Vehicle damage payments

Where can I look up any previous damages?

On your rental agreement you can find all the damages known to us on the vehicle at the time you start your rental. Please always compare these with the actual damages before departure and report any new damages that have not yet been recorded to our staff at the branch. This is essential for the correct allocation of the damages.

What is included in the indemnity?

The indemnity offered by SIXT for claims for damages arising from accidents is based on the terms and conditions of Rental of a vehicle (General Terms and Conditions of Rental). The exact definitions and exclusions can be found under section 16.1.1 - Loss or damage protection waiver

I have received an email including a link. What vehicle and damage is this referring to?

Please open the link to find out the relevant information about the rented car, the rental and the damage. We have stored this information for you in your personal online claims form. Accessing the link via an encrypted connection is only possible via the personal link. 

Does my credit card include the insurance?

In the interests of our customers, we want to process claims as correctly and quickly as possible. For legal reasons, it is not possible for us to settle our claims for damages directly with any credit card insurance you may have. As you are our contractual partner for the rent, we will always direct the claim for compensation to you. You must apply for reimbursement from your insurance company yourself. If the insurance company requires any further documents or has any questions, we will of course be happy to help. In our experience, there are restrictions on credit card liability. For example, vehicle categories or individual models are often excluded.

Will the compensation claim be deducted from my credit card?

Even if you have provided us with your credit card details when booking the rental car, we will not deduct any compensation amount from your credit card without your knowledge. Once we have completed processing the claim, which includes determining the cause and amount of the damage, you will receive a claim for compensation from us. This will contain our specific claim and all the necessary data for transferring the amount.

How do you know that the new damages are from my rental?

We check the vehicles for any damages, both at the beginning and at the end of your rental period. This assessment also takes place when you drive through the Car Gate. New damages can be found in the attachment of the online-form sent to you.

How was the amount of damages determined?

At SIXT, we must ensure we adhere to the agreement stipulated within our terms and conditions of rental, as this is the mutually agreed contractual methods for calculating the cost due.

Based on the engineers report we have sent to you, SIXT have adhered to:

14.9:

We work with appropriately qualified experts who use a damage matrix to work out the estimated cost of repair to or replacement of the Vehicle, keys, any accessories or any Vehicle documents that are damaged or lost or stolen during the Rental Period (and any additional period until termination under clause 6.2 above). The damage matrix uses an average repair cost for the Vehicle Group selected, which takes account of different makes and models in that group. We work this out using:

(a) industry standard labour rates and job duration, according to an industry standard estimating tool;

(b) the price of any original equipment manufacturer parts; and

14.10:

We will calculate the compensation due to us for any other damage by asking an appropriately qualified expert to provide an estimate of our losses resulting from the damage and such losses will include the reasonable fees charged to us by that expert. The expert will base that estimate on the reasonable cost of the repairs to the Vehicle necessary as a result of the damage. The estimate is intended to reflect the loss measured by the open market rate of repairs to the Vehicle at an appropriate dealership or authorised repair centre of the Vehicle. If the Vehicle is beyond economic repair then the estimate will be based on the reasonable market value of the Vehicle less the reasonable market rate salvage value for the Vehicle and may include any anticipated costs associated with writing off the Vehicle, registration and/or de-registration.

If you disagree with these costs, you can active the following clause:

14.13:

If you disagree with the expert’s estimate of the losses resulting from the damage, you may instruct your own suitably qualified and accredited expert (at your own cost) and we will allow you and/or your expert to access the evidence of the damage in our possession. If we cannot agree with you the amount due in respect of the damage, it may be necessary for a court to decide on the appropriate payment.

If you would like to obtain your own engineers report, SIXT will make available the evidence in our possession which will be the images taken when logging the change of condition.

Your own engineers report must meet the following criteria in order for us to accept and look to accept the amount stated on it: Must be completed by a UK manufacturer dealership, or a UK manufacture approved garage. If any parts are required to be changed, the engineers report must include part numbers. The report must also include labour rates and times.

If you would like to obtain your own engineers report, please email us to this email address, we can then place your file on hold for 7 days to allow time for you to obtain this report.

What can I do if my payment link has expired?

If your payment link has expired, please use the bank details we sent you in our email with the statement of claim instead.

Can I pay for the damages with the deposit?

No, the deposit is only used to cover outstanding items from the rental agreement, e.g. refuelling costs. It cannot be offset against a claim for damages to the vehicle and will be released upon termination of the rental agreement.

I need more time to clarify the costs with my company/insurance company. Can I defer payment?

Yes, we understand that this may take additional time. In order to get in touch with the accounts receivables team please click on "Help" in your invoice email you received from us and follow the question to raise your question.

When I booked the rental vehicle I concluded an insurance through a third-party provider (e.g. Expedia). Do I still have to pay for the damage myself?

As you are our contractual partner for the rental, we will always direct the claim for compensation to you. We recommend that you inform your insurance company of the outcome. They will let you know whether and how much they will reimburse you. Read more about booking via credit cards or third-party providers here.

The insurance you have paid for is with an external insurance company, and has not involvement with SIXT or SIXT insurance. As the policy you have is an external policy, it is your responsibility to manage the claim with them. The contract that has been formed at the start of your rent is between yourself and SIXT, and therefore the payment of this invoice is your contractual responsibility. We can accept payment from an external insurer, but it is your responsibility to ensure your external insurer pays the invoices before the payment deadline.

How can I check which credit card was used to pay the rent?

You can review the credit card used in your rental agreement. You can find this via your booking in the SIXT app or on the SIXT website.

Can I receive a copy of the claim?

The claim should be attached to our corresponding email. If that is not the case, you can reply to the email with the claim invoice to receive a copy.

Can you resend me the online-form for claims if the link has expired?

Yes, please reply to the email with the claims invoice and we will send you a new link.

Where can I view the damage that was already present before my rental?

You can find previous damage in the rental contract and when you book in the SIXT app.

I think the damage was already there. How can I let you know?

If you have photos, videos or email correspondence confirming the damage prior to your rent, please send these to us in response to the email with the claim. We will then check the case again based on the available documents. Alternatively, you can upload the documents at the end of the online-form process.

Can I receive photos or a damage report so that I can check the damages myself?

We will provide you with the damage photos and a detailed description of the damages with the link for your damage report.