Jan 05

Car hire terms and conditions – The small print (video)

Please read the terms and conditions applicable to your rental before you book your car

Please be careful and read the terms and conditions applicable to your car rental booking. The most importants are:

  • Mileage – usually every rental comes with unlimited use of the car but some rental companies set a daily limit around 100miles/150km.
  • Damage- Theft Insurance and Excess
  • Fuel policy – the most common the full/full policy but more and more rental company start implement the full/empty  – this can vary between suppliers, vehicles and locations.
  • Optional extras – such as GPS, second driver or child seat

IMPORTANT: These information will prepare you to know every details of your rental before you book and you will bring everything you’ll need to pick up your car. Sometimes these details and small prints seems like a lot to read, but if you read it before you book it can save you a lot of time later.. no surprises at the rental desk.

 

 

Jan 02

Would you like to rent out your own car?

easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou together with lasminute.com founder Brent Hoberman will launch a new scheme in 2012 which will allow people to rent out their own cars. They won’t need anything else just smartphone apps to book slots in their neighbour’s vehicle.They will try this new scheme first in the London area and it will affect approximately 1000 cars.

According to Mr. Haji-Ioannou there are already many under-used cars in London so why not try to rent them out. The cars will be fitted with automatic entry and tracker system so the owners don’t have to be present at the time of the rental.  It will also provide people with greener car hire because according to the plans it could get 10 cars off the road and will also reduce personal car emmissions by 40%. The car sharing scheme is not ready yet but if somebody wants to register he/she can do it on the company’s site.

This is actually not a new phenomenon because another car sharing scheme was already launched in 2010 -it is called WhipCar. It’s also a small business model where people can rent their neighbour’s car from a few hours to weeks. WhipCar accept cars that are no more than 8 years old and have valid MOT, road tax and insurance. They also have to be clean and in good condition. Owners get the rental charges paid into their bank account after WhipCar has deducted its 15% commission.

Not only the owners but the renters also have to register on the site. The company also checks the car’s age and whether they have any convictions. Renters pay the hourly or daily cost plus the fully comprehensive insurance and a charge of £2.50 which goes to WhipCar.

This is a pretty smart idea which not only available for rental cars but for unused items, for parking space or for storing stuff in somebody’s house.

Car hire excess insurance for car sharing too >>

 

Dec 27

Your insurance is not valid here! What!?

Why you should know what your insurance for car hire covers.

John contacted me with his car hire experience in Spain:

“I booked a car with an agent website and it offered an option no excess insurance cover so I opted for it because I wanted a worry free holiday. When I arrived at the desk the rental agent offered me a full cover insurance just a few euro per day. I told him I already have the insurance and showed him the email confirmation. He looked at it for a second and told me: “Sorry but this is not valid in Spain!“ I had no other choice I had to buy the insurance again.
After the rental I contacted the car hire broker to refund my money I paid for the insurance but they refused my claim. What can I do?”

 

John, when you booked a car you purchased a car hire excess reimbursement insurance from an independent insurance provider and not from the car hire company in Spain. I believe it was explained in the insurance’s terms and conditions. Because it wasn’t the car hire company’s own policy the rental agent didn’t know anything about it obviously. This kind of  car hire excess reimbursement insurances are valid worldwide so yours was valid in Spain. Because you signed up for both insurance I think they won’t refund your money unfortunately.

[notice]Please read the car hire excess insurance’s terms and condition carefully before you buy it![/notice]

Dec 19

A car hire horror story in the US

The Dodge Rampage Concept

Recently I came across a very interesting article about a car hire insurance horror story from the US. A gentleman rented a Dodge Ram Dakota pickup from Enterprise car hire company and because he had a Business Visa Card that included rental car damage waiver protection he didn’t want the the extra $19.95-a-day damage insurance offered by Enterprise.

He wasn’t really happy with the pickup truck because it was too big for his very small parking space. Unfortunately when he was manouvering out of his parking space he crashed the rental car. He returned it back immediately and Enterprise told him they will call him with the estimate next they. He thought that there’s about $2,000 worth of repairs needed. Although he didn’t worry much because he had the  rental car damage waiver protection by Visa. He called their customer service where he was informed that he doesn’t qualify for the coverage.

Why? Because certain cars and trucks are not included in rental car insurance coverage and anybody can find this piece of information on Visa’s website:

Excluded worldwide are: expensive, exotic, and antique automobiles; certain vans; vehicles that have an open cargo bed; trucks; motorcycles, mopeds, and motorbikes; limousines; and recreational vehicles.

The same applies for Mastercard:

Excluded: All trucks, pickups, full-size vans mounted on truck chassis, campers, off-road vehicles, and other recreational vehicles; trailers, motorbikes, motorcycles, and any other vehicle having fewer than four wheels; antique vehicles.

 The gentleman in the story said:

I guess the moral of this story is that you should never assume your insurance policy covers you in all scenarios. Whether it’s auto, health, home or life insurance, make sure you know the ins and outs of your coverage. And even if you think you’ll never get into an accident, plan for it. Don’t be the $2,000 idiot I was and assume you’re covered.

Finally he got a bill for $3,700. He will definitely learn from his mistake.

 Car hire excess insurance >>

 

Dec 12

Electric rental cars in Paris

More and more countries offer electric rental cars which not only protecting the environment but saving money too. In Paris they’ve just recently introduced a very modern electric car rental scheme where customers can drive away from 1200 parking spots all over the French capital.

Car rental subscription cost €10 per day or €15 per week and an annual subscription is €144 and for this price the customers can use the electric rental cars for only €5/half an hour each time. Paris wants to persuade people to use a rental car instead of owning one. High insurance and parking prices already forced French people to cut back on car usage.

The little four seater blue cars will have a range of 250km between before a recharge which will take 4 hours. Similar projects already exist in the US and in different European countries too – ie. in Germany, Belgium -Zen car project and in Switzerland too.

In Brussels for example  people can rent these smart, 100% electric cars in 15 different places which can be booked online or over the phone.

Car hire excess insurance for the Christmas Holiday too >>

Dec 07

What insurance do you need when you rent a car

Our Rental Car

Recently I read a very good article about car hire insurances written by Gill Charlton on the the Telegraph.

She writes about the prices car rental franchises offer to their customers. We can experience that car rental prices are pretty low but are they really?

You can get a rental car for a very good price but what about the excess charges or the towing charges, not even mention the damage to tyres and window repairs and the sky high priced insurance offered by the rental agents at the rental desk.

You have to pay for the CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) or LDW (Loss Damage waiver), for the TP (Theft Protection). The interesting thing is that they are not even insurances but they are waivers that limit your liability when the rental car is damaged or stolen.

Excess can be really high too – £1500. You can even reduce the excess to zero however you’ll end up paying £15/day by buying the Super CDW at the rental desk.

If you haven’t paid enough at the rental desk then there’s more to come. Have you heard about the PAI (Personal Accident Insurance) which is another very expensive insurance to pay. It’s basically covers the customer in case of personal accident or death in an accident in the rental car. You’re probably covered for this anyway by your travel insurance or by your credit card but it’s always advisable to check in advance.

Another good piece of advice to always read the rental agreement because rental agents for for commission and they usually try to sneak in extra insurances too when you pick up your rental car.

Car hire excess insurance will help you to reduce your car rental costs and will also save you a lot of money on your next car rental.

Dec 01

Best car hire company – Which is the best car rental company?

 

Best car hire company – Which is the best car rental company?

Best car hire companies? Which is the best car rental company to rent from with a good reputation?

The answer most likely depends on your personal needs.

If you start reading reviews on website ie. reviewcenter.com you will find out soon every rental company is “bad”.

Which means every single rental company has a low rating review listed on the site. If we wanted to rent from a company which has only 5 star reviews on the internet we should have to walk..

There are award winner car hire companies, international companies, local car hire companies and even smaller operators with only few cars.

Any of these can give you the best rental experience ever or you could have a problem with any of them.

For the best rental experience you have to do the following:

– Read and understand what’s included in the price displayed.

– Choose the right size of car for your group and bags.

– Make sure you will have the right insurance cover. If you don’t want to risk paying the insurance excess in case of accident you can usually buy an extra car hire insurance cover from the rental company or an independent car rental insurance provider such as insurance4carhire.com

– Watch for the fuel policy. Some company operate a full-empty policy which means you have to pay for a full tank of petrol even if you don’t use it all. They charge 10-20% more for the fuel what you would pay at the petrol station.

– When you pick up the car read the rental agreement carefuly even if you are tired after the trip pay a minute attention what you are signing. Make sure you don’t buy something you don’t want.

–Inspect the car before you drive off if something not marked on the agreement make sure they put it on because later it can save you a lot of problem.

– When you drop off the car leave time to the rental agent to inspect the car. Some times they want to inspect the car later without you but that is something you don’t want. Make sure they check the car while you are still there.

– If any problem comes up try to sort it out before you leave. If you leave it later when you got home that will make a lot harder to solve the problem.

I think the most common problem is the clients don’t understand what they are signing for and don’t know exactly what the rental price is included. If you never rented a car before it is worth a time the read everything before you book your rental. It can save you time and money. It also worth to buy a car hire insurance policy.

My personal best is Hertz but I also rented from Alamo, Enterprise and Budget with a really good experience. I hired a car from a small rental company too and they gave me an excellent service.

 

Nov 24

Car hire brokers

What is the best manner in renting a car, through a broker site or direct with a car rental company?

Car hire brokers are common use when travelers are renting a car. They act as intermediaries between customers and car rental companies.
They usually take a small deposit from customers send them a voucher with the rental details and they can pick up the car from the appointed supplier.

Because car rental brokers “buy in bulk” they have buying power and the same rental can be 10-50% cheaper than renting direct with the rental company.

There are at least 50 different car rental broker companies you can use ie.Autoeurope, easyCar, Arguscarhire, Economycarrental.

They use the biggest international rental companies and also local companies as their partners. When you book with them usually you will pick up the car from the biggest rental companies ie. Avis, Europcar.

If there is an issue with the rental you have to deal with the brokers and they can help you but it could take some time.

You can rent of course from a rental company directly usually without any payment. But if you prepay the full rental fee in advance at the time of the booking you can get a 5-10% discount from the rental price.

The biggest international rental companies are Hertz, Avis, National, Europcar, Sixt.

If  you book a car with a broker or a car rental company you still have to read the rental conditions carefully. Make sure you understand what kind of insurance is included in the price and if is still excess to pay in case of an accident.

At the time of the pick up also read the rental agreement before you sign it. If you are in doubt ask the representative to explain it to you.

 

 

Nov 21

Excess Insurance for Car hire in the holiday season

The holiday season arrives soon and you may need a rental car. If you live in the US you may consider to buy excess insurance for your car hire. You can read hundreds of reviews on many consumer sites which can tell you not to buy this insurance but you may consider it when it comes to car rental.

I assume you have auto insurance with collision and comprehensive coverage then you think that this will cover your rental car too but here are 3 reasons to buy excess insurance for car rental:

  1.  If  you want to drive the rental car out of the country you may need excess insurance because your current insurance does not meet the limit. It’s always advisable to check it in advance.
  2. There are many states in the US that won’t pay “loss of use” when it comes to the loss of rental fees while the car is in the shop for repairs. You need to be careful with this too.
  3. Coverage for personal effects is really important too especially when most of us travel with expensive laptops, iPhones and digital cameras. If you have homeowners or renters insurance  then you don’t have any problem because the form that includes replacement value coverage for personal property, then your current insurance should cover this. But many people have increased their deductibles to $1000 or more to offset rising insurance costs. If you are in that position, you have to pay for losses up to the amount of the deductible. So that would cost a lost when you don’t have excess insurance for car hire.So keep these tips in mind because they can definitely save you some money when something happens. Remember, always expect the unexpected!
Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505146_162-57322485/why-you-need-rental-car-insurance/
 

Nov 15

Excess insurance for car sharing

Car sharing is not a new phenomenon – many people use car sharing service around the world, one of them called Zipcar which is a US based company.

What is car sharing?
You can basically book a car online or over the phone 24/7 every day. You can make your reservation minutes or up to 1 year in advance. Zipcar also offer an iPhone and Android application which makes car sharing even more easier. You can honk the horn to locate a Zipcar and unlock the doors too. You need to be a member – a so called “Zipster” – to use the Zipcard.

What kind of insurance is included in car sharing?
Zipcar also provides $300,000 per accident in liability coverage, the driver must be over 21. According to their policy: “Members at fault are responsible for the first $750 of costs related to the repair, recovery, and loss of use of any Zipcar vehicle.”

If you want excess insurance for car sharing you can get that too. The Annual Car Club Excess Insurance is a “must” have when you use car sharing  clubs.

Unlike many of the insurance policies offered by car clubs themselves, our excess insurance removes your excess all together instead of just reducing it to a lower amount.

For only £39.99 you’ll get additional peace of mind.

The main advantages of the Annual Car Club Excess Insurance:

  • £2,000 Excess Cover (£1,000 single incident limit)
  • Covers excess damage to windscreens, tyres, roof and undercarriage
  • Covers Car Club Members only (Joint & or Partner Members included)
  • Covers Accredited Car Clubs in London and other major cities
  • No distance (mileage) restrictions from vehicle “pod”
  • Multi-trip policy – take as many trips as you want!
  • 30 Day Continuous Cover on any one use of the Car Club vehicle
  • Price includes Insurance Premium Tax (IPT)

Get Annual Car Club Excess Insurance by clicking the banner below: