10 July 2013

Avoid distress, make sure you insure your excess!

Undisclosed hire car damage is on the rise this year, make sure you don't pay for anything you shouldn't!

According to figures recently released in a survey by yougov, one in five people find unrecorded damage on their hire cars. 21% of people asked in the survey reported that they had collected their hire car from the rental station and found it to be damaged in a way which was not mentioned on the corresponding inventory. Hiring a vehicle which has undisclosed damage puts the renter at risk of being charged for damage they did not cause.

This is a higher figure than around a year ago, a similar survey also by yougov found the percentage of people who found unrecorded damage on their hire cars to be 12%. Shockingly, in the same year, 17% of car rental customers did not get the car which they ordered! Unfortunately, incidents like these are not uncommon, and seem to be on the rise.

Check your car carefully before you drive it away, and make sure that if there is any damage it is recorded on the rental agreement. If it is not, report it to the rental desk before accepting the vehicle. No scratch or dent is too small to report, as failure to do so could result in you being charged. Car hire excess insurance can cost up to £20 a day depending on the pickup location and the rental company. Shop around before buying excess insurance, to ensure you have the best deal, using our comparison tool.