Young Driver Car Hire

If you are between the age of 18 – 25 you may incur extra charges when hiring a car due to the perceived increase in risk which means a higher insurance cost for the car hire company.

If you are a young driver renting a car be sure to check the terms and conditions of rental before making your reservation. Often, young drivers are changed a per day supplement on the quoted rental charge (e.g an extra £2 per day). This is often capped to a certain level so the longer you are hiring the more cost effective it becomes. The charges are usually payable locally which means you pay them when you collect the car.

You will also need to have held your driving license for at least one year.

Ford Ka Car Hire

The Ford Ka is classified by the car hire companies as a budget class vehicle and is a good option for couples with luggage, parties of 4 with minimal luggage and families of 2 adults and 2 children.

Being a budget class car the Ford Ka is often the one or the cheaper vehicles when you are looking for a hire car but if you have a lot of luggage bear in mind that boot space is limited and it may be worth considering an economy class vehicle.

Collecting your rental car – things to check

When collecting your hire car be sure to bring:

Once you have the keys for the car be sure to check the vehicle over before driving away to ensure any scrapes, dents or defects are logged on the paper work so you are not liable for them when you return the vehicle. It is also worth taking a few photos for reference if you have a camera phone handy just to be sure.

Upon leaving the car rental depot note any nearby fuel stations should you need to return the car with a full tank when you hand it back over.

Why do car hire companies ask for your flight no when booking?

When booking a hire car for pickup from an airport location you will often be asked for your flight number when you make the reservation. This should be in the format

AA123

Where AA is the code for your airline and 123 is the flight. The flight number can be found on your airline ticket. Your flight number does not contain any spaces.

The reason car hire companies require this number is so they can make the appropriate arrangements should your flight be delayed.

Car Hire Different Return Location

If you want to drop your hire car to a different location to where you pick it up, this is known as a ‘one way’ rental.

Often, a charge will be incurred for a one way rental to cover the cost of the car been returned to the depot you collected it from (each depot is assigned its own fleet). Be sure to check the terms & conditions of rental at the time of booking if you intend to hire a car on a one way basis as the fee will be specified within the T&C’s.

Paying for a Full Tank of Fuel

If your car hire has a pickup full/return empty policy the car hire company will charge you for the cost of the full tank.

When you collect the vehicle it will come with a full of fuel, before leaving the car hire depot it is worth making a note of the mileage so you can calculate how many miles you will get out of a full tank. Also, keep an eye out for any fuel stations on your route so you can aim to return the car with as little fuel as possible – minimising your fuel costs. The car hire company will not refund you if you return the car with any excess fuel.

Christmas Car Hire Availability

Over the Christmas period car hire availability becomes very limited as vehicles are in high demand due to number of people travelling.

If you are making a reservation around the festive period always be sure that you receive confirmation of your rental via email before you collect the vehicle.

What Does No Excess Mean?

When renting a car you will often see references in the terms and conditions to the ‘excess’ amount on the vehicle. Similar to insuring your own car this insurance excess refers to the amount that you must pay in the result of a claim.

So if you were to damage your car during the rental period and the car hire company needed to make an insurance claim you would be liable for the excess amount. For that reason we always advise taking our an excess waiver product when renting your vehicle through a company like Insurance 4 Car Hire.

Occasionally though you will see ‘No Excess’ offers from car hire companies meaning there will be no excess amount charged in the event of a claim. This, in effect, is the car hire company paying a ‘no excess’ policy on your behalf.

Last Minute Car Hire

If you need to book ‘last minute’ car hire to be picked up within 24-48 hours then it is worth booking with a company that can provide fast confirmation of your rental and ensure  your vehicle is ready to be collected at the requested time.

After booking at short notice, keep an eye on your emails to ensure you receive notifcation that the vehicle has been confirmed. If no confirmation is received within 5 hours we would recommend calling your car hire company with your booking reference to hand to check on your reservations status.

Spain Car Hire Return Tank Full

Return full, also known as full/full fuel policies are the preferred option for many car hire customers in Spain as it allows you to only pay for what fuel you use. However, over the past couple of years relentless competition in the Spanish car hire market has lead to many car hire companies removing their return full policies. Instead, they have introduced ‘full tank’ policies where by you pay for a full tank of fuel, also known as ‘return empty’.

The reason for this is that prices have been driven down to such a level that most companies no longer make any money on the rental itself so they have to resort to making money on the fuel. In essence, it is the same as your low cost carrier flight having a cheap ticket price but you then see the costs mount up once taxes, baggage charges, booking fees and check in upgrades are added in.

Frustratingly the charges are often buried within the rental cars terms and conditions rather then being on clear view when you get a quote so always be sure to read the T&C’s before booking.