13 June 2024

Top Tips for Stress Free Car Hire – Booking Your Hire Car

We demystify the car hire booking process and what you should look out for to make the experience stress free when booking your car.

Hiring a car is a great way to make the most of your holiday and, in the vast majority of cases, car hirers find the booking, picking up and returning of their car to be a problem free experience. However, there are also occasions when things don't go as smoothly. So how can you improve your chances of making sure you do not face issues before, during or after your break?

In the first of three articles on the subject we concentrate on the car hire booking process, and how to navigate your way through the mysterious terminology and hidden charges and get a great deal on car hire.

Plan Ahead and Book Early

Rates go up and down according to supply and demand but the best deals tend to be achieved by booking early. To make sure you win - no matter what prices do in the future - consider booking through a company such as Clarify Car Hire who offer free cancellation up until 48 hours before you pick up – then you switch if a better deal comes along.

Better still our ‘Free Cancellation' filter on our car hire comparison will do this job for you in a click.

Car Hire Extras and Hidden Costs

It's not all about the headline rate. On comparison websites a few pounds can make the difference between a car being seen and selected, and not. This has encouraged strong competition but also means car hire companies try to quote the lowest figure possible and claw it back by other means.

Fuel Policies

A common tactic used to increase returns on European destinations are "full to empty” fuel policies. You have to pay for a full tank of fuel on pick up - normally at more than pump price - and return it empty, "giving” the rental firm any fuel left in the tank.

Avoid this trap by choosing a car with a fairer fuel policy where, so long as the car is returned with the same amount of fuel as it was supplied it with, you won't be charged for unused fuel.

Our ‘Fairer Fuel' filter will, in affected areas, compare fuel policies fast allowing you to make an informed choice.

Additional Drivers

Another area where there are big differences in charges between suppliers - and sometimes even for the same car via different brokers - is for additional drivers.

Our ‘Free Additional Driver' filter allows you to see the cars which include the first additional driver without charge.

Younger and Older Drivers

Expect younger drivers, normally 21-25 year olds but under 30′s on some cars, to attract a surcharge both as main driver and additional and these surcharges can be steep – up to £12-£15 per day. But there is variation both in the charges and the age ranges to which the surcharges apply.

There are a small number of companies which insist that drivers over or under specific ages must purchase their in-house excess protection policy so factor this into the total price too.

Booking, Waivers and Excess Insurance

Once you've found the right combination of car, fuel policy, additional drivers and are happy with your cancellation options, you can book the car. At this point you will probably be offered excess waivers or excess waivers including tyre and window cover. These fall into one of two camps: waivers and reimbursement insurance.

Car Hire Insurance Waivers

Waivers are typically provided by the car hire company itself. They are not insurance products so, if they make a ruling that your accident was not covered, your only recourse would be the courts in their country. Car hire company waivers do have the advantage that the car hire company may not insist on as big a pre-authorisation on your credit card as they otherwise would, and mean the car rental firm will not bill you for damage covered by the waiver they offer.

The downside is that these policies often cover less than independently bought excess insurance, excluding damage and related claimed for windscreen, tyres, wheels and the car's underbody. They also tend to be about 5 to 10 times the cost.

Car Hire Excess Insurance

These policies can be bought through a car hire broker (normally for £5- £7 per day) or directly from the insurers using the MoneyMaxim car hire excess insurance comparison service for just £2 – £4 a day. MoneyMaxim also offer annual policies from under £40 p.a.

Car Hire Excess Insurance for European Hires

For European hires, cars normally come with a Collision Damage Waiver and Theft Waiver with an excess to pay should your car be damaged or stolen. The damage waiver normally excludes damage to wheels, tyres, windscreen, roof, interior and underside of the car.

Be aware that Zero Excess waivers offered by brokers may still leave you with responsibility for these parts of the car or refuse to cover certain types or damage such as scratches sustained in a car park.

Read carefully any car hire documentation to see if other exclusions to Collision Damage Waivers are relevant to you. For example CDW cover can be withdrawn if you take the car on a ferry meaning that while it's on board you are responsible for the full value of the car.

Fortunately MoneyMaxim can help. Get a quote for a Worldwide car hire excess policy and look for the Worldwide Insure Deluxe policy. If you are in doubt please get in touch with our customer service team.

Car Hire Excess Insurance for Rentals in the USA/Canada and Americas

For most (but not all) rentals though a UK site like ours you will find Collision Damage and Theft Waivers included in the price. They often have a zero excess (or deductible) too leaving just the vulnerable wheels/tyres/windscreen/underside areas needing cover.

However, as the locals would normally switch their standard car insurance over to rental vehicles it is possible for cars to be hired without these waivers. In this case purchase a full CDW insurance policy to avoid paying much more at the desk.

Americans don't like being told how much third party insurance they should have and as a result, the levels of cover can be minimal. They vary from state to state but it is legal to drive a hire car in Florida with insurance that would cover just $10,000 of bodily injury cover per person ($20,000 for all people) and $10,000 for property damage.

Most rentals booked through our site will include what is termed supplementary liability insurance (SLI) to increase the third party insurance cover to a more satisfactory level.

If you find that you do not have this pretty much essential cover you can buy SLI through the MoneyMaxim car hire insurance service.

Excess insurance for the Rest of the World

Many destinations (eg. Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) will normally include CDW and decent third party insurance but always check what is included. Both New Zealand and Costa Rica hires can have excesses on their third party cover so do look out for this. Many excess insurance policies for worldwide use come with greater levels of cover than European ones albeit at slightly higher costs. If you do need CDW or SLI cover (see USA section above), then check that the policy offers this enhance level cover worldwide as some are restricted to the Americas.

Check the rental voucher

Once you've chosen your car and booked it, you will be sent a rental voucher from the broker, usually by email. Don't just file it so you can print it out closer to the hire start date. Read it! Check that you understand the any terms and conditions and if there are any you don't understand – phone up or email to check. If you don't like what you find, you will have more rights to cancel the booking in the first 48 hours than after.

Credit Cards

Though it is possible to hire cars using a debit card, we don't advise doing it if you have the choice to use a credit card. It limits your choice and you may find that you are then obliged to purchase their excess protection policy at great expense. If you only have a debit card, you can get quotes through Clarify Car Hire

Most car hire companies insist on credit cards. Check the terms and conditions. It is quite common for the rental company to require the same card that was used for the booking (partly as proof of identity). Some companies will require more than one credit card.

The rental company will normally take a pre-authorisation of an amount in case of damage to the car, unpaid parking fines or tolls. The amount varies but it makes sense to have enough credit remaining on the card to allow a pre-authorisation of the amount of the excess on the car and more if you actually want to be able to use the card afterwards. If you don't have enough room on your credit card to allow for this pre-authorisation, some car hire companies may insist that you take their expensive waiver options.

Another reason for avoiding debit cards is that they do not allow ‘pre-authorisations'. Instead you may find that the deposit is debited from your card and will be held by the car rental firm. It can take up to 30 days for the funds to be back in your account after the end of your hire. This is to do with the banking processes and not the hire company. You may find you get back a different than you paid as a deposit due to exchange rates.

The moral of the tale – use a credit card if you can – and if you haven't got one consider one of those recommended in our separate article: Good Credit Cards to use Abroad

Next: picking up your car