Vehicle Hire queries

abarkie · 26-03-2017 9:52pm

They might be cheaper until you get to the desk

Then they will inform you that you must take their insurance

They will charge you for a full tank

Wouldn't ever use them again

ollaetta · 26-03-2017 10:10pm

In a word, AVOID! Rip off merchants.

wonski · 26-03-2017 10:12pm

Rating and reviews are there for a reason.

No experience with them, but look for a more reputable company if not sure.

ted1 · 26-03-2017 11:13pm

Avoid, cheaper place she tend to hit you with loads of hidden charges and high excess so that they force you to take over priced insurance

Lia_lia · 27-03-2017 10:51pm

Can anyone recommend a good company to rent a car from Pisa Airport? Enterprise seem to be fairly cheap...but I do worry that they are cheap!

Lima Golf · 27-03-2017 11:07pm

I used firefly in Glasgow airport recently. I found them far cheaper compared to other companies there. They do have a 200km per day limited mileage policy but wasn't a problem for me as we were staying fairly local. They upgraded me to a much nicer car than I I originally booked. I rent a lot at that airport and will certainly be using firefly in future. Very quick pick up and drop off and no hard sell on the extras.

from_atozinc · 06-04-2017 11:26pm

Hi

Heading to Portugal in June. Flying in to Faro Airport and staying a 30 minute drive from airport.

It will be me, the wife and kids - both under 4.

Looking for a small estate type car with 2 car seats for the children.

Can anyone recommend a company for this purpose which don't cost me a fortune ?

shrek008 · 06-04-2017 11:30pm

from_atozinc wrote: »

Hi

Heading to Portugal in June. Flying in to Faro Airport and staying a 30 minute drive from airport.

It will be me, the wife and kids - both under 4.

Looking for a small estate type car with 2 car seats for the children.

Can anyone recommend a company for this purpose which don't cost me a fortune ?

Give Ann Hamill in Mullingar a call, i find them very good. Hamill's car hire.

jaymzc30 · 07-04-2017 8:46am

Hi does anyone know if it is possible to hire a car here and travel to uk on holiday. Or is it cheaper to fly and hire car in uk..

Quazzie · 07-04-2017 8:49am

jaymzc30 wrote: »

Hi does anyone know if it is possible to hire a car here and travel to uk on holiday. Or is it cheaper to fly and hire car in uk..

Taking into account the cost of the ferry, it might work out better to do the latter, but this is dependent on when you're travelling, time of year, etc

from_atozinc · 07-04-2017 9:20am

shrek008 wrote: »

Give Ann Hamill in Mullingar a call, i find them very good. Hamill's car hire.

Thanks, do they give decent rates?

schemingbohemia · 07-04-2017 11:24am

Not all hire companies will allow you take it out of the country - even going into the North can void some agreements. Better to fly and hire there.

uck51js9zml2yt · 07-04-2017 11:25am

we used drive4fun.info lat year and found them really good. They work out of the car park at the airport.

from_atozinc · 07-04-2017 11:26am

Makai Incalculable Mushroom wrote: »

we used drive4fun.info lat year and found them really good. They work out of the car park at the airport.

thanks, would rather something in the airport, with kids and prams etc its a bit of a pain.

EverythingGood · 07-04-2017 11:29am

from_atozinc wrote: »

Hi

Heading to Portugal in June. Flying in to Faro Airport and staying a 30 minute drive from airport.

It will be me, the wife and kids - both under 4.

Looking for a small estate type car with 2 car seats for the children.

Can anyone recommend a company for this purpose which don't cost me a fortune ?

Centauro are brilliant, what you pay is what you pay, no extra's, no hard sell on extra's. Great customer service, good range of cars. We've used them in Protugal and Spain.

from_atozinc · 07-04-2017 11:31am

EverythingGood wrote: »

Centauro are brilliant, what you pay is what you pay, no extra's, no hard sell on extra's. Great customer service, good range of cars. We've used them in Protugal and Spain.

What do you mean by no extra's though

As in, the cost of renting the car is not high i.e. you dont pay them extra money for better insurance, meaning that if something does happen you have to pay out a high excess

EverythingGood · 07-04-2017 12:05pm

from_atozinc wrote: »

What do you mean by no extra's though

As in, the cost of renting the car is not high i.e. you dont pay them extra money for better insurance, meaning that if something does happen you have to pay out a high excess

The website is clear and concise and you will see exactly what you get and what you need. The agents won't try to sell you stuff that you don't need, as many of the bigger ones, like Hertz, do. Centauro.com - can't recommend them highly enough. Simple to use the website, good prices, great service.

colm_mcm · 07-04-2017 12:06pm

I used FaroCar. Found them good.

from_atozinc · 07-04-2017 12:09pm

EverythingGood wrote: »

The website is clear and concise and you will see exactly what you get and what you need. The agents won't try to sell you stuff that you don't need, as many of the bigger ones, like Hertz, do. Centauro.com - can't recommend them highly enough. Simple to use the website, good prices, great service.

Thanks, which leads to my next question.

Is it always a good idea to pay the extra insurance costs?

Also, do most companies ask for a security deposit of 1000 Euro plus on your credit card ? (bit annoying seeing as you may need to use the credit card on holiday and then it will have 1000 Euro or more on it)

what_traffic · 07-04-2017 12:17pm

Check out SIXT, a bit more expensive but straight up to deal with. Was there 3 weeks ago, ordered automatic Golf, they offered to upgrade to a pretty much brand new Mercedes E Class Estate at the desk. Did not need such a big car, they gave me Audi A4 automatic instead.

stimpson · 07-04-2017 12:45pm

what_traffic wrote: »

Check out SIXT, a bit more expensive but straight up to deal with. Was there 3 weeks ago, ordered automatic Golf, they offered to upgrade to a pretty much brand new Mercedes E Class Estate at the desk. Did not need such a big car, they gave me Audi A4 automatic instead.

That often happens when you order an auto. The problem is that many times the auto is 2-3 times the price of a manual.

I've used drive4fun in Faro twice before. Last time was Â£160 for 8 days in a Seat Ibiza in high season, including full CDW (no excess). Fuel policy was full to full which is great.

If you don't get full CDW with no excess a separate policy with carhireexcess.com or similar can save you a fortune. If you have an accident you have to pay the excess to the hire company, but can claim back from carhireexcess.com afterwards. It's usually around â‚¬25 a week.

uck51js9zml2yt · 07-04-2017 12:46pm

from_atozinc wrote: »

thanks, would rather something in the airport, with kids and prams etc its a bit of a pain.

They are in the car park at the airport. its a 2 minute walk from the door.

from_atozinc · 07-04-2017 12:58pm

stimpson wrote: »

That often happens when you order an auto. The problem is that many times the auto is 2-3 times the price of a manual.

I've used drive4fun in Faro twice before. Last time was Â£160 for 8 days in a Seat Ibiza in high season, including full CDW (no excess). Fuel policy was full to full which is great.

If you don't get full CDW with no excess a separate policy with carhireexcess.com or similar can save you a fortune. If you have an accident you have to pay the excess to the hire company, but can claim back from carhireexcess.com afterwards. It's usually around â‚¬25 a week.

what is CDW?
mmm, so carhireexcess.com is just to do with insurance, nothign to do as such with hiring a car, correct?

stimpson · 07-04-2017 1:11pm

from_atozinc wrote: »

what is CDW?
mmm, so carhireexcess.com is just to do with insurance, nothign to do as such with hiring a car, correct?

Collision Damage Waiver - basically fully comp insurance. Without it you could be hit for several hundred to a couple of thousand for any damage done to the car. The hire company will try to sell you CDW as an extra, but it's likely to be far more expensive than a separate excess insurance policy.

Zillah · 07-04-2017 1:13pm

Sorry to hijack your thread but I'm in the same boat. My question is: is there any limit to when you can collect a car at the airport? I don't think we'll be picking it up until 11pm.

FrKurtFahrt · 07-04-2017 1:20pm

Try Zitauto Rent a Car. They are based in the car park at Faro. I had a few queries and emailed them, everything was answered and I got exactly what I asked for. I've used them twice in the last 6 months, no complaints. info@zitauto.pt.

elperello · 07-04-2017 1:22pm

You should consider the excess insurance policy.

An annual policy will cost you about 50-60 euro.

There are several providers just google car hire excess insurance.

Be aware though that if you don't take the hire company excess policy they may block your credit card for the amount of the excess.
You have to be able to handle that amount not being available (ie. have a high credit limit or second card).

Also if you have damage the hire company will take the money from your card and there will be a delay before your car hire excess insurance company pays out. You need to have the funds to deal with this.

elperello · 07-04-2017 1:24pm

FrKurtFahrt wrote: »

Try Zitauto Rent a Car. They are based in the car park at Faro. I had a few queries and emailed them, everything was answered and I got exactly what I asked for. I've used them twice in the last 6 months, no complaints. info@zitauto.pt.

I usually use the big companies but I have heard good reports about Zitauto. Apparently very straight up and fair.

the_syco · 07-04-2017 1:34pm

Zillah wrote: »

Sorry to hijack your thread but I'm in the same boat. My question is: is there any limit to when you can collect a car at the airport? I don't think we'll be picking it up until 11pm.

Most places allow you to specify a pickup time.

=-=

Have used Blue Insurance in the past to cover the excess that the hire company doesn't. Used them as was recommended to use them, and also good reviews.

elperello wrote: »

Be aware though that if you don't take the hire company excess policy they may block your credit card for the amount of the excess.
You have to be able to handle that amount not being available (ie. have a high credit limit or second card).

On the form, look for the box saying you're using a 3rd party excess, and the line where you input the policy number. Also showed them the info from Blue. Forget the car-hire company, but they were one of the larger ones at Nice (possibly Avis). Fairly sure nothing was held on the card.

from_atozinc · 07-04-2017 1:36pm

stimpson wrote: »

Collision Damage Waiver - basically fully comp insurance. Without it you could be hit for several hundred to a couple of thousand for any damage done to the car. The hire company will try to sell you CDW as an extra, but it's likely to be far more expensive than a separate excess insurance policy.

Thanks

hmmm, so you would insure yourself with a separate company, just thinking aloud, that could end up being tricky if there was an issue maybe. You have an issue with company X and you tell them to contact company Y etc

munchkin_utd · 07-04-2017 1:37pm

MissElle wrote: »

So I applied for my passport online on Monday evening just gone and it's been posted out today! I'm seriously impressed, thought it would take the two weeks at least given that my estimated issue date was the 19th April

well I got my photo manually rejected after being initially accepted, the one i re-submitted was rejected, and now the poxy link doesnt work to upload a better image and they wont answer my messages via the contact form to fix the link.
It says to send a twatter direct message, but do they really really require you to sign up for that sh1te in order to make a query about your passport processing?

am now less than impressed with the service.

from_atozinc · 07-04-2017 1:40pm

elperello wrote: »

You should consider the excess insurance policy.

An annual policy will cost you about 50-60 euro.

There are several providers just google car hire excess insurance.

Be aware though that if you don't take the hire company excess policy they may block your credit card for the amount of the excess.
You have to be able to handle that amount not being available (ie. have a high credit limit or second card).

Also if you have damage the hire company will take the money from your card and there will be a delay before your car hire excess insurance company pays out. You need to have the funds to deal with this.

thanks.
Yeah , this is the pain with the excess stuff on the credit card.

All fine and dandy if nothing goes wrong, but if it does, coudl be tricky.

from_atozinc · 07-04-2017 1:46pm

elperello wrote: »

You should consider the excess insurance policy.

An annual policy will cost you about 50-60 euro.

There are several providers just google car hire excess insurance.

Be aware though that if you don't take the hire company excess policy they may block your credit card for the amount of the excess.
You have to be able to handle that amount not being available (ie. have a high credit limit or second card).

Also if you have damage the hire company will take the money from your card and there will be a delay before your car hire excess insurance company pays out. You need to have the funds to deal with this.

I have travel insurance with VHI multitrip. Would this have any car excess stuff in it maybe? (presume not, that its just for delayed floghts etc)

stimpson · 07-04-2017 1:53pm

from_atozinc wrote: »

Thanks

hmmm, so you would insure yourself with a separate company, just thinking aloud, that could end up being tricky if there was an issue maybe. You have an issue with company X and you tell them to contact company Y etc

Exactly. You have to pay company X (rental company) for the damage with your credit card, but you can then claim that back from company Y (insurer).

The alternative is paying €100+ per week for CDW that you can get for a fraction of that, or to look for a car with full CDW included in the price

elperello · 07-04-2017 1:59pm

VHI multitrip won't cover it.

You will need a separate policy as outlined above.

At the end of the day it's your choice. Take the car hire company policy and pay more for the convenience or get your annual policy and put up with a bit of bother to save money.

Lex Luthor · 07-04-2017 2:26pm

I generally use Europcar when I'm away and have used them twice in the Algarve
Got a Renault Megane estate last time and found it great for space and my needs

coylemj · 07-04-2017 3:54pm

Cars and motor insurance cost less in the UK so rental rates should be less. Then take into account that you'd have to pay to bring the car over and back on the ferry vs. cheap flights to Liverpool or Manchester - I can't see any circumstances where it would make sense. Except......

Relatively unlimited baggage allowance would be the big plus, as well as avoiding all the hassle with airport security etc.

I'd say you'd be allowed take a car into NI all right, in some cases it's unavoidable even if all of your stops are in the south but they may not allow you to bring it across the pond to GB - complications with breakdowns and if you have an accident and have to leave it over there to get fixed etc. etc.

from_atozinc · 07-04-2017 9:38pm

Lex Luthor wrote: »

I generally use Europcar when I'm away and have used them twice in the Algarve
Got a Renault Megane estate last time and found it great for space and my needs

What were prices like though ?

El_Duderino 09 · 07-04-2017 9:49pm

I used Goldcar once in Faro airport and they were a pain in the whole. It was cheap on the internet but lots of extras and hard sell tactics at the desk. Tried to frighten the shyte out if you if you didn't buy the extra insurance form 100 when you pick it up. Plus you pay for the full tank of fuel regardless of how much you use. Once i made it clear that i didn't want the additional extras they were rude and didn't want to help us. Steer clear.

elperello · 07-04-2017 10:37pm

Lex Luthor wrote: »

I generally use Europcar when I'm away and have used them twice in the Algarve
Got a Renault Megane estate last time and found it great for space and my needs

I got one of those from Europcar last year booked through Rentalcars. I was surprised at how good a car it was.
It was from March 2 - 17, 15 days â‚¬155.

from_atozinc · 08-04-2017 10:06am

elperello wrote: »

I got one of those from Europcar last year booked through Rentalcars. I was surprised at how good a car it was.
It was from March 2 - 17, 15 days â‚¬155.

Decent quote. Mine is just way more expensive due to time of year. Below is part of a mail I got back from one of the companies - does this seem reasonable ;

Our offer for Group D- SMALL ESTATE manual car (5 door/5 seats IBIZA SW type with A/C, petrol ) from 17/6/2017 to 5/7/2017 is 400 EUR + 100 EUR for both toddler seats.

Quote includes:
Super Collision Damage Waiver (SCDW) ,AIRPORT TAXES(10€ per rental) ,ZERO EXCESS, unlimited mileage,driving 200 Km across border from Vila Real Sto Antonio-NO FARTHER THAN SEVILLE-FREE OF CHARGE ,additional drivers – minimum age 23 years old (they are automatically added as per our contract agreement note ‘’any driver is allowed to drive the car ’’) – FREE OF CHARGE , fuel level we deliver to you is the same you have to return,break down assistance.

Please note:
We prefer cash payment on arrival;
The insurance do not cover tyres, punctures, damaged or lost keys, damages inside the car and underneath ,wing mirrors , any accident caused by driver under the influence of alcohol or by negligence of the driver( e.g. denting the car while parking, reversing…..)

stimpson · 08-04-2017 10:28am

I used Skyscanner with those dates and found a focus estate for €290

Depending on how old your kids are, these may be an option instead of hiring car seats:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bubblebum-Car-Booster-Seat-Black/dp/B0092MB0O2?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ7T5BOVUVRD2EFYQ&tag=camelreprice-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0092MB0O2

from_atozinc · 08-04-2017 10:38am

stimpson wrote: »

I used Skyscanner with those dates and found a focus estate for €290

Depending on how old your kids are, these may be an option instead of hiring car seats:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bubblebum-Car-Booster-Seat-Black/dp/B0092MB0O2?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ7T5BOVUVRD2EFYQ&tag=camelreprice-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B0092MB0O2

Thanks. Ah the children are still very small yet.

So your quote is saving straight away, but what kind of insurance is in the Sky scanner quote ?

Tigerandahalf · 08-04-2017 11:25am

from_atozinc wrote: »

Decent quote. Mine is just way more expensive due to time of year. Below is part of a mail I got back from one of the companies - does this seem reasonable ;

Our offer for Group D- SMALL ESTATE manual car (5 door/5 seats IBIZA SW type with A/C, petrol ) from 17/6/2017 to 5/7/2017 is 400 EUR + 100 EUR for both toddler seats.

Quote includes:
Super Collision Damage Waiver (SCDW) ,AIRPORT TAXES(10€ per rental) ,ZERO EXCESS, unlimited mileage,driving 200 Km across border from Vila Real Sto Antonio-NO FARTHER THAN SEVILLE-FREE OF CHARGE ,additional drivers – minimum age 23 years old (they are automatically added as per our contract agreement note ‘’any driver is allowed to drive the car ’’) – FREE OF CHARGE , fuel level we deliver to you is the same you have to return,break down assistance.

Please note:
We prefer cash payment on arrival;
The insurance do not cover tyres, punctures, damaged or lost keys, damages inside the car and underneath ,wing mirrors , any accident caused by driver under the influence of alcohol or by negligence of the driver( e.g. denting the car while parking, reversing…..)

That is not a bad quote for what you are getting.
You are into peak season. You are going for 18 days? If the kids are young you will need the proper seats. €100 isn't too bad for 2 seats over 18 days.

Get the full cover. If you run over something on the road and damage the car you will be liable.

For the peace of mind get everything covered.
With young kids you will have enough to worry about.

Tigerandahalf · 08-04-2017 11:32am

You should consider whether or not you will need a car.

Yellowfish transfers offer a very good reasonable service. They will pick you up at the airport, have car seats ready and drop you to your hotel door.
If you are staying in a good location with plenty to do you may not need the car. Plus for a day trip you could also book yellowfish to take kids to the aquarium or whatever, just to get away for a day.

They get very good reviews on tripadvisor.

abff · 08-04-2017 11:36am

Makai Incalculable Mushroom wrote: »

They are in the car park at the airport. its a 2 minute walk from the door.

It's probably closer to 5 minutes walk from the arrivals area. But, I would also recommend Drive4Fun. They are very reasonably priced, easy to deal with and they don't try any funny business when you return the car.

If you're worried about the walk to car park 4, one of you could stay in the terminal while the other one collects the car. You could then drive back to the arrivals area where there's a car park that allows 10 free minutes parking.

drunkmonkey · 08-04-2017 11:37am

I booked a Golf 5 door, second driver (extra 33) and 2 car seats under 4's (36 euro each). Total was 228.28 through the Ryanair website for 11 days, that was Ibiza not Portugal but seemed very reasonable.

08-04-2017 11:40am

stimpson wrote: »

..........but can claim back from carhireexcess.com afterwards. It's usually around â‚¬25 a week.

Or â‚¬50/year

afkasurfjunkie · 08-04-2017 11:43am

Used zitauto back in October and were very happy with the service. €150 for the week and €20 for car seat. Car was only about 4months old and spotless. Renault Clio estate I think. Didn't look for a gps but it was built into the car anyway and very useful.
It was great to have the freedom of a car in the area. It was my first time driving on the continent.
They are located in the car park and dealing with them was very straight forward.
In fact I got a letter from them in Dec, and I thought -here we go, this will be some bill for something but I was delighted to find it was a Christmas card!! With their prices for 2017!!

Tigerandahalf · 08-04-2017 11:43am

drunkmonkey wrote: »

I booked a Golf 5 door, second driver (extra 33) and 2 car seats under 4's (36 euro each). Total was 228.28 through the Ryanair website for 11 days, that was Ibiza not Portugal but seemed very reasonable.

What time of year though?
You definitely won't get a price that cheap that covers all insurance for the summer months.

I think I also booked with drive4fun. Good local company but they are located in a hut in the car park. When we arrived it was pouring out of the heavens and so was a bit of hassle but otherwise very good.

The good thing about getting full insurance is that it is much quicker to leave back the car as no checks need to be done on it.
With young kids and queues through security it makes things that bit easier.

** Vehicle Hire queries **

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Vehicle Hire queries