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.
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!
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My wife and I hired a van from a company called Nationwide Vehicle Rentals to pick up a sofa in Sweden. On the return journey, the van started behaving oddly and clearly unsafe to drive.
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
maxwellmember - 18-Jun-23 @ 3:46 PM
My wife and I hired a van from a company called Nationwide Vehicle Rentals to pick up a sofa in Sweden. On the return journey, the van started behaving oddly and clearly unsafe to drive.
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
maxwellmember - 11-Jun-23 @ 3:16 PM
My wife and I hired a van from a company called Nationwide Vehicle Rentals to pick up a sofa in Sweden. On the return journey, the van started behaving oddly and clearly unsafe to drive.
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
maxwellmember - 6-Jun-23 @ 4:44 PM
My wife and I hired a van from a company called Nationwide Vehicle Rentals to pick up a sofa in Sweden. On the return journey, the van started behaving oddly and clearly unsafe to drive.
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
maxwellmember - 4-Jun-23 @ 5:23 PM
My wife and I hired a van from a company called Nationwide Vehicle Rentals to pick up a sofa in Sweden. On the return journey, the van started behaving oddly and clearly unsafe to drive.
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
maxwellmember - 15-May-23 @ 4:22 PM
My wife and I hired a van from a company called Nationwide Vehicle Rentals to pick up a sofa in Sweden. On the return journey, the van started behaving oddly and clearly unsafe to drive.
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
maxwellmember - 13-May-23 @ 6:47 PM
My wife and I hired a van from a company called Nationwide Vehicle Rentals to pick up a sofa in Sweden. On the return journey, the van started behaving oddly and clearly unsafe to drive.
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
maxwellmember - 10-May-23 @ 12:42 PM
My wife and I hired a van from a company called Nationwide Vehicle Rentals to pick up a sofa in Sweden. On the return journey, the van started behaving oddly and clearly unsafe to drive.
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
maxwellmember - 19-Apr-23 @ 8:51 AM
My wife and I hired a van from a company called Nationwide Vehicle Rentals to pick up a sofa in Sweden. On the return journey, the van started behaving oddly and clearly unsafe to drive.
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
maxwellmember - 17-Apr-23 @ 11:05 PM
My wife and I hired a van from a company called Nationwide Vehicle Rentals to pick up a sofa in Sweden. On the return journey, the van started behaving oddly and clearly unsafe to drive.
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
maxwellmember - 16-Apr-23 @ 7:02 PM
My wife and I hired a van from a company called Nationwide Vehicle Rentals to pick up a sofa in Sweden. On the return journey, the van started behaving oddly and clearly unsafe to drive.
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
maxwellmember - 16-Apr-23 @ 6:05 PM
I recently hired a motorhome from Varoom only to find a number of defects when I parked up in a campsite the next day. The toilet didn't flush, the TV didn't work, the lights to the toilet and sleeping compartment didn't work, the heating didn't work. What are my rights to a refund or part refund? I came back form holiday a day early as I couldn't bear the problems any further.
Douglas McGowan - 4-Sep-20 @ 2:05 PM
Slightly different but I rented a trailer in June. Unfortunately the tow bar on my towbar sheared off causing the trailer to crash. My insurance company have said I am not covered on my insurance for trailers even though the damage is to a third party's property (the trailer rental company) and was caused by a structural failure on my vehicle.
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?
moggy - 30-Jul-18 @ 8:39 PM
Sammyjo - Your Question:
We hired a car from Europcar at Gatwick Airport in July 2017 and I had an annual car hire insurance policy. When we went to pick the car up I showed the lady at the counter the policy and she said that in the UK the law had recently changed and it is now illegal to use these policies and I had to buy their insurance (which was 4 times more expensive) or I wouldn’t be able to take the car. We ended up getting our credit card company to confirm we also had coverage through them which she reluctantly agreed with. Since we returned from our trip I have googled the law change she told us about but haven’t found anything. Is it possible she lied to try and get us to pay for their insurance? How am I best to handle this situation in future?
Our Response:
It sounds as though she was either poorly informed or deliberately lying. Usually you'll find Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Liability Insurance is included in the car hire and you'll need to pay the excess. Many people will purchase insurance to cover the excess but you don't have to purchase this via the hire company. Even if COD and liability insurance is not automatically included in the car hire, there is not obligation to purchase it from the hire firm if you already have your own.
YourTravelRights - 15-Jan-18 @ 3:06 PM
We hired a car from Europcar at Gatwick Airport in July 2017 and I had an annual car hire insurance policy. When we went to pick the car up I showed the lady at the counter the policy and she said that in the UK the law had recently changed and it is now illegal to use these policies and I had to buy their insurance (which was 4 times more expensive) or I wouldn’t be able to take the car. We ended up getting our credit card company to confirm we also had coverage through them which she reluctantly agreed with. Since we returned from our trip I have googled the law change she told us about but haven’t found anything. Is it possible she lied to try and get us to pay for their insurance? How am I best to handle this situation in future?
Sammyjo - 12-Jan-18 @ 6:06 PM
I was sent a hire car by a vehicle management company whom I was unaware I was using as they answered as my ins company.name. ..the car was delivered off a ramp truck the driver checked bodywork only with me asked me to sign a clipboard I asked for paperwork didn't get any, 10 days later I chased up my insurance company about my damaged car as the management company had taken it away to the hire car garage they knew nothing about either! So hadn't authorised the hire in fact I was uninsured the entire time.no licence was requested etc...so immediately returned the car the driver picked up on a truck said was a small chunk out of the front tyre said garage maybe aware but now they're harassing me for price new tyre! What rights do I have ? Thanks
Panda - 20-Dec-17 @ 9:33 AM
Bazza6098 - Your Question:
If I hire a vehicle should I receive a copy of the hire agreement and terms and conditions by law?
Our Response:
If you ask for a copy, the hire company should be able to provide it/should not refuse.
YourTravelRights - 24-Jul-17 @ 12:15 PM
If I hire a vehicle should I receive a copy of the hire agreement and terms and conditions by law?
Bazza6098 - 17-Jul-17 @ 4:44 PM
Josie - Your Question:
I have been trying to hire a people carrier for Christmas that I can take my dogs in a cage, I have found a place that want to give me an 11 year old car to drive to Yorkshire, is there an age limit on a car you can safely hire out?
Our Response:
We're not aware of any rules regarding the age of a vehicle available for hire.
YourTravelRights - 8-Nov-16 @ 12:37 PM
I have been trying to hire a people carrier for Christmas that I can take my dogs in a cage, I have found a place that want to give me an11year old car to drive to Yorkshire, is there an age limit on a car you can safely hire out?
Josie - 6-Nov-16 @ 10:27 PM
Cliff - Your Question:
Hire car company said at desk they can't hire to me as I have hired to many times, what??? after a long and drawn out load of rubbish as to why, I said lets do the insurance then, even though they are fully aware I have full annual cover policy from AIG. Now with there ins it would seem they can hire to me, I've said I'm paying under protest, I feel this is totally false on there part and is only because my rental is so cheap and they simply dont want to honour it. Can I get this money back
Our Response:
Sorry we don't understand your question - are you being charged for a hire car that you're not able to actually hire?
YourTravelRights - 10-Oct-16 @ 10:11 AM
Hire car company said at desk they can't hire to me as I have hired to many times, what??? after a long and drawn out load of rubbish as to why, I said lets do the insurance then, even though they are fully aware I have full annual cover policy from AIG... Now with there ins it would seem they can hire to me, I've said I'm paying under protest, I feel this is totally false on there part and is only because my rental is so cheap and they simply dont want to honour it. Can I get this money back
Cliff - 7-Oct-16 @ 1:12 AM
Cyn - Your Question:
I have hired a car for over year now from several different hire companies. All of them except one have insisted that a new signature is required in advance every 28 days and will not rent without it as they claim this is the Law in this regard. What is this about and why did one dealer not require it. Regards C
Our Response:
This is up to the hire company. If it's their policy unfortunatly you will have to comply.
YourTravelRights - 8-Feb-16 @ 2:42 PM
I have hired a car for over year now from several different hire companies. All of them except one have insisted that a new signature is required in advance every 28 days and will not rent without it as they claim this is the Law in this regard. What is this about and why did one dealer not require it. Regards C
Cyn - 6-Feb-16 @ 11:55 AM
Is it legal for a car hire company, having agreed to extend the hire for a further week, to say they cannot say how much the extra week would be? Having agreed the hire as dealing with new baby and disabled mother, and assumed it would be about the same rate as the first week, then found charge was more than double. Is a car hire company legally obliged to give a quote? The company was Alamo. Any help gratefully received as bill is £462 for one week
Thanks.
DB - 11-Jun-14 @ 9:39 PM
Hello, is it legal for a car rental company not to let a car without providing third party insurance? Chris
chris - 22-Apr-14 @ 4:13 PM
In the UK, are you liable for damage to a rental car after you have dropped the car off, handed over the keys to a Company representative who has also inspected the car in your presence and left ther office/car lot?
Nervous Brit - 23-Jan-14 @ 5:33 PM
Ihired a car from green motion stansted for 1 day, i had to go in to london and forgot to pay the congestion charge, the hire company billed me for £156.00 + vat.£60.00 fine & £80.00 administraion fee. can this be right?
Dec - 17-Apr-13 @ 10:02 AM
We were waiting for our easyjet flight through passport control in Terminal 2B and the only real lunch service available was at Café Sélect. This was unfortunately a dreadful experience especially given all other food and drink we had in France was excellent.
Thanks.