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Vehicle Hire queries

jma

Does anyone know an insurance company that offers combined travel and car hire excess cover?

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CabanSail

I looked into this last year and booked a car with Interrent as I had read some horror stories about Goldcar. They were quite good.

Tip: When I am going to hire a car on holidays I get a policy that includes the Hire Car Excess. The policy can be just slightly more than the hire companies add on insurance and you get all the other things covered as well. The only downside is that if there was a problem you have to pay the excess and then claim it back. So far I have never had to claim.

bladespin

Bananaleaf wrote: »

I know this isn't what you have asked - but would you consider the public transport option instead of the car? Maybe you are travelling with children and it doesn't suit, but Portugal's transport system seems really great. I am going there this summer and I am going to stick to public transport, but then again there is just two of us, neither have reduced mobility etc. so it's a handy option

The public transport there from my experience is pretty poor, it's fine if you're (very) close to any of the main tourist centers and don't plan on going anywhere else but if you're at all out of town...
This time round we're bringing the kids.

uck51js9zml2yt

PaulKK wrote: »

After doing a good bit of research on this myself and had a thread here a couple of months ago.

I have booked an estate car with drive4fun.

Its costing 250 for 10 days, insurance included with no excess and including tyre, lock and glass cover and a transponder with 15 euro credit for the motorway and also including the 15 euro airport tax.

You email them from their website and they get back to you with the price and options.

They are located outside the terminal in carpark 4 so you do not need to get a shuttle either.

From reading all I can about it on tripadvisor etc it seemed the best option for me at least.

http://www.drive4fun.info

I was going to book with sixt or one of the bigger companies but when you add on their excess insurance costs etc it makes it very expensive. Plus I wanted a slightly larger car because we will have a child's buggy and associated stuff

I don't want to have to worry about that kind of stuff on holiday or keep 1600 euro free on a credit card and then claim it back after if you have your own hire car insurance.

Just booked 2 weeks with drive4fun at the end of july. A Class D for €560.
thanks

yqtwqxqm

Car is the only way to go on the Algarve. Public transport is awfully limited.

Best I could get for Type D, 2 weeks in july (15 days Sunday to Sunday) fuel returned as received, pick up at the airport and motorway tag, airport charge etc. is €285 with zitauto so going with them. I'll call them to confirm it again in the morning. I expect to get another few euro off then too.
I rang them to haggle and they dropped from their original email quote of €390 to that €285. (always, always ring and haggle with Portuguese car hire companies. Their email quote is just a starting price).

drive4fun were email quoting me almost €500 for the exact same thing, I could only haggle it down to €430, so no good.

Bananaleaf

yqtwqxqm wrote: »

Car is the only way to go on the Algarve. Public transport is awfully limited.

Best I could get for Type D, 2 weeks in july (15 days Sunday to Sunday) fuel returned as received, pick up at the airport and motorway tag, airport charge etc. is €285 with zitauto so going with them. I'll call them to confirm it again in the morning. I expect to get another few euro off then too.
I rang them to haggle and they dropped from their original email quote of €390 to that €285. (always, always ring and haggle with Portuguese car hire companies. Their email quote is just a starting price).

drive4fun were email quoting me almost €500 for the exact same thing, I could only haggle it down to €430, so no good.

Can I ask - what is the car for? What kind of trips are you talking? I've been looking at Algarve and from what I could see publict transportw would work out well for us, but wondering now.

bladespin

We went last year, just the two of us, but this year we're bringing the kids as we thought Albufeira was brilliant and was well suited to a family holiday. We picked a village called Alte about 20 miles from Albifuera to stay in, hotel was lovely, the area was nice, quiet and typically old school Portugal, loved it but likewise I had read the public transport system was quite good however this should come with a small proviso - it's good around the main resorts but not outside them, the village we stayed in was served by one bus to Faro in the morning and nothing else, eventually we got the bus to Faro, tried to find another to the airport without success; couldn't figure the different hubs scattered around Faro so got a taxi to the airport where we picked up a car. This really transformed the holiday, it's a beautiful (and reasonably small) country to go sightseeing/trips to various beaches and parks.

freedominacup

Jocelynel wrote: »

we hire a car every year in portugal so try these 2....

http://www.economycarhire.com

or if you ring zitauto on 00351 289 315559, we find they are usually the cheapest plus no swipe of your visa card!

+1 on zitauto. Using them for ten years. Great company to deal with. Very easygoing. Cars never brand new but we've never had any trouble.

bladespin

Jocelynel wrote: »

we hire a car every year in portugal so try these 2....

http://www.economycarhire.com

or if you ring zitauto on 00351 289 315559, we find they are usually the cheapest plus no swipe of your visa card!

Thanks to all who posted, went witheconomy in the end, saved over €175 compared to the web rental search engines, drive4fun were very good too.

Really looking forward to it now, roll on July. :cool:

uck51js9zml2yt

bladespin wrote: »

Thanks to all who posted, went witheconomy in the end, saved over €175 compared to the web rental search engines, drive4fun were very good too.

Really looking forward to it now, roll on July. :cool:

I found economy dearer than drive4fun.

Also booked a group 1 car seat for 25 for ybe 2 weeks which I couldn't say no to.

Gatica

Thought would be interesting to have a dedicated car rental thread similar to the Airport Tips and Tricks. Someone mentioned on that thread to stay away from Goldcar. I looked it up and sure enough heaps of articles warning of their scams. Sooooo.....

We've only used car hire in the US:

Avis (USA Western States) through Car Del Mar broker - All Inclusive Gold full coverage with extra driver and full tank, any excess to be refunded by Car Del Mar. Good value, no need for CDW from local renter Avis. Quick and easy without pushy staff.
Budget through eBookers - included 1 extra driver, CDW with 0 excess. We scratched the car when parking it, no issues on declaring it to the returns desk and there was no contact required or any charges made to us.
Dollar - can't remember the agreement, but it would've been with CDW and extra driver. Easy rental and returns. Pointed out scratches to be noted on agreement before driving off, no issues. Forgot coat in the boot of the car, that couldn't recover as they'd rented out the car almost immediately on return.

So that's our experiences. Happy to recommend any of the above we'd used. No one was pushy with extra cover. It was offered and we declined. Staff was always friendly and professional. All were for roughly 4-5 days at around 170 Euro for compact 4-5 door car.

razorblunt

Yes, another -1 for Goldcar, avoid like the plague. I try and stick to the bigger companies now (get decent deals with Avis through my BA AmEx, that's a lot of name dropping!).

With regards the extra cover, what's the best way around that?

Diemos

I've rented a LOT of cars.

I always try to book as cheap as possible so I walk a fine line between price and quality of service.

Tips: Shop around online, for the best prices. - obvi

Buy full to full fuel package.
Return empty is a fallacy - it'll cost you money.
If you need something like sat nav, snow chains / winter tyres, do NOT ask for them at the counter, very often they'll be in the car. If they are not then just pop back into the desk and ask (pay) for them. It's a little gamble but it will cost you nothing.

Lastly, it's nice to be nice. You are dealing with people who have a busy job and get a bit of agro. A smile and a thank you cost nothing. If there is an upgrade going, who would you give it to, the up beat friendly person or the one self entitled one, huffing and muttering every 2 minutes?

Here are my experiences:

Goldcar - I can't say this strongly enough. AVOID. Think Ryanair in their 'we hate our customers' hey day. The thing is, they are slightly cheaper than most so everyone goes for them. Then everyone argues with them when they sting you with every charge they can. This leaves MASSIVE queues as each customer spends 20 to 30 minutes at the desk. The first (and last) time I used them, we queued for over 2 hours in Malaga airport just to get the keys, the fees (€110 for a tank of fuel in a Fiesta, if I remember properly) cost way more than the car rental itself. Every time I've flown into Spain or Portugal since I just stroll past that queue thankful that I'll never make that mistake again.

I've only dealt with Sixt once and it was not good, I got a new polo that could barely make it up a hill, unable to hit 100K on a motorway, it felt dangerous to be frank. Then they double charged me and it took me weeks to get it sorted. They only responded when I informed them that I was going to dispute the entire transaction with my credit card company. They generally get better reviews than Goldcar, who seem to be universally trounced, but my experience was a bad one.

I've rented with all the known companies at this stage, Alamo, Thirfty, Europcar, Hertz, Dollar, Maggiore, and they've all been fine, the only one that really stood out to me was Enterprise in Dublin airport. They were great.

If you are getting a late flight, make sure that your car rental company is still open, I've arrived in Italy at 10pm, picked up my bags only to find out that the rental had closed 15 minutes earlier.

My experience regarding the USA, unlike Europe where they hand you the keys at the desk, in the US you get your keys beside the car, if you fancy an upgrade, this is the place to ask for it. I was offered an upgrade at the front desk, I politely declined, in the car park, I was offered the same upgrade again but this time for 75% less.

Full Car insurance......that's a gamble.
I try to get full cover if I can, it's just less hassle.
But to date I've had:

My car keyed in the US (I took the upgrade to a Camaro

) poor Cammy

Someone crashed into the car in a ski resort in France, the car was parked at the time, we only saw the damage (passenger door pushed in) the morning we were leaving.
Had bumpers scratched and car doors whacked into the side of my car leaving marks in the UK, Italy, Spain.

J.pilkington

I recommend argus car hire, they are a broker so always the cheapest prices, used them about 20 times and no issues. Used to have a hertz gold card but after i didn't qualify for renewal one year I did the maths and you really do end up paying a fair whack of money to be loyal.

If you rent a few times a year take out the annual excess insurance cover, AXA have a good offering, costs about €50 and you avoid having to take out the rental companies excess insurance (their standard excess is usually €1k) which can be as high as €35 per day

athtrasna

J.pilkington wrote: »

I recommend argus car hire, they are a broker so always the cheapest prices, used them about 20 times and no issues. Used to have a hertz gold card but after i didn't qualify for renewal one year I did the maths and you really do end up paying a fair whack of money to be loyal.

If you rent a few times a year take out the annual excess insurance cover, AXA have a good offering, costs about €50 and you avoid having to take out the rental companies excess insurance (their standard excess is usually €1k) which can be as high as €35 per day

Another Argus fan. Their deals quite often include a full tank of fuel making them even cheaper!

Tigerandahalf

It is one of the things I really find a pain when travelling and if you don't do your research you will get stung.

I really think the EU need to crack down on companies and introduce some law to force them to be upfront with their charges and what they can/ can't charge for.

Tripadvisor is always well worth checking for rental car recommendations in the area you are travelling to. There may be smaller local companies that will offer better value and service.

dohouch

Last week got charged a supplement in Spain of €4 a day for I diesel I didn't want. ( Guess the company! ). It's actually ironic as normally I want a diesel in Spain and can't always get one,:( as I normally go for the burn

( 2,500km in 10 days avg ). But this time I it was only for 3 days and knew my mileage (or kilometrage or kiloage ) would be low, was 960 km. Petrol cars tend to quieter and smoother, have had some high performance diesels, but they're generally a bit rough IMHO, no offence intended to diesel aficionados:).

BailMeOut

I always use Nova Car Hire and been using them for 10-15 years in Ireland, USA, and many European countries. You get really good rates and the cars are always with one of the big car hire companies. So 20+ rentals from them and zero issues.

Brudy

For some time I have used a broker called doyouspain to hire cars at Malaga airport. In the last year I see huge changes and the car hire companies are quoting low rental charges in the hope of selling expensive addons when you go to them. More troubling is the attempt some of them make to charge you on return of car for alleged damage caused by you. I have had this fraudulent experience 3 times in last year. On each occasion they attempt to charge for damages they maintain was caused during the rental despite the fact that the damage was there when the rental commenced. I always photograph the car at commencement of rental as proof of existing damage but this does not always protect you. Be aware and be careful or you will be taken advantage of. Rental companies to be on the look out for are Record Go and Del Paso. Remember if the price of rental looks too good to be true then it surely is .

Del2005

Brudy wrote: »

For some time I have used a broker called doyouspain to hire cars at Malaga airport. In the last year I see huge changes and the car hire companies are quoting low rental charges in the hope of selling expensive addons when you go to them. More troubling is the attempt some of them make to charge you on return of car for alleged damage caused by you. I have had this fraudulent experience 3 times in last year. On each occasion they attempt to charge for damages they maintain was caused during the rental despite the fact that the damage was there when the rental commenced. I always photograph the car at commencement of rental as proof of existing damage but this does not always protect you. Be aware and be careful or you will be taken advantage of. Rental companies to be on the look out for are Record Go and Del Paso. Remember if the price of rental looks too good to be true then it surely is .

If there's damage on the car get it noted by the company before leaving the compound, no point in taking pictures if you don't inform the company when taking them.

It is a good idea to take pictures when leaving if there isn't an inspection done by a company employee.

[Deleted User]

Hi, I'm planning on hiring a car in Italy in a few weeks.
I have never done this before, so could anyone explain the insurance to me?
I pay extra for insurance with the hire company, is that correct? On top of the price of hiring the car?
What are these extras they try to make you buy?
Is the cover fully comp?
Sorry, it's my first time & I don't want to look clueless!

BailMeOut

bubblypop wrote: »

Hi, I'm planning on hiring a car in Italy in a few weeks.
I have never done this before, so could anyone explain the insurance to me?
I pay extra for insurance with the hire company, is that correct? On top of the price of hiring the car?
What are these extras they try to make you buy?
Is the cover fully comp?
Sorry, it's my first time & I don't want to look clueless!

when you rent a car all insurance required will be included. The extras that people talk about is usually 'excess' insurance which means you basically insure your deducible should you damage the car. This can be quite high and anywhere from €500 to €2000+ depending on who you rent from.

So without excess the car hire company will put a hold on your credit card for this amount and if you damage your car will take up to this amount for repairs. It annoys everyone as excess insurance is usually quite expensive and a bit of a gamble if you do not get it.

You can also get third party excess insurance (google it) which is so much cheaper but the car hire company will still put a hold on your cc for the excess amount until you return the car which can be a problem if your cc limit is low and you intend using it while on holidays.

Tigerandahalf

BailMeOut wrote: »

You can also get third party excess insurance (google it) which is so much cheaper but the car hire company will still put a hold on your cc for the excess amount until you return the car which can be a problem if your cc limit is low and you intend using it while on holidays.

Will the hold on the credit card actually affect your limit for that month?

I would have thought it would only be an issue if they actually took the money from the credit card. Otherwise you probably wouldn't be able to use the credit card.

Gatica

Always read the T&Cs, depending on where you hire different things will be included as part of the minimum legal requirement, e.g. in California they cannot charge you more excess than $500, so paying extra for excess insurance may not be worth it for example.
Also, very often minimal insurance only covers third party damage, so if the car is damaged or stolen you could be liable for the full cost of damages, towing charges and loss of rental fees. Some car liability cover will not include tires, rims, roof and windows, so check for this. Loss of keys is another one to check for, and roadside assistance.
Additional things that you may not need are medical insurance while in the vehicle (travel insurance IMO should cover this), personal effects insurance (e.g. your property stolen from a locked car).

Gatica

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Will the hold on the credit card actually affect your limit for that month?

I would have thought it would only be an issue if they actually took the money from the credit card. Otherwise you probably wouldn't be able to use the credit card.

Yes, it will. They block that amount in case they need to charge it and you won't be able to use it. Not much good to them if you've maxed your cr card and they can't charge you to it. Also takes a couple of days for the block to be lifted.

Tigerandahalf

Gatica wrote: »

Yes, it will. They block that amount in case they need to charge it and you won't be able to use it. Not much good to them if you've maxed your cr card and they can't charge you to it. Also takes a couple of days for the block to be lifted.

Would they not still be able to charge.
I have gone over my limit before and the transaction wasn't stopped. I was simply charged an overlimit fee by the bank. I think it was €7.

BailMeOut

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Would they not still be able to charge.
I have gone over my limit before and the transaction wasn't stopped. I was simply charged an overlimit fee by the bank. I think it was €7.

would depend on your cc and what the transaction was. If you are trying to pay for a large hotel bill at the end of a holiday and the rental car company had most of your limit tied up you could be in for some bother.

naughtysmurf

For the Canary Islands I use Cicar or Cabrera Medina, both the same company really, you can book online & pay cash for the rental, no credit card needed, fully covered, no excess

For Orlando FL, always use uscarhire.com, low deposit, full insurance CDW, SLI, UMP, you can cancel & amend for no charge, as you have pre paid everything in Euro there is no hard sell at the airport, the only thing the agent can flog you is a toll pass which most people don't need, GPS or child seat, you can bypass the desk anyway using the self service kiosks (Alamo & National)

flikflak

After many years of renting in Europe and using whoever was the cheapest I only tend to use Avis now as I can add air miles to by account with them. I am a preferred member and always get a free additional driver too.

I like the fact that as a preferred member (nothing special just a loyalty club) my keys are waiting for me when I arrive and it takes minutes to pick up my car without being at the desk for ages going through all the extras and things you have to endure with cheaper companies. Tank is always full to return full. Also the fact they you simply return the keys, there is a quick look over the vehicle and you are gone. There is none of this going over it with a fine tooth comb looking for any tiny scratch that may be there.

I have seen car hire in Europe for €5 a day. I dread to think what they are going to try and sell you at the desk and make you purchase once you are there. It may be €5 initially but I bet by the time you add everything up (insurance, fuel, on airport pick up charge - I have even seen fees for returning the car!!) I bet its not that much more than if you are a member of a bigger companies loyalty club and have booked with a member code.

Speculator

We've used CompareTravel.ie a few times, its a car rental comparison website.

Never had any issues.

cullenswood

Any one use Record Car Rentals out of Alicante recently? Am using them in July.