Key Post Some tips when hiring a car

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Bronte

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I too use Worldwideinsure for annual coverage of the excess. Looks like it's annual coverage for £76 for Irish residents. (Car Hire Excess Insurance)

- Only use reputable car hire companies (Budget/Hertz/Avis/Thrifty)
- Never be persuaded by a very cheap car hire company
- Make sure you take the time to examine the car carefully and take pictures
- Don't let them pressure sales you at the rental desk to take extra insurance, works really well on stressed tired confused travellers
- Always park somewhere safe
- when returning the car make sure you are in plenty of time
- Don't hire fancy expensive cars
- Make sure your credit card limit has enough on it for the card hold
- Make sure your bank cards work in Australia (my own credit card needs me to do a special authorisation for the US for example)
- If you're in an accident/theft make sure you get a police report, you generally need it to make a claim.
 
Bronte said:
- Make sure your credit card limit has enough on it for the card hold
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Yes, and it has to be a credit card - not a debit card - for them to put a hold on the excess. And it must be the same one used when making the booking. I got caught out once when I didn't have the card with me for some reason.
 
patfert1 said:
Yes, and it has to be a credit card - not a debit card - for them to put a hold on the excess. And it must be the same one used when making the booking. I got caught out once when I didn't have the card with me for some reason.
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I got a supplementary Amex card for one of my adult children for this, nearly went mental at the hire desk in Malaga when the card didn't work ! Got it sorted by being calm .... They said the rules would have been easier for us if we had booked directly with them as they'd accept a debit card then. The excess limits are beyond a joke now they are so high.
 
Bronte said:
I too use Worldwideinsure for annual coverage of the excess. Looks like it's annual coverage for £76 for Irish residents. (Car Hire Excess Insurance)

- Only use reputable car hire companies (Budget/Hertz/Avis/Thrifty)
- Never be persuaded by a very cheap car hire company
- Make sure you take the time to examine the car carefully and take pictures
- Don't let them pressure sales you at the rental desk to take extra insurance, works really well on stressed tired confused travellers
- Always park somewhere safe
- when returning the car make sure you are in plenty of time
- Don't hire fancy expensive cars
- Make sure your credit card limit has enough on it for the card hold
- Make sure your bank cards work in Australia (my own credit card needs me to do a special authorisation for the US for example)
- If you're in an accident/theft make sure you get a police report, you generally need it to make a claim.
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Some great points Bronte, I agree with them all, anyone hiring a car take note
 
Brendan Burgess said:
fill it with petrol before you return it or else they will charge you an exorbitant rate
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I sometimes drop a car back to Dublin airport. Filling up in that area is complicated because you need to make a full trip around the airport to get to the airport petrol station and it's always really busy, and the nearby petrol station I think it's on the Swords road is in the direction away from the airport. Neither of these are great when you're keen to get into the airport. However, I've found from experience that they just glance at the petrol gauge when you leave it back, so I usually fill up 20-30km away from the drop-off location, when leaving the area where I stay before a flight, or before coming on to the M50.
 
patfert1 said:
Yes, and it has to be a credit card - not a debit card - for them to put a hold on the excess
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It doesn't have to be a credit card in many cases . Enterprise and Hertz, to name two, do debit card car hire. There may be exclusions for some car classes and / or countries in which you can hire a car, but it can be done and I've done it myself .
 
Also worth knowing that Avis and Budget are basically the same company, and similarly Hertz and Thrifty. At least in Ireland, it appears they share the same fleet of cars, so the only difference is branding and you can typically get better prices from Budget and Thrifty. Last time I checked though - if I recall correctly - Thrifty cars were same price as Hertz, whereas Budget was still significantly cheaper than Avis.
 
Not sure about just using reputable car hire companies. Recently used Hertz in Italy and filled car with petrol within 5 minutes of returning. 2 days later I got a bill for 150 euro for not returning the card full. Lucky I had proof and they refunded me. If you do your due diligence on smaller operators they can also work. Just make sure you document and take photo's of everything.
 
patfert1 said:
Filling up in that area is complicated because you need to make a full trip around the airport to get to the airport petrol station and it's always really busy
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This is news to me ! There's actually 3 petrol stations, you turn left heading for car hire, you do not go to the roundabout for the airport, you pass the exit for car hire, go down the road a bit, over some lights, there are 2 petrol stations on your right, the closer one is very new, there's another one further on for trucks, but cars can go there too. The new one is very busy as it has a shop.
 
Always read and reread the terms and conditions.

Especially if you are going to drive in more than one country.
The cross border charges can vary hugely. This charge is usually taken at the car hire desk. To late to do anything about it at that stage.

Also if hiring in winter check if winter tyres are included. These are mandatory in lots of countries, but are often not included in the booking price. Again you could end up paying at the hire desk. Charges for winter tyres also vary hugely.

Avoid adding a second driver. Can be very costly.

Never add sat nav to the deal. Bring your own or use your phone.
 
Bronte said:
There's actually 3 petrol stations, you turn left heading for car hire, you do not go to the roundabout for the airport, you pass the exit for car hire, go down the road a bit, over some lights, there are 2 petrol stations on your right, the closer one is very new, there's another one further on for trucks, but cars can go there too. The new one is very busy as it has a shop.
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Good to know. I wasn't down that part of the Swords road in years. I recall there being an automated filling station there at one time.
 
Bronte said:
- Don't hire fancy expensive cars
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Main challenge with these is the damage excess is usually doubled, but 3rd party annual cover is cheap enough if you do want to splash out, but check terms as some will specify a limit on the cover amount, others on the car's retail price when new.
 
patfert1 said:
Good to know. I wasn't down that part of the Swords road in years. I recall there being an automated filling station there at one time.
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You mean the one near The Pavilions, we only ever used that if we were staying in Swords or had gone there to eat. I would not go that direction as there is too much traffic on the first roundabout just before the airport. I come in off the M50. Ie from the Dublin side.
 
1. It is vital that you take a photo of the underside of the front of the car before you take it from the rental company. There is an ongoing scam in some places (even with reputable agencies) to land you with a respraying bill. Your pics might not help you, but handy to have them.
2. Take a pic of the "lighted" dashboard before you drive off. The petrol pointer to Full might not be near Full. Another little scam.
3. Ensure the spare wheel is onboard. Take a pic of it.
4. In Spain you need the flashing danger pods in case of breakdown. Yellow hi-viz jacket is also required.
5. Take pics of the wheels/tyres - it is obligatory (in Spain) to have all tyres made by the same manufacturer. This includes the spare.
6. Ensure radio antenna is attached.

All of the above can be done within a few minutes. And so what if the sales staff are looking at you.

If your arrival time is late sometimes the car rental company will off-load their worst car on you. It might or might not suit you, but ask for a reduction there and then. If you don't get it, then e-mail the company later. Likely, you'll be offered a good deal on your next rental with them.
 
I always rent an economy model.

On many occasions I have been offered a better car, because all the economy models were rented out. I have never been asked for extra payment.

On a skiing trip I got a Mercedes Vito minibus instead of the economy hatchback I paid for. My two daughters were delighted as they had a seperate row of seats each.

Normally they were squeezed into the 2/3rds back seat.
The remaining 1/3 being needed for the skis.
 
If using a Cartrawler type car rental aggregator, check the opening times of the desk of the actual car hire company (it'll usually be on the car trawler or equivalent portal as you progress through the online booking process). Last year I had to change car hire company to one that was open after 6pm in the airport I was landing at (flight scheduled to arrive at 6.05pm). Luckily I'd provided my arrival time and flight number when booking, so there was no charge for changing (might have been none anyway, I didn't check too deep).
 
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