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liability, collision, and comprehensive insurance

The "third-party" liability coverage — i.e., "international green card" insurance — covers the driver with up to EUR1,000,000 per accident. The collision-damage deductible is EUR2400 per occurrence. The comprehensive-damage (i.e., fire, natural disaster, vandalism, theft) deductible is also EUR2400 per occurrence. Damage to the roof of the camper, to the tires or to the windows is not covered. Damage caused by frost is not covered, nor is interior damage, nor damage due to gross negligence. Damage to vehicle occupants is not covered; i.e., personal accident insurance is not included and it is not made available. The cost of all the above-mentioned, included insurance is woven in to the total price calculated by the IdeaMerge online reservation software.

Three collision-damage waivers (CDWs) are available as options:

  • The CDW "Plus" costs EUR 14 per day (minimum EUR 98) and reduces said collision and comprehensive deductibles to EUR 1200.
  • The CDW "Premium" costs EUR 19 per day (minimum EUR 133) and reduces said collision and comprehensive deductibles to EUR 600; moreover it grants a zero deductible for one tire damage or one windscreen damage.
  • The CDW "Total" costs EUR 49 per day (minimum EUR 490) and reduces said collision and comprehensive deductibles to zero and grants a zero deductible for one tire damage or one windscreen damage.
  • As for additional drivers, the charges are as follows:

  • first additional driver: 7 EUR/day (maximum EUR49)
  • second additional driver: 5 EUR/day (maximum EUR35)
  • third additional driver: 0 EUR/day (i.e., all other drivers are allowed free of this charge)
  • A security deposit will be held in two senses, as follows. Upon pick-up an imprint will be made of the client's credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Diners Club). However, no amount will be associated with this imprint upon pick-up and the imprint will be destroyed upon return (i.e. no amount will then be added to it and it will not then be finally charged) provided that the cost of damages to the vehicle (plus parking tickets and the like) does not exceed the insurance deductible. Moreover, to cover themselves with respect to this deductible, the vendor will upon pick-up authorize a single charge onto the client's credit card, the amount of that charge being equal to a single full insurance deductible (which depends on the insurance option chosen by the client). Therefore, we emphasize, the client's credit limit on this card should be commensurate with this deductible amount and of course with the amount the client plans to charge on the card during the rental. Naturally this single charge will be appropriately credited back to the client's card (i.e. in full or in part or not at all, depending on the aforementioned cost of damages and parking tickets and such) upon return of the vehicle.

    Each additional driver must present their own credit card upon the pick-up occasion. For security purposes the vendor will make an imprint of each such additional card.

    The insurance is effective throughout the entirety of Scandinavia (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland). Traveling to Russia and Eastern Europe is not allowed. The client is obligated to ask for permission from Touring Cars when planning to travel outside the Scandinavian countries. Outside the Scandinavian countries the applicable insurance deductibles are two times higher, with a minimum 1200 EUR and special insurance requirements need to be followed. You are welcome to transport your rented vehicle by ferry.

    The vehicle should be returned reasonably clean on the inside (i.e. requiring less than 2 hours of labor by the vendor), with empty gray water tank and septic tank. Failure to comply with this rule entails a cleaning surcharge of EUR150 and a labor charge of EUR60 or more per hour. However, you can purchase up front for EUR147 a waiver that frees you of responsibility in this respect.

    Any damage intentionally or negligently caused by a rental vehicle tenant (i.e. member of the rental party) or other welcomed occupant of the vehicle — especially as a consequence of said person's consumption of drugs or alcohol — is not covered under the terms of the insurance. The same exclusion shall hold for all damages caused to the roof (e.g. damages caused by tree branches) or damages caused by ignoring height-of-passage warning signs. Further, the renter shall be fully liable, despite the agreed limitation of liability, for all damage caused by the driver's or another tenant's failure to observe the vehicle dimensions (especially vehicle height and width), by improperly heavy or large loads in/on the vehicle (i.e. exceeding the engineered or legal capacity of the vehicle), by improper loading and unloading actions performed to load the vehicle, or by driving the vehicle backwards without being appropriately directed by someone outside the vehicle. Regarding the aforementioned "failure to observe vehicle dimensions" exclusion especially, please understand that damages to the sides, the front or the rear part of the vehicle are of course not generally excluded from the included insurance coverage. Rather, said exclusion pertains to the following situations, among others. In road construction areas on most highways in Europe the left lane is regularly limited to a vehicle width of 2 meters or less (indicated by signs). If the client ignores that limitation and uses said lane, he/she may be liable for the full damage of the rental vehicle; damage to other vehicles is covered by said third party insurance. Similarly, some road toll plazas (in Italy and France especially) have certain lanes for passenger cars only; there are signs indicating the maximum width; the client is fully liable for damages if he/she ignores those signs. … In the case of a renter who has unlawfully left the scene of an accident or neglected his or her duties (as described below under "in the event of an accident"), he or she is also fully liable. The renter is also liable to an unlimited amount for any damage caused by an unauthorized driver operating the vehicle, for allowing the vehicle to participate in forbidden purposes, and for decidedly cruel or unsual driving practices.

    The rental company will provide damage-repair invoices to the customer upon request.

    authorized drivers

    The vehicle may be driven only by the renter or by the additional, qualified drivers specified in the rental contract.

    The minimum age limit for renters and other drivers is only 18 years; there is no maximum age limit. However, said drivers must have possessed a valid driving license for at least one year immediately prior to the pick-up date. Most domestic licenses suffice for operation of the vehicles presented on the IdeaMerge Website. Where this statement is questionable, our online software will elaborate. Presently all the vehicles IdeaMerge represents as available for pick-up in Scandinavia weigh less than the crucial 3500 kg.

    See our "Resources" page for a discussion of the international driving permit, which is required by the Austria, Czech Repbulic, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.

    forbidden use

    The rental company does not allow the vehicle to participate in motor sport events and vehicle tests; in the transport of inflammable, poisonous, or otherwise hazardous materials; in the committion of revenue offences and other illegalities, even if these are only punishable under the laws of pertaining to the place of the offence; in subletting; and in other kinds of utilization beyond the contractually agreed use, especially in regard to physical locations not suited to driving.

    The vehicle is to be handled in a careful and proper manner and must always be properly locked. The relevant instructions for use, the technical specifications, as well as the maintenance periods must be observed. The renter is obliged to check regularly whether the vehicle is in a roadworthy condition.

    It is forbidden to smoke in the vehicle. The penalty for violation of this rule is EUR850.

    It is forbidden to keep animals in the vehicle. The penalty for violation of this rule is EUR400.

    breakdown cover, and insurance

    For starters, the fleet of vehicles is modern, under warranty, and frequently upgraded. The customer is responsible for checking engine oil, fluids, and coolant levels at each refueling, as well as reporting mechanical failures immediately. Instructions and procedures for maintenance expense reimbursement are provided upon pick-up. Kilometers driven in order to secure a vehicle repair are exempt from the rental kilometers, but the client is required to travel with their rental vehicle to the closest repair location stated by the vendor. Customers may be held responsible for mechanical damage that is due to negligence in vehicle operation or failure to provide normal maintenance. In the event the vehicle is in breakdown repair through no fault of the customer, the vendor's responsibility to refund the customer for lost time is limited.

    The headquarters in Helsinki can be reached 24/7 at (+358) 044 056 6937. (Drop the country code if calling from within Finland.) The general list of Touring Cars 24/7 emergency telephone lines is:

  • Stockholm (+46) 070 288 4230
  • Oslo: (+47) 093 869 056
  • Helsinki (+358) 044 056 6937
  • Rovaniemi (+358) 040 778 0943
  • Reykjavik: (+354) 0891 7875
  • in the event of an accident

    After a vehicle accident, fire, damage caused by theft, or damage caused by colliding with wildlife, the renter must inform the local police and the rental company headquarters (in Helsinki) without unnecessary considerable delay.

    In all cases of damage, the renter must immediately inform the rental company headquarters in Helsinki by phone and submit a detailed written report, including a sketch of the accident situation(s). The accident report must include the license numbers of the vehicles involved, the names and addresses of the persons involved (including any witnesses), and it must be signed by both parties.

    If the renter expects that the cost to repair the damage will exceed the relevant deductible, or if the vehicle is not fully roadworthy as a result of the accident, the renter must immediately inform the rental company of this (or these) fact(s).

    warning

    Although motor travel in Europe is not generally considered prohibitively dangerous, there are, of course, associated risks — including death. For quantitative measures of these risks, please see the Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT) http://www.asirt.org.