YOU have chosen your hotel and booked your flights, but have you thought about the hire car?
Don’t drive off without reading our handy, step-by-step guide to avoiding a rental disaster.
You have chosen your hotel and booked your flights, but have you thought about the hire car? Credit: Getty
Some 58 per cent of motorists worry they will be taken for a ride when hiring a car, according to consumer site Which?.
So, have this checklist ready as you pick up your wheels . . .
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GET BEST DEAL
IF you are travelling in Europe, generally the cheapest time to book your hire car is two to four weeks in advance, according to Skyscanner.
But if you are travelling to Spain, booking just one week in advance will often give you the best price.
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It costs £346 on average to hire a medium compact car like a VW Golf for a week in Spain, according to icarhireinsurance.com.
Don’t use a comparison site. They scrape prices and send you to a third party to book your car hire, and the real price can be much higher because they often exclude crucial elements, including fuel.
Instead, do your own research and check car rental firms’ reviews online.
Use a broker such as Zest Car Rental, Booking.com or Expedia to find the best deals, or sort it directly with a car hire provider.
Holiday car hire check-list
Get cheapest deal before flying
Check the small print for fees
Avoid rip-offs at the desk
Do checks before you return car
Complain about unexpected bills
Avoid hiring a car via your airline, Which? advises, as it is often not clear which third party the airline has partnered with, or which company is providing the car.
If you are hiring a car in Europe, use a firm that is a member of the European Car Rental Conciliation Service (ECRCS) as it can help resolve disputes.
CHECK THE SMALL PRINT
TAKE time to read the paperwork. One in eight said they paid more than the price first quoted, according to a survey by Which? of more than 3,600 customers.
Common hidden fees include admin charges, from £10 to £100, according to easyCar. Adding an additional driver typically costs £68 per week on average, according to icarhireinsurance.com.
Which? researchers tried to make a Hertz booking in three different countries, but couldn’t add an additional driver during the process, nor was the cost of doing so listed in the rental conditions.
Hertz claimed the fee could be found by clicking on another link — but the extra cost totalled £144 a week.
Hertz said: “Key information — including rates, inclusions, rental requirements and additional driver policies — is displayed throughout the reservation process.”
It is really important to make sure that the person who books and pays for the rental hire is also the main driver.
This is because the main driver is the person who signs the rental agreement, so they are legally responsible for the car.
And ALWAYS pay for your policy using a credit card which, if you have paid over £100, gives you Section 75 cover under the Consumer Credit Act so you can be refunded if something goes wrong.
AVOID RIP-OFFS AT THE DESK
BE careful of getting ripped off when you pick up your car by taking add-ons.
Around 61 per cent of people who bought insurance at the desk said they felt pressure to do so, according to Which?.
Third-party insurance, which covers costs if you damage or crash into another person, is usually included in the rental price.
It is not usually worth taking out extra cover, such as a Super Collision Damage Waiver, which can reduce your excess to zero, as it costs an average of £194 a week, according to Which?’s research.
Hiring car seats for kids costs around £73, according to icarhireinsurance.com, but most airlines will let you bring a car seat for free — though you may have to check it in the hold. The same goes for sat navs. It costs £74 typically to rent one.
Inspect the hire car before you set off. Pay attention to the wheels as these are prone to scuffs and damage. Take pictures of the car inside and out.
Make a note of any scratches or marks so if anything goes wrong when you try to return the car, you can use the pictures as evidence.
BEFORE YOU RETURN IT
MAKE sure you leave in plenty of time to return the car and take pictures again.
If you don’t bring the car back with the specified level of fuel, the rental company will charge you for the missing fuel plus around £12 to £15 on top.
Hand over the keys in person and confirm that they have been received. Ask the firm to inspect the vehicle in your presence and provide a written inspection report so it can’t charge a fee you don’t agree with later on.
UNEXPECTED BILLS
SOMETIMES, once you are home, a bill lands in your inbox asking you to pay for additional charges.
Which? found 28 per cent of people who used Goldcar were hit with this.
The company was ranked as the worst car hire provider by Which?.
Goldcar said it was “disappointed that the alleged experiences have been identified by Which? Travel”.
If a car hire company tries to charge you for damage you didn’t cause, send the photos you took within 14 days of arriving home.
Ask for detailed invoices, a repair cost breakdown and proof the damage occurred in your rental period. If you struggle with your complaint, contact the ECRCS if the company is a member.
FUEL DEADLINE WARNING
Millions of households could miss out on a £150 winter energy payout unless they take one simple step before an August deadline Credit: Getty
MILLIONS of households could miss out on a £150 winter energy payout unless they take one simple step before an August deadline.
People on means-tested benefits must ensure the billpayer’s name matches the one on the energy account by Saturday, August 23.
This is to automatically qualify for the Warm Home Discount, a one-off payment every year to knock money off your electricity bill.
It is set to help around six million households across the UK this winter, including around 250,000 in Scotland, who will receive the discount automatically for the very first time.
In England and Wales, those receiving Housing Benefit, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit or Universal Credit are among those eligible.
You will usually get a letter to confirm you are eligible, and the £150 is typically deducted from your electricity bill. You may be able to get it taken off your gas bill instead, but ask your supplier if that is possible.
People could miss out if they have recently moved house or switched energy supplier. Suppliers will use customers’ records as they stand on the deadline date to determine who is eligible.
Those using pre-payment meters with a key or card must also check their account is registered correctly.
The Government has committed to the Warm Home Discount to run through to at least 2030.
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PENSIONERS are paying out nearly £30billion in income tax a year in what has been dubbed a “stealth raid” on their finances.
The number of OAPs being hit has jumped to 9.6million in the 2026/27 tax year, new figures from HMRC reveal. That is up from 8.8million and 7.1million over the previous two years.
A rising number of retirees must now pay income tax because of a process called fiscal drag.
This is when you get pulled into a higher tax band because the personal allowance threshold remains frozen. There has been a deep freeze on tax thresholds since 2021.
Meanwhile, the State Pension has increased every year thanks to the triple lock policy, which means payments go up by whichever is highest: 2.5 per cent, inflation or average wage growth.
The State Pension alone is close to breaking through the personal allowance threshold, which is the amount you can earn a year before you are required to pay tax.
The full amount is worth £12,548 a year – just £22 less than the personal allowance threshold, which is £12,570. So if you have a private pension, even if it is a small amount, then it will be more than the limit and trigger an income tax bill.
Steve Webb, partner at LCP and a former Pensions Minister, said: “The constant freezing of tax thresholds and allowances has dragged millions more people into paying higher rates of income tax.”
EMILY MEE
