Insurance, excess and deposit
Three tiers: Basic (excess OMR 150), Extended OMR 10/day (excess 100), Adventurer OMR 15/day (zero excess). OMR 100 deposit, released after return.
The three tiers side by side
Every car comes with Basic cover. You can raise the cover at the request step, and the choice is priced on your quote before you send it.
| Basic | Extended | Adventurer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Included | OMR 10 per day | OMR 15 per day |
| Excess per incident | OMR 150 | OMR 100 | OMR 0 |
| Security deposit | OMR 100 | OMR 100 | OMR 100 |
| Off-road in a 4WD car | Permitted, excess OMR 150 | Permitted, excess OMR 100 | Permitted, no excess |
| Off-road in any other car | Not permitted | Not permitted | Not permitted |
| Who it suits | Town, coast, Route 31 | Families, longer rentals | Sand, mountain tracks, the Velar |
The excess is the most you pay towards damage to the rental car in one incident, provided you have kept to the agreement. Adventurer is labelled Premium in some booking screens.
What is never covered
No tier covers the following, and the full cost falls on the driver:
- Damage while driving off-road in a car that is not 4WD, or outside Oman other than on a UAE-start booking.
- Damage caused by a driver not named on the agreement, or by a driver without a valid licence.
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, racing, or other breaches of Omani law.
- Loss of or damage to personal belongings, and injury to the driver or passengers, which are matters for your own travel insurance.
- Fines, tolls and fees charged by the authorities.
- Tyres, glass, underbody and interior damage are treated as set out on your agreement: tyres, glass and the underbody are covered only on the Adventurer tier.
Deposit: OMR 100, how it is held and released
The deposit is OMR 100 on every car in the fleet, whichever tier you choose. At handover we place a hold on a card in the driver's name; it is not a charge and nothing leaves your account. After the car is returned and checked, the hold is released. Your bank decides how quickly the money shows again; see the rental terms for the maximum period. If there is damage within the excess, a fine or missing fuel, the amount is taken from the deposit and the rest released.
Off-road and the Adventurer tier
Off-road driving is allowed only in our 4WD cars, which in practice means the Land Cruisers, Prado, Fortuner, Pajero, Montero Sport, Xterra, 4Runner, Grand Cherokee, RX8, Haval H9, Tank 500, the Wranglers and the pickups. The Range Rover Velar, the Mitsubishi ASX and the Nissan Pathfinder are road cars in our terms, however they are badged.
For the Empty Quarter, the Fazayah descent and the Jebel Samhan tracks we recommend Adventurer. Getting stuck and being pulled out is part of driving on sand; with a zero excess the cost of a scraped bumper or a bent bash plate stays with us. Recovery from off-tarmac locations is governed by recovery within 50 km of a paved road with Adventurer cover.
Cross-border insurance
If you start in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, the one-off UAE cross-border pack of OMR 30 includes the cross-border insurance needed to drive the car from the UAE into Oman, together with the border documents. It is the only way to drive one of our cars outside Oman. Your chosen tier (Basic, Extended or Adventurer) applies in the same way on both sides of the border. Driving a Salalah- or Muscat-start car into the UAE is not permitted.
After an accident: steps
- Stop, switch on the hazard lights and make sure everyone is safe.
- Call the Royal Oman Police on 9999 and wait for them if there is injury, another vehicle or any dispute; a police report is required for every claim.
- Call the roadside number on your agreement. Assistance is 24/7 anywhere in Oman.
- Photograph the scene, the other vehicle and its plate, and the damage.
- Do not admit fault or agree a private settlement.
- Send us the report number on WhatsApp. We arrange repair or replacement and tell you what, if anything, comes from the excess.
FAQ
OMR 150 per incident. Basic cover is included in every daily rate and the excess is the most you pay towards damage to the rental car in a single event, provided you have kept to the agreement. You can lower it to OMR 100 with Extended cover at OMR 10 per day or remove it with Adventurer cover at OMR 15 per day, chosen at the request step.
Held. At handover we place a hold of OMR 100 on a card in the driver's name; no money is taken. After you return the car and we check it, the hold is released and your bank shows the funds again within its usual period. Only if there is damage within the excess, a traffic fine or missing fuel do we take that amount from the deposit and release the balance.
Yes, in a 4WD car. Off-road driving is permitted only in our 4WD cars; in them, Adventurer cover at OMR 15 per day brings the excess to zero, so a bogged recovery or a scraped underbody on the dunes costs you nothing beyond any items listed under exclusions. Taking a two-wheel-drive car, the Velar, the ASX or the Pathfinder onto sand is a breach and is not covered under any tier.
Tyres, glass, underbody and interior are the items most often excluded or limited in car-hire cover, and their treatment under each of our tiers is stated on your rental agreement: tyres, glass and the underbody are covered only on the Adventurer tier. On gravel and sand, Adventurer gives you the widest protection. Check the tyres and the screen with us at handover and photograph anything you notice before you drive away.
Yes. Our tiers cover damage to the rental car and third-party liability as required by Omani law; they do not cover your medical costs, your belongings or your flights. A travel policy that includes car-hire excess may also refund an excess you pay us, so keep the agreement and receipts. Check that your policy covers Oman and, if you start in Dubai, the UAE as well.