AVOIDING CAR HIRE RIP-OFFS

with the summer holidays upon us here are a few tips on how to avoid being taken for a ride by your car hire company.

BOOK EARLY AND SHOP AROUND

The further in advance you book your hire car, the more likely you are to get the best price.

Don’t just go for the first price you see either, use comparison tools to check out the offers from different companies. Just make sure that you’re comparing like for like.

Small-scale brokers can also sometimes offer deals you won’t get elsewhere. Just be aware that what they’re offering might not match other deals and unscrupulous ones have been known to offer deals that the company won’t honour when customers get to the desk.

INSURANCE

Every car hire provider will try to force you into taking collision damage waiver (CDW). This cover reduces or removes the often-enormous excesses charged by hire firms if you have an accident. In some cases it only covers car-oncar accidents, so scraping it against a post won’t be covered, and in every case it’s massivelyexpensive.there are plenty of third-party providers who offer hire car CDW at better rates.

READ THE PAPERWORK

Itsoundsobviousbutdon’t just sign the contract. Make sure nothing has been added you didn’t want and that the price matches what you werequoted.checkifthere’s a mileage limit, the return date and time, and the fuel policy. If you’re unsure about anything query it.

DON’T BORROW CAR SEATS AND SAT NAV

It’s important to have the right car seat for any young passengers but car rental firms charge big bucks to provide these – up to £73 per week.

Depending on your airline and how long you’re away for, it could be better value to pay the excess baggage charge to take your own. Some airlines even allow you to bring a child car seat for free.

As with child seats, sat nav is an easy way for rental firms to make money. We found weekly loan rates of around £100 more that you’d pay to buy a brand-new system.

CHECK THE CAR

Before driving away give the car a thorough inspection and make sure every blemish and markisnotedontheagreement whenyoucollectit.photograph it from all four sides and do the same when you return it to proveit’sinthesamecondition.

Also check that any essential equipment, such as spare bulbs, spare wheels and highvis jacket are present. They’re legal requirements.

When you return it get a representative to sign the car back in to confirm the condition and fuel level are as expected.

FILL IT UP

Some firms operate a full-toempty fuel policy where they fill the car before the loan and expect you to return it empty, meaning you’ll end up driving around aimlessly to get your money’s worth. Far better to go for a package that asks you to return the car with the same fuel level as when you collected it. Just make sure to note the level before setting off and get evidenceitwasatthesamelevel when you returned it.