Statham2016

I will be hiring a car for a week later in the month on a trip home to UK.
As with anything nowadays, good old Google brings up many websites / price comparisons sites.
Prices vary dramatically from the 'trusted' companies i.e. Enterprise/ Budget / Avis / Hertz etc

Is it safe enough to go through one of these 3rd party comparison websites such as Kayak / Rentalcars.com / Expedia/ Travelsupermarket / autoeurope etc?
Are all the insurance CDW insurance provided by these sites all above board and just as good as getting it over the counter?
Has anyone any experiences, good or bad to share or advice to share?
Thanks

Partially discharged

I've used Auto Europe since the pre-internet days and have had no issues.

I typically take a calculated risk and order a car one category smaller than what I really want and usually get an upgrade.

I always decline the CDW as our credit card covers it.

You can call them on their toll free # if you have any questions. They are in Portland, ME.

Statham2016

Well the size of car doesn't bother me. As long as it gets me from A-B.

I presume the majority of these online companies are basically just 'middle men', whereby they don't have an actual counter at the airport, but have commission type deals when they refer you/the customer to an actual branded company?

Statham2016

Hope this isn't a silly question. But when it is quoted as limited mileage (90 per day). Can this be calculated as overall?
i.e. an 8 day hire, as long as 720 miles is not exceeded?

Novocastrian

Don't touch rentalcars.com with a proverbial bargepole. The prices they quote online are unrelated to the actual costs of using them.

Partially discharged

I guess you could call it that. You end up getting, via email, a voucher and it lists all the details. You do know before you book which company it is you are dealing with. I

Statham2016

Lol, why?

Stinkypup

Avoid Europcar like the plague

Motorists could win £30m compensation from Europcar - BBC News

They tried to charge us for tyre repair/ replacement saying that we had returned the vehicle with a flat- we received a communication from them when we were back home in Canada that they were going to charge our credit card the repair/ replacement cost- thankfully we photograph all our rental cars when we take the vehicle as well as when we drop them off.

We emailed them the photos of intact inflated tyres with times of photo and they replied saying "We won't be pursuing this issue". No apology- clearly we aren't alone. In the article it is about overcharging for repairs, another example of why one shouldn't go anywhere near them

This also makes interesting but unsurprising reading
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/europcar.html

chawkins99

I'm also taking a trip to Blighty soon and booked a car at Manchester Airport with Enterprise. Ford Focus manual £137 for the week.

I found it cheaper to book through the UK site rather than enterprise.com. They are required by law to include basic insurance (TPF&T) and my credit card covers any CDW.

I consider it worth an extra couple of quid a day to go direct than through a broker.

Pulaski

Someone noted earlier this year that they paid a LOT less for a rental packaged with their airline tickets, which is something I will be looking into the next time we go to the UK.

In the past I have always rented "off airport" where the rates are also a LOT lower than renting from a rental company at the airport, like literally half the cost (Gloucester compared to LHR).

Partially discharged

Some airports only have a huge premium if you pick up at the airport...I've picked up in Croydon after visiting relatives in south London but dropped off @ Manchester and saved a lot rather than picking up @ Heathrow.

Novocastrian

d I used them once. Any more questions? To misquote Adidas or someone, Just don't do it.

Jerseygirl

We usually use them...never had a problem.

Danny B

One star reviews from almost everyone
https://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/www.rentalcars.com

GermanytoCanada

I rent between 25-30 cars a year for business and another 10-15 for private use, 50% of them in the UK. With considerable experience of most of the 'trusted' companies, I find the best service comes with Enterprise. The best vehicles in the UK tend to be Hertz, although they are not usually the cheapest.

I have used Rentalcars.com once for a holiday and wouldn't do it again. The rate was good using Dollar (for the first and last time) at LAX but I had a few issues with collection. My advice is to go direct. If you check the price comparison sites, you can usually identify which company is cheapest - then go to their website and book direct.

Regarding insurance, if there is a chance of you using hire cars a couple of times a year or more, it is worth looking into excess waiver insurance. I have specific hire car excess insurance which costs me about £60 a year but in the event of an accident, even with CDW I may have an high excess to pay (£1000+ with some companies) - this is then covered by the insurance. For me it is money well spent as I rent regularly for private use. Some credit cards provide a level of coverage but check the small print before relying on it.

A useful tip - sign up to Hilton Honors programme. As a member you get some ridiculous discounted rates with Alamo and Enterprise. For example, the cheapest large SUV rental I could get for Halifax NS for later this month was CAD$900 - I booked it for CAD$650 through my Hilton profile. They also have some great Canadian rates for weekends - on the last trip to YYZ I paid CAD$20 a day for a decent Volvo in Toronto which pretty much drove itself!

HTHs