Car Hire in Spain

LuckyPenny

Any tips on car hire in Spain? Last year went with Centauro (booked through jet2) and felt very vunerable and conned into taking their insurance. I took out some extra insurance before we went online, but they put the thumb screws on when we got there (late and tired) and when push came to shove we took the extra insurance because we were not quite sure what we were covered for.


Also, the charge for fuel was not the going market rate.

agrinnall

I would suggest finding a hire company that allows you to bring the car back with a full tank, so that their high fuel charges don't matter (assuming of course that you do bring it back full).

NiftyDigits

LuckyPenny wrote: »

Any tips on car hire in Spain? Last year went with Centauro (booked through jet2) and felt very vunerable and conned into taking their insurance. I took out some extra insurance before we went online, but they put the thumb screws on when we got there (late and tired) and when push came to shove we took the extra insurance because we were not quite sure what we were covered for.


Also, the charge for fuel was not the going market rate.

Post dates, times and location. So people can share their experience. If a price looks to good to be true, it often comes with caveats...as you have found out to your expense.

Coolhandluke

I thought Centauro offered an all inclusive insurance and a full full fuel option ??
You could check out Laura car hire but they don't have a full full option .

NiftyDigits

Coolhandluke wrote: »

I thought Centauro offered an all inclusive insurance and a full full fuel option ??
You could check out Laura car hire but they don't have a full full option .

Their Full/Full is not what you would expect. You still pay for the fuel. but get a refund based on how much fuel is left in the tank.

Raymondo111

I booked through Rentalcars.com who list all available Car Hire Companies when I rented a car in Alicante in June. They show all different options and I chose Dollar who although weren't the cheapest had better reviews, I chose to add Rentalcars.com extra insurance which basically covers you for the excess that the Car Hire Company will put a hold on your credit card. The excess hold was for a total of 556 euros which included a full tank of fuel. I checked the car on collection and photographed all marks and made sure that they were noted on check out, when I returned the car I made sure the car was full and then got them to sign the form as perfect. They told me that the hold would be reversed within a few days and that was it. Everything was fine so I didn't have any extra costs apart from the initial rental and insurance which was pre-paid plus the cost of fuel used.

Check out Rentalscars.com for their current rates and insurance costs but don't pick out the cheapest supplier as you only get what you pay for. Alicante Airport is well documented for complaints about Car Hire scams so do your homework before committing yourself.

Coolhandluke

Even taking Rentalcars own insurance it still seems very cheap , just over £100 for a Fiesta for 7 days ???
Also seems you need to input all your details before you can see the actual price ??

zaax

I used Centauro in Ibiza earlier this year and didn't have a problem have you taken it up with their central office? They will really try it on with females, call 112 and denunciar them to the local police who will come round and ask the clerk interesting question.

Policia Local exist in most cities and important towns in order to concentrate on preventing crime, settling minor incidents, traffic control

Raymondo111

Coolhandluke wrote: »

Even taking Rentalcars own insurance it still seems very cheap , just over £100 for a Fiesta for 7 days ???
Also seems you need to input all your details before you can see the actual price ??

I booked a Seat Leon, total cost inc Rentalcars insurance was £168.50 for 7 days which I paid in the UK, ended up with a Renault Captur which was the same group and was only a couple of months old. From memory you have to put all your details in and can then save the quote, I have tried most of the Car Rental brokers including DoYouSpain but Rentalcars do a much better breakdown of the Companies and their ratings so went with them

LuckyPenny

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far. My DH found this today, thought it might be useful for others.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/jun/15/holiday-car-hire-10-ways-avoid-being-ripped-off
Think we might go for Holiday Autos, my DH has used them before.

NiftyDigits

LuckyPenny wrote: »

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far. My DH found this today, thought it might be useful for others.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/jun/15/holiday-car-hire-10-ways-avoid-being-ripped-off
Think we might go for Holiday Autos, my DH has used them before.

Holiday Autos is just a broker.... not unlike booking through Jet2. You still need to pore over the terms and conditions of the car hire firm itself, as well as the broker...and there is nothing to stop the same thing happening again.
But since you couldn't even be bothered to post the exact details, you'll have to learn from experience.