abingdonlad

We are coming to Spain at the beginning of September to have a look around for places to buy / settle.


We are going to need to hire a car but I have heard a fair few stories of hidden charges and massive deposits which often take ages to get back.


Can anyone advise of decent companies to use or ones to avoid

AlvyLad

I'd recommend 2 stage rental to see first hand prior to long term commitment.
AutoReisen are good short term, but might be good enough for medium term rentals?

abingdonlad

We are only going to be renting the car for just over a week so not long term

AlvyLad

car rentals tenerife - Bing

MikeJ

There are a number of things you could do:

• Take out hire car insurance in the UK so you don't get ripped off with local insurance scams.
• If you do take the local insurance be aware that it seldom covers things like tyres, underside, glass, keys and locks etc.
• Check that the hireco has a fair fuel policy - ie don't get caught with a full-empty tank where you pay over the odds for a tank of fuel and forfeit any surplus
• Check the car in detail when you pick it up - take photos of any damage, make sure you have a torch if you are collecting at night.
• Use a reputable broker who will have sorted out the good from the bad and have researched the hirecos for you (note there are good and bad brokers too)
• IMHO don't ever use Goldcar

I just heard about a new scam. Limited mileage in the small print - sometimes as low as 20kms per day. Renters get stung with a big excess mileage charge when they return the car - in return for an attractive headline price. So check the small print. If a deal looks too good to be true it probably is.

billgates

I would add:

If you take out your own insurance instead of the car hire company's insurance then they can request up to 1000 euros to be held on your credit card in the event of a claim.

The hire company will automatically take your "held" amount if they decide the car is damaged by you. It is up to you to claim this back from your own insurance company.

If your own insurance company requires an original receipt of repairs as proof of the claim then you might have difficulty getting that receipt from the hire company. Expect lots of letters, emails, phone calls and perseverance trying to get your money back.

bobd22

You don't mention which airport you are flying to. You can trawl the sites on line and get amazing looking deals which when you pick the car up have many extras including insurance that actually does cover you for everything. Or you can search on car hirers in the area you are flying to copy and paste an email to all of them that seem to suit stating what your full requirements are re insurances etc and let them give you personal quotes which you can compare. At least that way you know what you will be getting. I sometimes use a hire co local to where our house is. They have one price no matter what the season, it includes everything no extras whatsoever including pick up and drop off at the airport. Ok headline rate may seem a bit pricier especially in low season but at least you know the true cost etc. Worth checking hirers near your destination you may well find similar then just an email.

abingdonlad

We are flying in to Alicante but only there for 1 night, then moving to old town Benidorm so will need to pick car up from there. Problem snag is we are flying out from Murcia so will need to drop car off there idealy

Loafing Along

As it is only a short stay if you stick to the reputable names you will pay slightly more but not get stung. I have always found Europcar good and not had problems. Whatever you do keep away from Goldcar.

johnnyone

You shall probably find it cheaper to hire from the airport not the town. If I were there for only a week I would probably take out the Hirer's extra insurance as it's not worth the hassle for a few (50?) extra euros. Totally different if you want longer term hire or make frequent trips then take out separate insurance.
Even if on a full to full option there is likely to be a "service" add-on plus a credit card charge.
Try a broker for the best deals eg doyouspain or carjet.
I would also use an on airport hirer. Who wants to get off a 'plane and on to a minibus?

abingdonlad

Looking though it all, if you buy the extra insurance then you don't get £1k+ blocked from your CC I'm assuming that's correct?

MikeJ

Not necessarily but usually you will have to leave a 'deposit' - it depends on the hireco. However the most I have had to 'leave' has been around €580 euros. You do need to check before you sign up. That is why using a broker - especially a UK one - where you can find out all the hire conditions in English in advance. Or go with a personal recommendation (as long as it's not Goldcar)
People who are most vulnerable are those that are making last minute arrangements or even hiring when they arrive and maybe looking for the cheapest deal - it seldom is in the long run..


Last trip I used EconomyCarHire and took their insurance option (it was actually cheaper for a single trip than insurance4carhire). The hireco they booked for me was quite happy with that insurance and only asked for a €300 block. [Note I have no commercial link with either of these companies and am not necessarily recommending either]

noelrosie

At Alicante we have had problems with Sol Mar ... located furthest from terminal building and most unhelpful if you don't take their add-on insurance. We had to wait 30 minutes to return the car, even though there was nobody in front of us, just because there was a sign saying that if you did not take the add-on insurance you would have to wait up to 30 minutes on returning. The car was inspected with a fine tooth comb after the desk clerk had cashed up and mopped the floor, and all the while we were waiting to go to the terminal to catch our flight (long trip in their minibus - too far to walk). Never had this problem with any other operator and we never take add-on insurance (we have our own stand-alone policy).

You are correct in your assumption that if you take the extra insurance there is no block placed on your card with any operator, and it is probably worth taking it if you are just over for a week to avoid all the hassle!

noelrosie

I should add that all operators require you to have a credit (not debit) card in the name of the main driver - some of our friends have been caught out on this one and told they had to make a new contract in a different name (that of the credit card holder in their party) which was 'obviously' more expensive than the deal they had got online before they left ... another 'scam'!

MikeJ

Probably not a scam as with a credit card the hireco will know that you are good for the deposit as the card validation will have done a credit check in the background. With a debit card there is no guarantee that there will be anything in your account if they come to claim.