• Check the vehicle for damage
• Check the spare tyre

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 from June 8, 2015 Paper counter part licences will no longer be valid so they might need updated info from the DVLC More Here

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.

Some companies (or legislation in a particular country) will not let a driver hire a car over a certain age - More information Here for "older drivers"

International Driving Permits (IDP) This was established by the 1949 Geneva Convention - Some countries insist the driver has one if you are driving in countries outside the European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA). It will be written in ten languages. The IPD will be required in Argentina, Brazil, Burkina Faso,Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Greece, Iraq Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Senegal, Somalia and South Africa. It is advisable to check with the car hire company when you make your booking.

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

 

Plan the journey in advance - Some car rental companies provide maps, some will rent you a sat-nav system

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.

Right: Black scratches above tyre

 

Left: Damage to rental van found on collection

 

Right: Missing section of bumper on rental van

The above two illustration of damage on a rental van have been entered on the collection report for this van hire from a major UK van hire company. It is very important to check the vehicle at collection as you might often find with vans the vehicle is parked close to another rental van and there is not a great deal of room to inspect the vehicle

This check quickly found the absence of the near side front hub cap and another scratch at the rear. The Damage report form was then taken back into the office for signature.

What was not discovered then was a mark below the boot catch on this Renault Clio. So you really need to check everything and of course if it is wet and dark the job is even harder.

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.

Guardian Money 20 July 2024 - Remember your phone is a free alternative to a satnav - through apps such as Google Maps and Waze.

Car seats can be taken on a flight for free so there is usually no need to rent one at your destination, if you are prepared to lug yours through the airport.

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. See also Drink Drive Laws - Examples of what can be drunk at present

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.

 

2012 Note: Many cut price car hire companies based in Cyprus, Spain and Portugal are now offering cars with a full tank of fuel which you must pay for at their rate and then you return it empty. There are a couple of problems with this. First of all you must pay the amount they are charging for fuel and this could be lower in the open market and secondly if you are only hiring the car for a couple of days you might not use up your full tank of fuel you had to buy so you return it with a lot of fuel in it, but cannot get money back on it. In Portugal some are now using the "On all rentals of six days and over the fuel policy is collect full - return empty process so look at the wordings before you book that car hire. CHECK THE CAR HIRE COMPANY's FUEL POLICY BEFORE YOU BOOK. See also Make sure you check the fuel guage on the car that you hire - April 2013

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.

Cross border travel: 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, but some companies do not make you pay an additional charge and you should usually be able to find out at the time of booking.

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.