amounts, continued hire, recovery charges, administrative charges, or third-party claims where the loss is excluded, caused by breach of contract, or otherwise not accepted by the insurer or supplier.

1. No Damage Waiver

EliteMotion does not offer a Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) or any similar product. You cannot buy a reduction of your liability for damage.

Under the Rental Agreement you are responsible for loss of and damage to the vehicle during the hire. For each incident you pay a contractual excess of 5% of the vehicle's insured value as your first portion of the established damage loss, limited to that loss and credited against what you owe. Where our insurer pays part of a repair, that payment is also credited. Your liability is not limited to the excess.

Parts and components commonly excluded by motor insurance, such as tires, wheels, rims, windshields, windows, mirrors, glass, roof, undercarriage, suspension, interior trim, upholstery, accessories, tools, keys, and personal items, remain your responsibility, as does damage caused by off-road use, water crossings, poor road conditions, reckless driving, negligence, misuse, breach of the rental agreement, unauthorized drivers, or use outside the permitted area.

2. Personal Injuries to the Driver

Medical expenses, hospital bills, treatment costs, loss of income, disability, death, pain and suffering, or any personal injury claim relating to the driver are not included unless a separate personal accident cover has been expressly confirmed in writing.

The renter and driver are responsible for ensuring they have appropriate medical insurance, travel insurance, personal accident cover, or any other protection they require.

3. Passenger Injuries

Medical expenses, hospital bills, treatment costs, loss of income, disability, death, pain and suffering, or any personal injury claim relating to passengers are not included unless expressly covered under a separate written insurance arrangement.

Passengers are responsible for their own personal medical, travel, and accident insurance unless the rental agreement expressly states otherwise.

4. Negligence, Reckless Driving, or Misuse

Insurance may be void where loss or damage results from negligence, reckless driving, careless driving, dangerous driving, intentional conduct, misuse of the vehicle, racing, towing another vehicle, overloading, carrying prohibited goods, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, ignoring warning lights, continuing to drive after a mechanical warning, or failing to take reasonable care of the vehicle.

Any damage caused by breach of road traffic laws, breach of the rental agreement, or failure to follow reasonable supplier instructions may remain the full responsibility of the renter.

5. Personal Belongings

Loss, theft, disappearance, or damage to personal belongings inside, on, or around the vehicle is not covered.

This includes luggage, phones, laptops, cameras, cash, cards, documents, jewellery, clothing, business equipment, travel items, and any other personal property belonging to the renter, driver, passengers, or third parties.

Customers should not leave valuables unattended in the vehicle.

6. Towing, Recovery, and Roadside Charges

Towing fees, recovery fees, roadside assistance charges, storage fees, call-out fees, rescue charges, police yard fees, impound fees, or transport costs may not be covered.

Where towing or recovery is required because of driver negligence, wrong fuel, accident, unsafe driving, flat battery caused by customer use, tire damage, key loss, running out of fuel, unauthorized route use, or breach of the rental agreement, the renter may be responsible for all related costs.

7. Unauthorized Drivers

Any person who is not named, approved, or included in the rental contract is not covered.

If an unauthorized person drives the vehicle, all insurance and supplier protections may be void. The renter may be fully responsible for any loss, damage, injury, claim, fine, penalty, recovery cost, continued hire, or third-party liability arising during or after unauthorized use.

8. Fuel Negligence

Costs resulting from wrong fuel, contaminated fuel, poor-quality fuel, fuel system damage, running out of fuel, fuel mismanagement, or roadside assistance connected to fuel issues are not covered.

The renter is responsible for using the correct fuel type, checking fuel levels, returning the vehicle with the agreed fuel level, and immediately stopping the vehicle if a fuel mistake is suspected.

9. Unauthorized Cross-Border Use

Insurance may be void if the vehicle is taken outside Kenya or across any border without prior written approval and the required cross-border permit.

Unauthorized cross-border use may make the renter fully liable for loss, damage, theft, recovery, repatriation, fines, border charges, customs issues, third-party claims, and any other costs arising from use outside the permitted territory.

10. Traffic Fines, Penalties, and Offences

Traffic fines, parking tickets, speeding penalties, toll violations, impound charges, court fines, police penalties, administrative penalties, or any other offence-related charges are not covered by insurance.

The renter, driver, or contracting party remains responsible for fines, penalties, legal costs, administrative fees, and related charges arising during the rental period or connected to their use, possession, parking, routing, or operation of the vehicle.

11. Continued Hire

Where the vehicle is damaged, stolen, impounded, detained, or otherwise unavailable because of an incident for which you are responsible, the chargeable hire continues at the daily rate in your Rental Agreement until the vehicle is restored to a rentable condition and is available for hire, up to a maximum of 360 additional days per incident.

Continued hire is charged in addition to repair costs, the contractual excess, towing, storage, administrative charges, and other related expenses, but never together with a separate loss-of-use charge for the same days. No replacement vehicle is provided.

12. Keys, Tools, Accessories, and Vehicle Components

Loss of, theft of, or damage to keys, remote controls, alarms, aerials, jack, wheel spanner, spare wheel, safety triangles, reflective vests, windscreen wipers, petrol cap, luggage covers, number plates, documents, manuals, tracking devices, accessories, or any other fixed or mobile component of the vehicle is not covered unless expressly confirmed in writing.

The renter may be charged for replacement, repair, reprogramming, delivery, locksmith services, vehicle immobilization, administrative costs, and any continued hire connected to missing or damaged items.

13. Small Scratches, Minor Damage, and Wear Outside Normal Use

Small scratches, dents, chips, scuffs, stains, burns, tears, rim damage, tire cuts, interior damage, missing accessories, or other minor damage may not be covered.

Normal wear and tear does not include damage caused by careless use, poor parking, contact with branches, stones, curbs, luggage, animals, smoking, food spills, sharp objects, off-road use, or failure to report damage promptly.

The renter may be charged for minor damage identified during return inspection where the damage was not recorded on the vehicle handover form before the rental began.

14. Handover Inspection, Video Evidence, and Missing Items

The renter must inspect the vehicle, accessories, fuel level, spare tyre, tools, keys, documents, and any other supplied items before accepting the vehicle.

Customers should record visible damage, missing parts, cleanliness issues, warning lights, fuel level, tyre condition, accessories, and any other concerns on the handover form and/or in a handover video before driving away. Anything not recorded at handover may be treated as present, clean, undamaged, and in full working order.

Insurance may not cover disputes about damage or missing items that were not properly recorded before the rental began.

15. Two-Hour Damage Reporting Window

Any unrecorded pre-existing damage, missing item, fault, or vehicle condition issue must be reported to EliteMotion within two hours from the start of hire.

If the issue is not reported within that time, the renter may be treated as having accepted the vehicle in the recorded handover condition and may remain responsible for damage, missing items, cleaning costs, repairs, or related charges later identified during or after the rental.

16. Cleaning, Fuel, and Return Condition

The vehicle must be returned in the same condition, with the same fuel level, clean, undamaged, and with all supplied items, accessories, tools, documents, keys, and equipment.

Insurance does not cover cleaning charges, refuelling charges, fuel-level differences, missing items, avoidable deterioration, or restoration costs required because the vehicle was not returned in the agreed condition.

17. Unauthorized Repairs, Modifications, or Work

The renter must not repair, modify, paint, replace, adjust, or allow any person to work on any part of the vehicle without prior written permission from EliteMotion.

Unauthorized repairs, modifications, repainting, parts replacement, tampering, or unapproved mechanical work may be treated as damage. The renter may be responsible for inspection, reversal, repair, replacement, continued hire, and related administrative costs.

18. Customer-Induced Faults and Call-Outs

Call-outs, roadside assistance, recovery, inspection, or repair visits caused by customer use or customer-induced faults are not covered.

This may include punctured tyres, wrong fuel, contaminated fuel, flat battery caused by customer use, locked keys, lost keys, avoidable warning-light issues, failure to follow vehicle instructions, or similar preventable incidents. The renter may be responsible for the call-out fee, repair cost, replacement parts, towing, recovery, and continued hire.

19. Accident or Theft Procedure

If the vehicle is involved in an accident, damaged, stolen, or affected by an attempted theft, the renter must contact EliteMotion immediately, secure the vehicle where possible, notify the police where required, collect witness and third-party details, and cooperate with EliteMotion, the supplier, insurer, police, and any legal process.

The renter must not admit liability, settle a claim, abandon the vehicle, delay reporting, fail to return keys, ignore police or insurer requirements, or withhold documents or information. Insurance may be reduced or voided if the renter fails to follow the required accident or theft procedure.

20. Customer's Own Insurance

EliteMotion does not accept a customer's own motor insurance in place of the obligations in the Rental Agreement. Your responsibility for loss and damage under the Rental Agreement applies whether or not you hold your own cover.

Important Contract Note

This page is only a general guide. It is provided to help customers understand common insurance exclusions and situations where cover may not apply. It is not the final rental contract, insurance policy, or legal agreement.

This page does not replace the actual rental contract, insurance policy, supplier agreement, handover form, inspection report, invoice, booking confirmation, or any supplier-specific terms that apply to your rental.

Coverage, exclusions, excess amounts, claim procedures, and customer liability may vary depending on the vehicle, supplier, insurer, rental period, route, driver profile, and agreed rental terms.

Customers must carefully read the actual rental contract, insurance terms, booking confirmation, handover form, inspection report, and any supplier-specific terms before signing or accepting the vehicle. The signed rental contract and applicable supplier or insurer terms are the documents that control your rental.

By signing the rental agreement, paying for the booking, accepting the vehicle, or allowing the rental to proceed, the renter confirms that they understand insurance may not cover every loss and that exclusions may apply.

Read the full Terms and Conditions.