Go Full, Return Empty-This is not actually possible unless you push it.
This isn’t even possible, but in the world of hire cars this is one of the very common terms that you are expected to adhere to. Basically, if you don’t have to hire a car then you would be well advised not to do so. One thing is clear, whatever you think you will pay you will eventually end up paying more….much more.
We have just completed an around another driving tour, and the truth is that we thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but the hire companies do get you. We responded to a come on from one company that promised a car for six days at a cost of 60 euros. The actual cost to us before we even turned the key was 127 euros. The terrible thing was that the company that we chose was one of the better ones.
The basic rental was as advertised, however, added to that was the cost of the full tank of petrol at 48 euros. This was a Kia Picanto, bright yellow, that reminded me of driving around in a canary, with a very small tank that holds 35 litres. The cost to fill up is about 30 euros.
Then, they charge 2 euros a day for the second driver. What’s this for? Probably nothing, but they can charge it, so they do
You are advised to take out comprehensive insurance cover that pays from the first euro. No excess charge fee for the insured driver is a very good thing, because if there is an excess charge you’ll probably get stuck with it, even for minor scratches that were already there but not noticed by you when you picked up the car. (At least that has been my experience.)
Then there is the little matter of the cost of the insurance. Comprehensive cover for my car in my name would cost about 750 euros annually. That’s about 2 euros a day. However, some hire companies charge a per day fee of a specific amount for this cover that is over and above the basic rental. I have paid around 10.00 euros a day. We can quickly see the profit involved there.
Car hire is like travelling by plane. You know it’s going to be painful, but it’s just one of those irritants that we learn to live with. To bring the car back practically empty of fuel is an exercise in nerves. As you draw near to the depot the needle goes into the red and a message keeps flashing that tells you how many more kilometres you can go before you have to add a top up to the tank. My last car hire I pulled into the depot with a mere five miles to go before the car would have simply stopped,
Talk about stress!
Copyright © 2011 Eugene Carmichael
This isn’t even possible, but in the world of hire cars this is one of the very common terms that you are expected to adhere to. Basically, if you don’t have to hire a car then you would be well advised not to do so. One thing is clear, whatever you think you will pay you will eventually end up paying more….much more.
We have just completed an around another driving tour, and the truth is that we thoroughly enjoyed the experience, but the hire companies do get you. We responded to a come on from one company that promised a car for six days at a cost of 60 euros. The actual cost to us before we even turned the key was 127 euros. The terrible thing was that the company that we chose was one of the better ones.
The basic rental was as advertised, however, added to that was the cost of the full tank of petrol at 48 euros. This was a Kia Picanto, bright yellow, that reminded me of driving around in a canary, with a very small tank that holds 35 litres. The cost to fill up is about 30 euros.
Then, they charge 2 euros a day for the second driver. What’s this for? Probably nothing, but they can charge it, so they do
You are advised to take out comprehensive insurance cover that pays from the first euro. No excess charge fee for the insured driver is a very good thing, because if there is an excess charge you’ll probably get stuck with it, even for minor scratches that were already there but not noticed by you when you picked up the car. (At least that has been my experience.)
Then there is the little matter of the cost of the insurance. Comprehensive cover for my car in my name would cost about 750 euros annually. That’s about 2 euros a day. However, some hire companies charge a per day fee of a specific amount for this cover that is over and above the basic rental. I have paid around 10.00 euros a day. We can quickly see the profit involved there.
Car hire is like travelling by plane. You know it’s going to be painful, but it’s just one of those irritants that we learn to live with. To bring the car back practically empty of fuel is an exercise in nerves. As you draw near to the depot the needle goes into the red and a message keeps flashing that tells you how many more kilometres you can go before you have to add a top up to the tank. My last car hire I pulled into the depot with a mere five miles to go before the car would have simply stopped,
Talk about stress!
Copyright © 2011 Eugene Carmichael
