Car Hire

Whether you are in the UK or on holiday, hiring a car will require a good knowledge of all the general guidelines. There are a huge number of car hire companies available in both the UK and around the globe. It is very important that the person hiring the car understands the country’s policies as well as those policies of the car rental company prior to renting a car.

There are a lot of different policies and regulations which relate to car hire. Both the car hirer and the hire agency will have their own responsibilities. These would include: hire policies concerning the insurance coverage, the driver policies (includes things like DMV check, towing, additional drivers, non-licensed renters, traffic violations & parking tickets, and other related areas), rental policies, location policies, reservation policies and the vehicle policies (includes things like accidents and injuries, seat belts, off road driving, information about the vehicle and border crossing.) Each one of these policies will have an extensive sub-policy like car liability and the property damage protection, loss damage waiver, group insurance, personal accident insurance, personal effects protection, theft protection and the public liability based under the coverage policies.

The main points that should be considered when hiring a car are: the length of the rental period, the conditions for hiring the vehicle, the rental rates (daily, inclusive rates, convention rates, prepay rates, extra days), the maximum and minimum rental period, conditions for refunds, rental extensions, rental agreements and the policies relating to the return of the vehicle. A few car rental agencies will supply other services like: emergency roadside help/accident reports, the parking at the rental locations, a shuttle bus service, child safety seats, ski racks, roof racks, snow tyres/chains etc.

Other points that need to be looked at when hiring a car are the different fees, rates and charges that are applicable. The fees may include an additional driver fee, airport concession recovery fees, an advance booking fee, drop off fees, late charges/overtime fees, congestion charges, location fees, value added tax, service fees, vehicle license charges, surcharges, weekly rates, weekend rates, time and mileage fees and so on. Now and then, the car hirer could also get certain discount rates from some car hire companies. A few rental companies will also give monthly rates and a free mileage allowance if the hire car is rented for a certain length of time, like between 28 to 59 days.

A lot of car hire programs are classified generally as either individual travel or business travel. The car hire company will have a number of different offers for various types of customers. These offers would include things like corporate programs, business benefit programs, group and events programs, association programs and meeting and conventions programs. They will also supply a variety of different types of vehicle for various purposes. In other words the car hire company will supply vehicles like economy, luxury, mini, standard, premium, intermediate, SUVs, minivans/MPVs, and compact vehicles.

When collecting the rental car the hirer should be aware of a few points. Firstly they should look over the car for any signs of obvious damage which is not showing on the paperwork. They will need to check - the outside of the car for any minor damage such as dents and scratches. They should look at the most likely areas such as the doors and bumpers; the inside of the car for any tears and stains as well as the boot; make sure that the brakes, headlights & indicators are working properly; that the windscreen wipers, doors and latches, electric windows, radio and the heating are working properly; the tyre pressures, oil and water levels are ok; that the petrol tank is at the level for which it is stated on the contract and that the car's manual is in the car in case it is needed.

If any faults are found that are not highlighted on the car rental paperwork, the hirer should tell the rental company straight away. If this is not possible, they should photograph the damage so that at least they have a record of it.

After they have completed these checks, they should double check the paperwork and ensure that the registration plate of the car matches that on the paperwork and also make sure that they have got all contact numbers needed in case they breakdown or have an accident.