So you are on holiday, the taxis are so extortionate that you might as well be flushing your travellers cheques down that oddly smelling toilet in your en-suite and anything resembling public transport hasn’t been seen since you got off the No. 47 on your way to the airport. You decide to quash your fear of driving on the wrong side of the road and rent a car. It may be the best or the worst decision of the holiday but there are a few things you should definitely look out for before you pick your car.
The most obvious difficulty when comparing deals is to establish in each case what kind of car you are being offered. It is rare that any car-hire company will guarantee that you will be given a particular model, you are usually told something Ford Ka three-door ‘or similar’. Neither can you rely on the ‘group’ indicated. For example, the cheapest car-type is usually group A, but a group A car in one country might be a group B car somewhere else. Just be aware of what you are being offered.
Secondly, sort out your car insurance. Tourists are easy pickings for insurance dealers and you need to be mighty careful you don’t get fleeced. On recent reported case was of one man who was asked for a premium of £7 per day to reduce an excess insurance charge of £360 to zero. This is in fact equivalent to an annual premium of £2,555 to cover a £360 charge. They are out to get you, so keep your eyes and ears open. Also, be aware of something called supplementary liability insurance (SLI) also known as top-up insurance, additional liability insurance or extended protection. Supposedly this has been a major pain in the neck for travellers to the United States and especially Florida. It is a premium charged, often when you arrive at the car-hire desk, to give you extra cover for third-party liability. In Florida the legal minimum for this is $5,000 - far too small an amount to cover you if you were at fault in injuring an American with a hefty desire to sue the hell out of you. Normally you are advised to extend this to $1,000,000, which sounds crazy, but all the deals mentioned on U.S car hire services include this charge.
As always, shop around. Major international companies such as Avis, Hertz and Budget have become increasingly competitive in recent years, so there are deals to be had if you search them out in advance. Holiday Autos is a website that is good for car hire.
Another option is to take your own vehicle. If this is the option you favour then make sure your car insurance policy covers you abroad. Most reputable insurers like Co-op Insurance will cover foreign travel within Europe for up to 30 days at no additional cost as long as you inform them beforehand. As an alternative to car hire, it could be worth investigating.
