macadian

I have found the experience of hiring a car in the UK both costly and stressful...either pay an arm and a leg for their bumper to bumper insurance or go with your credit card collision waiver coverage and stress the "what if" implications for the duration of the hire for everything else. It's when they hand you the waiver to sign declining their insurance that many renters reconsider the rental companies insurance coverage. Subtle intimidation eh! 😎
Third party coverage is mandatory with the rental and should be added to the actual rental cost of the car if not already included.

Atlantic Xpat

The pantomime of signing and initialling the waivers if you don't take the rental co coverage is absolutely designed to instil fear and make you reconsider. But if you are comfortable with the coverage you have elsewhere such as through you credit card, that's all it is - pantomime.

In terms of being on the hook for damage you didn't cause, these days it's very simple to take pictures and video of the car before you drive off. Ensure everything if recorded on the condition report before you accept the car. If they try and ding you for something already there when you return then the pics or video should address that. If you caused the damage then you - or your insurance - should pay for it. Simple enough!

celine_uk

good thread, i am visiting Newcastle in August to see my family, does anyone know any where reasonable that offers automatic car hire for one week?

Expedia quotes it at $300 CDN a week, but manual is only $100, i learnt to drive here so I can't drive a manual car

Jerseygirl

Try Rentalcars.com

uk_grenada

The holiday autos website seems quite popular but I believe you can get comparative quotes from several screen scraping websites like money supermarket

misplacedheidi

I use Costco car rentals.
I have their MasterCard.
Very good value and I get good rates with Avis.

Last year in the UK we had a broken windscreen on the way to a wedding. Avis replaced the car, MasterCard covered the cost of a new window. No issues.

I have used my Ontario license in Portugal and the UK with no issues.

celine_uk

thanks i looked its $300 lol looks like I'm paying that!! if i could only drive manual!