Renting a car instead of buying

JJ70_2

Hello all. I have found myself in a position of not needing to keep a car. I don't need it to drive to work, I get groceries delivered and I live in a place with good public tranport links, and finally I have 2 bicycles.

My car is almost 9 years old and is starting to go wrong, so the garage bills are adding up, put on top of that the insurance, petrol, tax etc I just think there is no point in me keeping a car.

The only times I would want one is maybe once or twice a year for holidays/family get togethers. I was considering getting a rental car for these times.

My question is - what should I be looking out for? I've only ever hired a van when I've had my car, ie have had insurance. How does it all work? What are the pitfalls?

Any advice appreciated.

optimus_primera

same as hiring a van, choose what size you need, and shop around.
Used to be in the same(ish) position as yourself, used to hire a car a few times a yr, used the same place as although not always the cheapest, they had what i wanted, they were within walking distance and after using them a few times they used to give aa extra days hire for free......... just need to check on insurances and breakdown cover.

JJ70_2

wow - thanks for the v quick reply

You said check on insurance and breakdown ... does that come bundled in with the hire? What would I be needing to check on?

(Sorry to sound thick!)

mikey72

Windscreen and tyre damage tend to be excluded from the hire insurance now. So it can be costly.

DavidHayton

Every car that I have ever rented has come with full breakdown cover, but optimus primera may have other experiences.

As for insurance cover, 3rd party will always be included. Loss or damage to the vehicle itself is covered by something called Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) or Collision Damage Waiver (CDW). This is also usually included, though you can decline it if you have a separate policy to cover these risks. However, watch for huge excesses on the CDW. Last car I rented came with a £1200 excess. They then offer you extra supplementary cover to reduce this to something sensible like £100. These supplementary policies can can be shockingly expensive - £10 per day is typical (in only 120 days you will pay £1200, damage or no damage :eek:). However, brokers such as Autoeurope http://www.auto-europe.co.uk/ sometimes offer good deals which include supplementary cover.

Best place to start is probably deciding what you might like to do and trying a few car rental websites e.g., http://www.auto-europe.co.uk/ http://www.hertz.co.uk/ etc etc and pricing it up.

Also keep an eye on quidco / topcashback. These sites can offer sizeable discounts.

David

getmore4less

If travelling overseas hire car also saves on parking.

one way airport hire starts from around £50.

Check your nearest hire places for what they offer and register for the loyalty programs.

Allthough I have not looked into it for regular hire I think there are insurers that offer good deals to cover the exceses on annual policies

Jackinbox99

One thing to check on is what your current insurance company would do if you do not have any car insurance for a few years. Some companys only let you keep your NCB if its continuous. So, if you stop your car insurance and use rental cars for a couple of years, then go back to buying a car and trying to insure it, they may say you have no NCB.

optimus_primera

DavidHayton wrote: »

Every car that I have ever rented has come with full breakdown cover, but optimus primera may have other experiences.


David

Not really anything bad, just need to know what you are covered for.
eg if you do breakdown, will they sort you out another 'hire' car, or will you just get recovered back to thier depot?

Need to check out what the insurance covers, as they can vary between companies.
Plus is it unlimited mileage,or do they charge you per mile over a certain amount?

Kilty_2

Lots of firms will deliver the car to you too, free if you're using it for a couple of days or more at a time