Car hire - the thread
- Thread starter Winot
- Start date
T & P
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I've just booked a rental for our summer holiday with Sixt, which I use all the time, and was quite shocked to see their basic 'included in the quote' insurance level has changed to something I have never seen before in car hire industry: one with no liability cut-off. In other words, if you wreck your hire car, you're liable for the full cost of the vehicle.
The traditional free entry level cover with a liability limit around the £1,200 mark now costs £2.50 a day for the model I hired. Whereas I was more than happy to pay for it, undoubtedly there will be people on a budget tempted to risk the free option, and some of whom will end up being in an accident and presented with a 20K bill.
What the actual fuck? How is that even legal, or allowed?
The traditional free entry level cover with a liability limit around the £1,200 mark now costs £2.50 a day for the model I hired. Whereas I was more than happy to pay for it, undoubtedly there will be people on a budget tempted to risk the free option, and some of whom will end up being in an accident and presented with a 20K bill.
What the actual fuck? How is that even legal, or allowed?
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
It might be worthwhile searching "car hire excess insurance".
You separately insure against having a claim for damage by the hire company.
In the past I used to hire cars for work multiple times a year, and it was easier to buy my own insurance than to accept the hodge-podge of hire companies' terms. I bought policies valid for a full year. It was nice in the hire-car office, being presented with the documents, to be able to say 'I carry my own insurance for that'.
There are recognisable brands like RAC, Confused, and so on.
T & P
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Oh, I have annual hire car insurance myself. I was just reflecting on the ethics of no longer offering basic insurance on the rental price but make it an optional extra. It’s surprisingly easy to total a modern car nowadays even in a relatively minor crashes People should not be given the option not to take insurance to cover their rental car. Not when you could suddenly be looking at a 30k bill.It might be worthwhile searching "car hire excess insurance".
You separately insure against having a claim for damage by the hire company.
In the past I used to hire cars for work multiple times a year, and it was easier to buy my own insurance than to accept the hodge-podge of hire companies' terms. I bought policies valid for a full year. It was nice in the hire-car office, being presented with the documents, to be able to say 'I carry my own insurance for that'.
There are recognisable brands like RAC, Confused, and so on.
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Bahnhof Strasse
Let's av ya fuckin' dancin'!
Take their tip-top cover and park the motor in their booth when you return it.
weltweit
Well-Known Member
I quite like :
www.enterprise.co.uk
They come to you with your car and IIRC their prices weren't too much.
Car Hire | Free Pick Up and Drop Off
Best price car & van hire from Enterprise Rent-A Car. Get free pick up, great customer service and no hidden costs. Save 10% when you prepay online.
They come to you with your car and IIRC their prices weren't too much.
T & P
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I have no association with, or commercial interest in Sixt whatsoever, but feel I should make the statement due to the glowing review ahead.
I've always found Sixt more honest and far less likely to try to stitch you up than the other big car hire companies (Avis, Hertz, etc). But after what I experienced them this week during my incident-filled holiday in Mallorca, my estimation of them has gone up even further.
Last Sunday I had my bag nicked on a beach in Spain. The keys to the car were inside, as was my mobile and all my credit cards. I called Sixt and tell them of the fact, and they told me to report the theft to the police first and then call them back so they would call a recovery truck to tow the car away. After which they would provide a replacement car immediately after.
I had booked only the most basic insurance cover from them because I have independent annual car hire insurance elsewhere. Which is fine, but it means you have to fork any claims upfront and wait a few weeks for your insurance to pay up. Given the track record of most hire companies, I had fully expected various extra charges to come my way, such as a replacement key fob, and the cost of the recovery tow truck. Easily several hundred quid, surely. And on top of that I was half expecting them to require a new card deposit for the replacement car I was to be given, and being told to piss off when I told them I had no new means of payment until I received my replacement cards.
But to their massive credit, not only they were very sympathetic and even apologetic for my having had my bag stolen but they gave me a replacement car without asking for any further card security, and the end of the rental the invoice showed that they hadn't charged me anything for the lost key fob, the recovery truck, or even the petrol I had used in the first car up until it had to be towed away. In this day and age of big companies trying to screw you up at every opportunity, it frankly felt like fiction.
As I said at the beginning, I have no association or interest in that car firm, but IME at least, they are incredibly fucking solid a car hire company and well worth considering even if not the cheapest option.
I've always found Sixt more honest and far less likely to try to stitch you up than the other big car hire companies (Avis, Hertz, etc). But after what I experienced them this week during my incident-filled holiday in Mallorca, my estimation of them has gone up even further.
Last Sunday I had my bag nicked on a beach in Spain. The keys to the car were inside, as was my mobile and all my credit cards. I called Sixt and tell them of the fact, and they told me to report the theft to the police first and then call them back so they would call a recovery truck to tow the car away. After which they would provide a replacement car immediately after.
I had booked only the most basic insurance cover from them because I have independent annual car hire insurance elsewhere. Which is fine, but it means you have to fork any claims upfront and wait a few weeks for your insurance to pay up. Given the track record of most hire companies, I had fully expected various extra charges to come my way, such as a replacement key fob, and the cost of the recovery tow truck. Easily several hundred quid, surely. And on top of that I was half expecting them to require a new card deposit for the replacement car I was to be given, and being told to piss off when I told them I had no new means of payment until I received my replacement cards.
But to their massive credit, not only they were very sympathetic and even apologetic for my having had my bag stolen but they gave me a replacement car without asking for any further card security, and the end of the rental the invoice showed that they hadn't charged me anything for the lost key fob, the recovery truck, or even the petrol I had used in the first car up until it had to be towed away. In this day and age of big companies trying to screw you up at every opportunity, it frankly felt like fiction.
As I said at the beginning, I have no association or interest in that car firm, but IME at least, they are incredibly fucking solid a car hire company and well worth considering even if not the cheapest option.
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pseudonarcissus
fluttering and dancing
I’ve used Sixt pretty exclusively for the last 25 years or so, and I never had a problem. I guess the coupe of instances of damage is when I bought their comprehensive insurance. They are rarely the cheapest alternative.
Spymaster
Plastic Paddy
Yeah, no complaints about Sixt, and I’ve had a couple of nice free upgrades from them (last one was a Kia Stonic to a BMW X1) but they’re a fair bit more expensive than a lot of the others.
More to the point; you left your bag unattended on the beach?
Sweet FA
✪ Three rounds Lord, in my .44 ✪
Thread popped up as I was just booking a motor for Mrs FA next week.
Location specific but if you fly into Malaga; I'd recommend Malagacar.
I've been flying in/out of there for 25 years or so and been subject to every minor scam and burn from most of the car hire pirates in, under and around the airport.
Malagacar have provided me with a decent car at an ok price with zero fuckery for the last 10-15 years.
Location specific but if you fly into Malaga; I'd recommend Malagacar.
I've been flying in/out of there for 25 years or so and been subject to every minor scam and burn from most of the car hire pirates in, under and around the airport.
Malagacar have provided me with a decent car at an ok price with zero fuckery for the last 10-15 years.
Bahnhof Strasse
Let's av ya fuckin' dancin'!
Sorry you had all that hassle, glad Sixt were nice to you, last thing you need in such a situation is some mardy bastard on your case.
Bags get left unattended on the beach all the time, can't really be helped. ALWAYS leave at least one decent card in your hotel/villa, preferably all except the one you plan on using that day, is my only tip.
Bags get left unattended on the beach all the time, can't really be helped. ALWAYS leave at least one decent card in your hotel/villa, preferably all except the one you plan on using that day, is my only tip.
T & P
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Yes, silly me, but literally everyone does, and I have been doing it my entire life without previous incident. I guess it had to happen at some point.Yeah, no complaints about Sixt, and I’ve had a couple of nice free upgrades from them (last one was a Kia Stonic to a BMW X1) but they’re a fair bit more expensive than a lot of the others.
More to the point; you left your bag unattended on the beach?
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
Or more sensible still, leave most cards, as well as any other contents you are unlikely to be needing on the day. Like an idiot, I had also the work credit cards, which I was never going to use on my holiday, and even both pairs of reading glasses I own
Griff
Feeding the foxes
Fancy getting a hire car for Lefkada in Greece for the week after next, but they all seem to be modern horrible little cars with screens that bleep at you constantly. 
I right fancy an old school Suzuki 4x4 or summat for getting round the island, like you used to be able to get. Fun little things.
I right fancy an old school Suzuki 4x4 or summat for getting round the island, like you used to be able to get. Fun little things.
StoneRoad
heckling from the back!
Over the last few years of my father's life, we would hire a car for most of the weekends when going visit him.
It was more cost-effective than putting miles on any of our cars.
These days, if we go away for more than a few hours - or further than "locally" - we will hire for the same reason.
Sometimes a van if delivering or collecting more bulky items.
My first regular hires, many years ago, were from a back street place in the west end of Newcastle city centre. Put onto them by a guy in the TA !
For long distances I usually got their Fiat Punto diesel ...
These days, [actually this goes back from the time of the travelling down to Dad's place] we alternate between Enterprise and Europecar, with the odd hire from other places. Generally, we get very good service, often we get a free upgrade to an even better car model.
Tip - book as far in advance as you can.
The best service I recall was when we were down in Wales & OH was taken ill & admitted to the not so local hospital --- I rang Enterprise and was permitted to a) drive the car and b) hire was extended for a "few" days ; I did go into their local office for a document check but was told to buzz off to the hospital as the office we had started with were happy as I had done checks with them only a couple of weeks ago. There was a GWS card waiting at home from the local office. Mind you, we were hiring for a long weekend every three weeks, plus other hires !
It was more cost-effective than putting miles on any of our cars.
These days, if we go away for more than a few hours - or further than "locally" - we will hire for the same reason.
Sometimes a van if delivering or collecting more bulky items.
My first regular hires, many years ago, were from a back street place in the west end of Newcastle city centre. Put onto them by a guy in the TA !
For long distances I usually got their Fiat Punto diesel ...
These days, [actually this goes back from the time of the travelling down to Dad's place] we alternate between Enterprise and Europecar, with the odd hire from other places. Generally, we get very good service, often we get a free upgrade to an even better car model.
Tip - book as far in advance as you can.
The best service I recall was when we were down in Wales & OH was taken ill & admitted to the not so local hospital --- I rang Enterprise and was permitted to a) drive the car and b) hire was extended for a "few" days ; I did go into their local office for a document check but was told to buzz off to the hospital as the office we had started with were happy as I had done checks with them only a couple of weeks ago. There was a GWS card waiting at home from the local office. Mind you, we were hiring for a long weekend every three weeks, plus other hires !
