Cheap car hire article discussion

Michael24

Hi, I've followed the MSE guidance for car hire in the US and can get an intermediate car for £260 for 2 weeks, but do I still have to pay local charges and taxes, it's all very (deliberately) confusing and I don't want to turn up in Florida only to be told I have to pay $500 in local taxes and charges.

Also any advice on getting a child seat, it varies between $7-15 per day on the car hire websites.

NiftyDigits

Michael24 wrote: »

Hi, I've followed the MSE guidance for car hire in the US and can get an intermediate car for £260 for 2 weeks, but do I still have to pay local charges and taxes, it's all very (deliberately) confusing and I don't want to turn up in Florida only to be told I have to pay $500 in local taxes and charges.

Also any advice on getting a child seat, it varies between $7-15 per day on the car hire websites.

Post full instead of vague details, in so that we can check.

zooks

Advice please,
Flying to Gerona 16/7/17 and looking for car hire for 1 week.
Last year we used National (Enterprise) and they were great, full to full, no issues whatsoever. I have just gone to book with them again and the airport office is now closed sundays so I can't!

Who else is trustworthy please?

richardw

zooks wrote: »

..Who else is trustworthy please?

Look at Enterprise, Europcar and Avis.

zooks

Thanks
Enterprise are closed but avis have good prices. Do you know if they make a fuss about having a standalone excess policy or try to give you the hard sell about their own super cover?

richardw

Avis do try and sell their own policy, but it's not a hard sell.

If you say 'no thanks' with a 'you've not go chance of selling that to me' demeanour, they quickly realise and carry on administering your car hire.

sok

Hi all,

A word of warning about GoldCar in Malta. DO NOT USE THEM! I booked through Argus Car Hire recently and inspected the car on collection (notifying the rep of minor damage that they'd failed to put on the release document) yet on return was charged over €750 for alleged damage, both of which would have required a forensic examination to sport yet the rep spotted both within a minute. IQZ-878 was the reg and I doubt if the repair will be done (minor mark that could have been t-cutted and a small crack in the wing mirror indicator).

But also watch out for the excess insurance that arguscarhire sold me (underwritten by Axa). Axa are currently refusing to reimburse part of the claim marked as 'loss of use' claiming it is not covered. There is no mention in 'exclusions' and I believe it is reasonable to assume that I would have purchased the policy to refund any excess I had to pay, including 'loss of use' (which is part of the overall damage cost).

I am taking it further with both Axa and Argus as it could be deemed as an insurance mis-sell ('Peace of Mind' policy). Why would I knowingly buy a policy for 'Peace of Mind' that then doesn't cover me against all loss?

Be careful, as even when you think you have done everything right, something happens that means you need to be even more careful.

beekay1943

Since 1990, I have been visiting Menorca annually and have booked a hire car through various companies, both local and international. For the past ten years or more, I have booked through a couple of brokers (Holiday Autos and DoYouSpain) but I invariably opt for a vehicle from one of the better known car hire companies (Hiper, Budget, Alamo) and avoid those lesser known firms with dubious user comments. I normally comparing quotes from the brokers with quotes directly from the car hire firms' websites and normally the broker can offer substantial savings.

However, this year (2017), I was surprised to find that booking directly with Hiper gave me the best price so it certainly is worth the time in comparing various quotes from both the brokers and the car hire companies direct.

weby72

Hi. I'm after guidance for hiring a car in the UK.


Both my wife & I have cars, but we're taking my parents away for a break and are looking at hiring a 7-seater so we (me, wife, 2 kids, parents) can all fit in the same car.


I've searched the main companies and a couple of comparison sites, but all have this massive price spike for MPV's. Doesn't bear any relation to the actual car cost (around £300+ for 4 days as opposed to around £150 for a comparable-priced car)


I appreciate it's all a case of supply & demand and companies will charge as much as they can get away with, but wondered if anyone could give any tips on hiring these sorts of vehicles to help us try to bring the cost down.


Thanks

richardw

Have you searched at an airport near to you weby72?

I booked a 7 seater MPV and ended up with a 12 seater minibus, apparently bigger is Ok in the car hire ts & Cs.