Car hire companies are commonplace across the UK, and you can rent cars online to be picked up from virtually any town or city. It’s often an inexpensive way of getting around, and it beats waiting around for a bus or train.
Shop Around For the Right Price
As with most things travel-related, the price you’ll pay to hire a car in the UK depends a lot on how you book, and often how far ahead.
Booking a Car Online
Because there are often good deals to be had if you shop around on websites, it’s a good place to start your search. Most well known car rental firms will have a web presence and you can be reassured that you’re dealing with a reputable company if you go for what you know. If you see a good deal on a website and you’re not sure of the company, here’s what to look out for:
- There should be a map and opening hours to arrange pick up
- The quote given should include all essential insurance
- The description of the car should give you a good idea of the car size and its capacity
- It should be clear about rates for additional drivers and other extras
- You shouldn’t be charged more for using a credit card.
If you’re not overly concerned about the make or model of the car, a budget site could be your best bet. There are many websites where you can actually dictate the amount you want to pay. Even though they are budget, don’t dismiss them out of hand as they can sometimes offer incentives like unlimited mileage to get your business.
Protect yourself
If you’re hiring a car from a reputable company, you will expect the quote to include all necessary insurances, but it doesn’t hurt to double check. When hiring a car, there are three legal insurance requirements:
- Third-party liability
- Collision Damage Waiver (or Loss Damage Waiver)
- Theft Protection
Check for excess if you’re buying insurance from the hire firm. An excess is the amount of money you have to pay towards any claim you make while driving the hire car. Car hire firms make a lot of money by offering ‘additional insurance’- usually at a daily rate, which means you don’t pay anything if you do have an accident.
Remember that you don’t have to take out the insurance offered by the car hire firm. It can be a lot cheaper to find a standalone policy from an insurance company not connected to the company. If you have a comprehensive motor insurance policy you might already have rental car insurance cover so don’t take the same cover out twice!
Other Considerations
Age The minimum age at which you can legally rent a car is usually 21, but you’ll be charged more anyway if you’re under 25. For older drivers, the age limit is set around 75.Car type Don’t expect to get exactly the car you saw on the website, as any booking is usually for a ‘group’ such as ‘compact’, rather than a specific model.Mileage what is the arrangement for mileage on the car you’re hiring? Is there a limit to the mileage you can do or is it an unlimited deal?Fuel Check whether you will need to fill the tank up, or half fill the tank when you return the car.Extras Find out what’s included in the price and whether you’ll have to pay for accessories like child seats, or sat nav.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
When You Pick The Car Up
Inspect the car before you drive off for any damage from previous renters. It’s also a good idea to check the lights, wipers etc so that you know whether they are working when you take the car.
Also check what fuel type the car uses: if you accidentally use the wrong fuel and damage the car, you’re unlikely to be covered by the insurance.
When You Take The Car Back
At the end of the hire period, don’t just drop the car off, watch them inspect it so that you don’t get the blame for any damage after you have returned the car. Make a record of the mileage, too. If you’ve had an accident, keep all the repair bills. And it goes without saying...always take the car back on time, or you could get a hefty bill for late return!
When we got the van we were told to call the number on the key ring if anything happened. This transpired to be the AA insurance. They immediately contacted a local service who came to look at the van. The roadside assistance immediately said there was an issue with the clutch and it couldn't be driven at all. He therefore called for a tow service. Neither my wife or I speak German so it wasn't possible to discuss with the German recovery service exactly what was happening.
Anyway, the tow truck drove it to the nearest Ford service garage. Here they looked and said that they couldn't even look at it for a week but agreed it was the clutch and totally undriveable. They also found an issue with the tyres which they said also meant it couldn't be driven - both issues, they claim would have been there before our journey so we assume this vehicle had not been checked before our journey.
They also said that they needed to speak to the owner of the vehicle in order to get permission to undertake the work.
We called the hire company who then revealed that they didn't actually own the vehicle and refused to speak to anyone at the garage. We offered to pass over the phone. Obviously this was unexpected. So, we asked the hire company to contact the owner and to get them to speak to the garage. As far as we are aware this never happened.
As we were stuck in Germany with our sofa and the other pieces we picked up, we needed a replacement vehicle to get back to the UK. This never happened. Despite repeatedly trying to speak to the hire firm to arrange (Mostly we were kept on hold and were only ever able to speak to someone on reception who claimed they couldn't help).
As the day was coming to an end and the garage closing, we needed clarity from the hire firm what was to happen now. They sent an email to say that they would speak to their EU partners to arrange something for us the next day (Saturday).
With this in mind, we were forced to check into a hotel locally and come back to the garage the next morning. We never received a call back from the hire firm - instead after repeatedly calling (and mostly being on hold), we received and email to say to speak to the AA to arrange. This, we had already done - all the AA insurance on this vehicle offered was a capped refund for getting back home. But as we have furniture we need a vehicle to carry it all to the UK and we are not able to hire one from Germany to UK.
Finally, we were left with no alternative but to put our furniture into a local storage depot (where it sits right now) and book (very costly) flights to the UK.
Aside from the huge cost, stress and total lack of communication, we now have the furniture we planned to bring back from this hire stuck in Germany and we need to go back - t
They are saying I have to claim through the trailer companies insurance, but the excess on that could be up to £1000 (they have yet to advise me). At the time of rental I was told there was a damage deposit of £200, at no time was an excess of this magnitude discussed, or actually any type of excess.
What is the legal position on this both with regards to my insurer refusing to cover the damage, and the requirement for me to pay this excess?
Thanks.
Thanks.
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