What To Do When Things Go Wrong In A Hire Car
Sometimes when hiring a car things can go wrong, with hundreds of thousands of rental vehicles on the road it in inevitable that not all rentals are plain sailing.
Below is some information about what to do when things go wrong. Please bear in mind that each supplier may have a different procedure for reporting the incident but if you also follow the below tips you will go some way yo protecting yourself against unexpected costs.
1. When collecting the car, always ensure that a vehicle condition report is completed which should note ALL existing damage to the vehicle, even the smallest of scratches or marks (inside and out). The more attention you spend on this could save a lot of hassle on return of the vehicle. Give yourself the time to spend doing this, don’t arrive late and skip over this part because you are in a rush. Equally, don’t allow the counter staff to rush around the vehicle and possibly miss something, go with them and inspect it yourself. This is your responsibility and once you sign this document, you are liable for any damage that is not listed.
2. Once the vehicle is on hire, the best advice we can give is to treat it like it is your own. Don’t park a hire car where you wouldn’t park your own, don’t leave valuable on show and don’t drive it in a way you wouldn’t drive your own.
3. If the vehicle is involved in an accident while on hire to you then you are responsible for reporting the the accident to the hire company by following their procedure which will include gathering information from all parties involved. For your own protection we advise involving the police, either calling them to attend the scene or reporting it to a local station depending on the nature of the accident. Take photos of the vehicles involved, the damage caused and the surroundings roads to document the accident.
Take notes on what exactly happened. Try to collect as much information on the incident as possible:
– write the exact date and time and the exact location where the incident happened
– take pictures of the vehicles involved, including registration numbers and damages
– try to get as much info as possible on the people involved in the incident, including pedestrians or witnesses and police officers.
4. If your vehicle is damaged while it is parked and there are no other obvious parties involved then unfortunately you are liable for the damages up to the value of your agreed excess. This is sometimes a difficult pill to swallow if someone walks past it with a key or dings it with a supermarket trolley but if the vehicle was your own it would be the same outcome.
5. If the vehicle is stolen then you need to report it to the hire company immediately by following their procedure, they may also require you to report it to the local police. Remember, if the vehicle is stolen or broken into then you are liable for the vehicle and any damage caused to it. EG if the vehicle is not recovered then you will be required to pay the maximum amount of your agreed theft protection excess.
Unfortunately all of the above do happen, there is no escaping that. One option you do have is to consider Zero Excess options on your rental.
There are 2 different ways of protecting your excess liability, you can pay a daily fee to the rental company and they will reduce your excess amount which is typically around £1,200 to £1,500. This can be reduced to a lower amount or even Zero but please bear in mind even with a Zero excess, not everything is covered. Perishable items like tyres, glass and sometimes the under carriage of the vehicle tend not to be covered in these extra policies.
The 2nd option is an excess reimbursement policy, this is not purchased from the supplier. You can arrange it with your broker (ourselves) or direct with the insurance company. These policies tend to be the cheaper option and can include the perishable items mentioned above. The main difference with this option is that you will still have to pay your excess to the car hire supplier for any damage, you then make a claim to the insurance company.
Thankfully rentals that involve any of the above are rare and the policies and procedures are there for your protection, we just advise that you make yourself aware of what is needed from you should something go wrong and what your liabilities are.