With a rental car the daily rate is only the start. Deposit, excess, fuel policy and extra charges decide what the hire costs in the end. Check these four things before booking and you avoid most surprises at the desk.
The deposit
The deposit is an amount the rental company blocks on your credit card. It is not charged, but you cannot use it. The higher the deposit, the more headroom you need on the card. Usually a real credit card in the main driver's name is required. Debit and prepaid cards are often refused (Traveloptimizer).
In Dubai the deposit is often between 500 and 2,000 USD and is released within about 30 days if no fines or tolls are outstanding (Saadat Rent). So with a card limit of 1,500 EUR and a 1,000 EUR deposit you can only spend 500 EUR.
The excess
The rental price usually includes collision cover with an excess. For a scratch or accident you pay up to that amount yourself. Example: the excess is 1,000 EUR and the damage is 600 EUR. Then you pay the 600 EUR. To bring the excess to zero there are three ways:
- Extra cover from the rental company at the desk. It is convenient but usually costs more per day than the others.
- A policy bought in advance from the booking site or a third party. It is cheaper, but you have to pay for damage first and claim it back.
- A rate with full cover and no excess at booking.
For Turkey it is often advised to book full cover without excess. Also check whether tyres, glass and underbody are covered. They are often excluded.
The fuel policy
Best is full-to-full: you take the car full and return it full. You pay only for what you used. With full-to-empty you buy a tank from the rental company, usually at an inflated price per litre, and fuel left over is not refunded. On Mallorca full-to-full is the recommended option (mallorca-map.com). Take a photo of the fuel gauge at pickup and keep a fuel receipt at return.
Extra charges that are often missing
- Young drivers: under 25 in Las Vegas about 20 to 35 USD per day (FeelingVegas). In Turkey a minimum age of 21 and two years of licence are usual.
- Additional driver: usually a daily fee.
- One-way rental: returning elsewhere costs extra.
- Airport surcharge: in the price or extra depending on the station.
- Tolls: in Dubai about 4 to 6 AED per Salik gate, billed through the rental company.
- Fines: in Rome, entering a limited traffic zone brings a notice of about 80 to 300 EUR, plus the rental company's handling fee of about 40 to 50 EUR (Europäisches Verbraucherzentrum).
A worked example
Offer A: 25 EUR a day, excess 1,000 EUR, full-to-empty with an 80 EUR tank. Offer B: 33 EUR a day, no excess, full-to-full. For a week A costs 175 EUR plus 80 EUR for the tank, 255 EUR, and B costs 231 EUR. With A you also carry up to 1,000 EUR of risk if something happens. The figures are made up, but the sum works for any offer.
Checklist for pickup
- Photograph the car all round, including wheels, windscreen and interior.
- Have every damage noted on the handover form.
- Check that fuel level and mileage match.
- Return the car during opening hours and get the return confirmed.
Where to book: broker or direct
Comparison sites often give you the lowest daily rate because they show many rental companies at once. The conditions that apply are the rental company's, not the site's. Read the part on deposit, excess and fuel policy before you pay, and check whether the site's insurance replaces the excess or only reimburses it. A direct booking with the rental company is often dearer, but there is only one party to the contract.
Damage and disputes
Keep all documents: rental agreement, handover form, photos, fuel receipt. If the rental company charges costs later for damage you did not notice, ask for proof such as photos and a workshop invoice. If the company does not return the deposit, a written reminder is the first step, then the European Consumer Centre.
Extras that add up quickly
Child seats, satnav, roof racks or a Wi-Fi hotspot are usually charged per day, often with a cap per rental. Over a week a child seat can quickly reach an amount for which you could buy a new one in some countries. Ask for the total price for the rental period, not just the daily rate, and consider bringing your own seat. For navigation a smartphone with an offline map downloaded in advance is usually enough.
More on this: Flights and Car Rentals: What Earns Cashback on daily cashback.