Over 70? You could be charged DOUBLE for car hire – or barred altogether
. . . and don’t even THINK of returning a car dirty
CAR hire firms that sting motorists with hidden charges are exploiting them with an extra trick – targeting them for being old.
Holidaymakers are vulnerable to rip-offs when picking up keys to a car in a foreign country after a long and tiring flight. The most common extra charge slapped on at the desk is for insurance to cover the excess if you are involved in an accident.
But the ageist rule – where hire firms charge extra for experienced motorists aged 70 or over – is criticised by groups representing the elderly for squeezing more money from vulnerable customers.
Keith Beasant, 79, and his wife Beryl, 72, from Uxbridge, NorthWest London, discovered they would have to pay more than double the cost of regular car hire for a ten-day holiday in Majorca this autumn because of Keith’s age.
The retired car mechanic started his search prudently, visiting online comparison sites for quotes. But when he put in his age he found that the best deal he could get was £400 – and many hire firms did not want to offer him a car at all.
Eventually, he discovered internet-based broker Economy Car Hire, which was prepared to offer him a small car for £189.
Keith says: ‘As a motorist with 51 years of driving experience – and only one claim made following an accident that was someone else’s fault 25 years ago – I was insulted.’
Among the car hire firms that penalise older drivers are Avis, which demands €6 (£4) a day extra from drivers aged 70 or older and Spanish-based RecordGo, which charges an astonishing €58 extra a day – up to a maximum of €192.
Firms such as Thrifty, Sixt, Budget, Enterprise and Europcar either ban drivers aged 70 and over in some countries, or demand a hefty fee. They say frailty can be an issue with older drivers and that means they are more likely to be injured if there is an accident.
However, the Department for Transport says there is no evidence that older drivers are more likely to cause an accident.
Certain comparison websites do not look for car hire deals for those aged over 70 – instructing them to seek out ‘specialist’ hire firms instead. Rory Sexton, managing director of Economy Car Hire, which Keith used to organise his vehicle, says experienced drivers should not be penalised. He says: ‘If you have a driving licence then you are fit to drive. That should be the end of the matter.
‘Many car hire companies offer fantastic headline grabbing offers but then make their money by charging for dubious extras.’
Caroline Abrahams, director at the
charity Age UK, says: ‘It is critical that the freedom and independence hire cars offer is not priced out of reach – or even worse barred – for older people.’ Sexton says the best way to avoid being overcharged is to compare deals through a specialist broker – and then scour the small print. Bob Atkinson, travel expert at comparison website TravelSupermarket, warns drivers of several tricks to make them pay more. ‘The biggest ruse is the excess insurance trick,’ he says. The excess on car hire insurance policies can run into thousands of pounds. Motorists are offered a chance to avoid this by paying a fee, but most can find a cheaper deal independently before picking up the car.’
He recommends services such as iCarhireinsurance, which typically charges £3 a day for excess cover while a hire firm offers the same insurance for £15 to £20 a day. He adds: ‘There are also a growing number exploiting customers with a petrol charge rip-off.’ This is where a firm offers you the ‘ peace of mind’ of being able to return the car without filling it up beforehand, then charges you for a full tank of petrol at what can be nearly double the cost at a garage.
‘For practical reasons returning a car with no petrol left in the tank rarely happens so they make money out of you twice,’ says Atkinson.
He also warns against picking up cars – or dropping them off – without doing a thorough scan of the vehicle, making notes and taking photographs. He says: ‘If the car hire salesman tells you not to worry about a mark, make a note of it anyway in case of disputes later on.
‘If you are dropping off a vehicle when the office is closed take lots of photos – including one of the odometer – to ensure there is no misunderstanding if they later bill you for any damage or extra miles driven.’
And be warned by the experience of reader Jonathan Roy who hired from Europcar Marseilles last week. He was handed a note warning him of a €135 charge for anything longer than half an hour’s clean if he dared to bring it back dirty.
Atkinson says: ‘A car hire firm can charge extra for cleaning, so a twominute quick brush of the inside should put a stop to arguments.’