How can I fight unfair damage charges on a hire car?

You may also find that electric vehicles are cheaper to rent. Car manufacturers often insist that rental companies include a proportion of EVs in each order, but consumer demand for these is still low. If you do decide to hire an EV, make sure you check availability of charging points at your accommodation and plan your route carefully, to avoid range worries.. In our recent survey, one in ten people told us they were charged more than they had been quoted. The most common disputed or unexpected charges were for damage to the car and refuelling, but others included admin fees, an over-70s surcharge, extra mileage, and late drop-off. You can also visit Yellowpages to get more information. When a driver signs the rental agreement at pick-up, they’re agreeing to pay repair costs for any damage done during the rental. The rental company uses two key documents to show a car’s been damaged.

What are charges for changing the times or dates of my rental?

If you’re a US or Canadian national, you’ll have these tax costs added to your overall booking price. If you’re from elsewhere, you’ll pay taxes on extras such as GPS, child seats and insurance. To be clear on damage, it’s worth checking the car carefully before you drive it away, and taking pictures. The check-out form you’re given should have a diagram of the car and show any existing damage. If you find any more damage straight away, point it out to the staff and ask them to mark it on the form.

I kept on coming across expensive options with limited kilometers and one-way car rental fees, making the car rental very costly. You can also Visit Yelp To get More information. You can find the excess amount of each car type and car hire brand by clicking on “Important Information” – once you have found the car you like on our website. All details about the insurance policy can be found under “Insurance coverage”. Volt-Age is an electric-car hire company based in Portsmouth but available nationwide.

Avoid excess waiver cover

The locations with the highest demand are those based at airports – particularly Malaga and Alicante airports in Spain, Faro airport in Portugal, Paphos airport in Cyprus, and Orlando International Airport in the USA. A third-party browser plugin, such as Ghostery or NoScript, is preventing JavaScript from running. © 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Don’t forget to check your licence is still valid, and whether the hire firm needs the digital code showing any endorsements. Paying that extra £20 may result in a quicker getaway – invaluable if travelling with grumpy toddlers. If your flight is late at night, check the hire firm will still be open when you land.

The most popular choice of car category in Malaga is ‘Economy’. This is the second smallest car category (‘Mini’ being the smallest), and is perfect if you don’t plan on spending hours on end in the car. The make and model of car will vary, but if you think along the lines of a Ford Fiesta, Seat Ibiza or Peugeot 308 then this should give you a good idea of size. Every supplier will have their own unique set of Ts&Cs and it’s really vital you read these prior to booking. Read more about airport car service nashville tn here. The online bank Monzo recently told Guardian Money the same thing.

Europcar has a dedicated site for renting electric vehicles, however at the time we looked at it, we were greeted with an error message when attempting to search in a major city like London. You might get a smaller excess by choosing a different rental company, or by choosing a smaller car with the same company. Car seats are also pricey, not always in a great condition, and they rarely come with installation instructions. And some airlines, including Jet2and easyJet allow you to take one for free. Alternatively, you can sometimes rent car seats at the airport for a fraction of the price. Be aware that if you purchase standalone insurance, your hire company will insist that you leave a hefty deposit, and you’ll have to pay an excess if you have an accident. By contrast, Europcar’s own ‘premium protection cover’ cost £166 for an August 2023 booking.

The companies Hertz, Dollar Car Rental, and Thrifty have a minimum age of 20. Alamo, Enterprise, Avis, and all other reputable companies have a minimum age of 21.