Guide
Supercar lease insurance and excess, explained
Updated 7 min read Performance & Prestige
A car from our own fleet is insured under a self-drive-hire policy we hold, not under yours, and the cover sits inside the monthly figure rather than being sold to you at handover. That policy is being finalised before launch. "Fully insured" does not mean no liability in any case: you carry an excess, £1,500 to £35,000 across the catalogue and £2,000 to £10,000 on fleet cars.
What does "fully insured" mean on a leased car?
It means the vehicle is covered under a self-drive-hire motor policy for the named drivers, for the term of the agreement, and that the cover sits inside the monthly figure. There is nothing extra to buy to make the car legal to drive.
It does not mean you walk away from every outcome. Two things sit between you and "no liability at all": the excess, which is a figure, and the exclusions, which are events the policy does not cover at any figure.
On a car in our own fleet the policy is ours. On a partner-sourced car it is the supplying partner's, and the terms are confirmed with you in writing before anything is agreed.
Our own policy is being finalised before launch, which is why insurance and excess sets out the arrangement we are putting in place rather than quoting a wording nobody has been shown. Every term that applies to your agreement is confirmed to you in writing before the car moves.
What is the excess, and how much is it?
The excess is the most you pay towards putting the car right on a claim the policy covers. Above it, the insurer pays. Below it, you do.
Across the catalogue the excess runs from £1,500 to £35,000. On the cars in our own fleet it runs from £2,000 to £10,000. It is set per car and holds for the whole term rather than moving with the season, and it is published on every car's page before there is any form — because a deposit and an excess discovered late are the fastest way to lose somebody's trust in this business.
The excess is not the deposit. The deposit is a refundable hold arranged before delivery; the excess is only ever reached if something is actually damaged. On most cars the two figures happen to match.
Why does a kerbed wheel usually cost you the full repair?
Because most cosmetic damage costs less to put right than the excess, and anything below the excess is paid in full by you. That is how a deductible works on every motor policy, hire or not.
A kerbed wheel is the standard example. The lowest excess on any car in this catalogue is £1,500, so a wheel refurbishment almost never reaches the point where the insurer contributes anything at all. The insurance is genuinely there for the outcomes that would otherwise be ruinous; it is not there for a scuffed rim.
Exactly how wheels, tyres, glass and underbody damage are treated is confirmed in writing for your specific lease rather than generalised here — it is the detail that varies most between policies.
What is never covered?
Some things sit outside any self-drive-hire policy. These are worth reading before the lease rather than after it.
- Anybody driving who is not named on the lease in advance.
- Circuit, competitive or timed driving of any kind.
- Driving under the influence of drink or drugs.
- Wrong fuel, and damage caused by ignoring a warning light.
- Deliberate damage, and use for anything unlawful.
- Your own belongings left in the car.
An exclusion is not a penalty clause with a bigger number attached. Where the policy does not cover the event at all, the excess stops being your ceiling and the liability is the whole cost of the car. That is why an unnamed driver at the wheel is the one thing we are inflexible about.
Can I use my own policy or a driving-other-cars extension?
On a car from our fleet, no. The vehicle is ours and it goes out on our cover, which is already inside the monthly figure — there is nothing to save by substituting your own.
Do not rely on a driving-other-cars extension on a personal policy either. Those extensions almost universally exclude hire and rental vehicles, they are usually third-party only, and they carry value ceilings far below the cars on this site. Arriving believing you are covered by one is the most common misunderstanding in this sector.
If you hold a commercial or fleet motor policy and want the car added to it, say so at the enquiry stage. It is handled case by case, with your insurer's cover note seen and checked before the car moves — never as a verbal assurance on the day.
How does a claim work?
Tell us immediately and arrange nothing yourself. A repair you organise privately is not an insured repair, and it usually costs more than the excess would have.
- Make sure everybody is safe. If anyone is hurt, that is a 999 call first.
- Call us before the car is moved, if you safely can. Recovering a low car is not a job for a standard flatbed and a strap.
- Photograph the damage, the position of the vehicles, and the other driver's registration, name and insurer. Do not admit liability at the scene.
- We open the claim. On a fleet car the vehicle is ours, so the claim is ours to handle.
- Your liability is settled against the excess for that car, and no further.
Whose insurance covers a car you source rather than own?
The supplying partner's. Most of the catalogue is badged "we can source", which means those cars are arranged through a vetted partner rather than owned by us.
On those, the cover, the excess and the driver criteria are set by whoever holds the vehicle. We confirm all three with you in writing before anything is agreed rather than assuming they match ours — which is also why a sourced car is quoted on request rather than carrying a monthly figure we could confirm ourselves.
On the cars badged "in our fleet" the answer is simpler: the car is ours, the policy is ours, the figures on the page are the ones that apply, and the monthly figure is confirmed on enquiry by us rather than by anybody else. See the fleet.
Common questions
Can the excess be reduced?
Ask when you enquire and we will tell you what is possible on that specific car. We do not publish a reduction we cannot honour on every vehicle, so the excess printed on a car’s page is the figure that applies unless something in writing says otherwise.
Am I insured on a track day?
No. Every UK motor policy excludes circuit driving, and the exclusion does not soften because the day is billed as a driving experience or an airfield session. Circuit use is outside what the agreement allows, so if a track day is part of what you want the car for, say so before anything is signed rather than afterwards.
Are additional drivers covered?
Yes, if they are named before delivery and checked in advance. They must also meet that vehicle’s own age, licence and points criteria. Anybody driving who was not named is not insured, and at that point the excess is no longer the limit of the liability.
Do I still pay the excess if the other driver was at fault?
Possibly not. If another driver was at fault and their insurer accepts it, you may pay nothing at all. What you should not do is settle anything privately at the scene, because that is what removes the claim from the insurers who would otherwise have recovered it.
Related guides
- What you need to lease a supercar The licence, age, points tolerance, documents and deposit you need before a supercar can be booked out to you — with the real bands from our catalogue.
- What happens if you damage a leased supercar? The clearest answer we can give to the question everybody asks and nobody wants to ask out loud: what a scratch actually costs, what the deposit can be used for, and what happens in the hour after an incident.
- How supercar delivery works We hold no depots or counters, so every lease is delivered and collected. What that means in practice, from lead time to the walk round to the fuel policy.
Supercar lease insurance and excess, explained
Every figure in this guide is published per car, before there is any form to fill in.
A person confirms every booking · No payment taken online · Delivery or collection, your choice
Written by Performance & Prestige against the rates, driver criteria and delivery areas published on this site. Rates are “from” prices inclusive of VAT and are confirmed with you before anything is agreed — see driver requirements, insurance and excess and delivery.