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HIRING
A CAR/ RENTING A CAR for your holiday or business trip?
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a van? Hiring a motorhome?
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advice
on car rental
(or van / Motorhome rental)...
Before
you leave home - Ensure
that you are carrying both your picture and paper driving licence
(the paper licence shows any endorsements you may have)
and your passport (if visiting another country) and travel tickets and car hire
paperwork.
When
you collect the car:
- Check
the vehicle for damage
- Check
the spare tyre
REMEMBER:
-
Most car rental locations require a credit card -
Most
car rental locations will not accept debit or Switch, Maestro cards or
similar they must be a credit card. It is worth checking in advance if
they accept American Express or Diners Club
-
You
must have held a valid driving licence for one year
-
UK licence holders should note that many car hire outlets will not release the
rental vehicle on sight of a photocard driving licence without also seeing the
paper licence counterpart.They may also ask to see the paper licence counterpart
of all named drivers. Some
car rental companies insist that you have held a full driving licence for one
year and also must be over 25. Check in advance as it could mean when you reach
the car hire desk, they will not let you rent a car.
-
Always
ask what is included in the rates quoted
-
Never initial or sign an agreement without asking about each item -
Do
not over insure. If you have travel insurance you do not need personal effects
or personal accident insurance -
Pre-purchase
or Pre-reserve your car rental
-
Remember
to book child seats or a roof rack in advance, particularrly in peak holiday times.
-
Plan
the journey in advance - Some car rental companies provide maps, some will rent
you a sat-nav system
-
Purchase
from agents within your own country in case you need refunds or assistance
-
-
When
you pick-up your vehicle determine where the drop off point is for your return
-
Ask
if the return area has an attendant. If not, who do you return the car to?
-
If
you leave the vehicle without check-in, examine it for damage and photograph it
from every angle.
-
- The Vehicle Condition Report
(VCR) - Check your vehicle carefully for signs of damage before driving
away. This can be difficult some times if you are in a hurry, it is dark, it is
raining, or very very hot and you are in a hurry and have been waiting for the
car to be prepared and if it has just been washed and is not dry- however it is
very important. -
If they have identified certain areas of damage on the plan of the car and not
all of them, return to the hire desk and get the additional damage signed off. -
Take
photos of any damaged areas when you collect the car/van/campervan. Sometimes
these are very small. This of course is difficult to do in bad weather conditions
or at night. Examples of damage to look out for below:-
-
Left:
Small scratches on door handle and dent on edge of door -
Right: Scratches and blemishes on paintwork
Left: Bad scatch on door -
Right:
Black scratches above tyre 
-
Check the rental agreement: The rental agreement
will normally include a section for the hire company to record the damage that
has been identified. Let the car hire company know if damage has not been recorded
before you drive away, even if you are anxious to get going. If you have identified
damage let them know. -
-
Know your speed limits - these vary from country to country. -
Speed / Radar cameras certainly apply to rental cars as well! The rental company
will be notified and the renter contacted by the authorities. Speed traffic camera
information is now being sent from one country to another. e.g. someone caught
speeding with a French registered car in Italy will find that the fine will be
reported to the French authorities if it is not paid. -
Fuel
in the car
You
should check that there is a full tank of fuel (Petrol / Diesel) and normally
you should return it full. Car hire companies will often charge an administration
charge to fill it up plus the price of the fuel that might be higher than at the
pump. Some companies have even put stickers on the speedo stating to return it
empty. Take extra care here. 
Make you fill the car with the correct fuel, most car hire companies issue a warning
either with the car keys like the one above or 
on the outside or inside of the fuel tank cap.-
Familiarise
yourself with the vehicle - Make sure you know where the controls for essential
instruments such as headlights, hazzard warning lights and the horn are located.
Adjust your seat and wing mirrors accordingly.
-
Check
with the Hire company if you can take the car out of the country you are renting
in.e.g. Going from France into Italy or if renting in Ireland can you take the
car into Northern Ireland or into the Republic of Ireland. You will probably have
to pay for crossing the border in Ireland.
-
When dropping of the car make sure you remove or personal
belongings and have it checked in and signed off. -
The
majority of vehicle hire companies class snow chains and winter tyres as optional
extras on winter holiday hire packages.
The
above information has been supplied by a third party and jml Property Services (euro-rentals.com
/ insurance4carrental.com / jml Property Insurance.co.uk / jml insurance.co.uk)
takes no responsibilty for it's accuracy - September 2009
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Drink drive laws vary from country to country - for example in Italy if you have
a glass of wine and a grappa with dinner and you are stopped by the police - you
will be fined. 
