Urgent warning over hidden car hire fees that could DOUBLE your bill on holiday this summer

FAMILIES could be hit by a minefield of extra car hire costs this summer.

Rental prices soared last year and now are falling.

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But a variety of catches mean you could still end up paying hundreds of pounds extra.

Lana Clements explains how to avoid a bill that can dwarf the original hire cost . . . 

FALLING COSTS – BUT RISING CATCHES

A FAMILY renting a compact motor on holiday in Europe this May half-term can expect to pay on average £225 for the week, down from £280 last year, according to figures compiled for The Sun by ihirecarinsurance.com.

Prices are broadly down by 20 per cent but still vary hugely by destination, costing from £135 for a week in Tenerife to £363 in Nice, on the French Riviera.

Scott Dixon at consumer site thecomplaintsresolver.co.uk says: “It’s easy to fall into costly traps when hiring a car on holiday.

“Firms are using unscrupulous tactics to exploit customers.

“Travellers must keep their wits about them and watch out for underhand ploys at the pick-up desk.”

PRICEY EXTRAS

THERE are dozens of these often sneaky charges.

The typical cost of paying for an additional driver is £67, and you can also expect to pay a further £67 for a child’s car seat, plus £82 for a sat nav.

An extra driver on the policy can cost from £32 to £84.

There is big variation in extras, depending on location. Renting a sat nav in Nice costs as much as £115.

Packing your own devices or car seats can help. It’s possible to buy a second-hand sat nav for around £25.

The cost of renting a child’s car seat varies from, on average, £42 in Larnaca, Cyprus, to £84 in Barcelona.

But many airlines including British Airways and easyJet will let you bring a seat with you for free.

Ben Wooltorton, from icarhireinsurance.com, said: “It’s really important to check prices of any extras you may need, so there are no costly surprises when you pick up the car.”

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EXCESS PROTECTION

ONE of the biggest car rental costs can be the damage waiver.

If you have an accident or damage the car, the excesses on policies are eye-wateringly high, typically £1,400, even if it’s not your fault.

The waiver sold, usually at the point of pick-up, will cover the cost of the excess.

But a week’s excess protection in Europe will typically be £194 — nearly as much as the car hire — if you include tyres and windscreen.

In some cases, the waiver can dwarf the cost of the rental.

You can save by buying third-party insurance that covers the cost of the excess at a fraction of the price of the collision waiver — typically £33.15 for a week.

Buy prior to your trip through comparison sites including icarhireinsurance.com and insurance4carhire.com.

When you get the insurance, the car hire firm will usually insist on putting a hold for the excess on a credit card.

If you need to claim, it will be taken and can be claimed back via the insurance.

This means you will need to have a credit card with around £1,500 of space on it.

Use a credit card to pay car hire so you can claim back money, through section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, if any-thing goes wrong

The Sun has been contacted by readers duped into buying waivers as the rental contract was presented in a foreign language they didn’t understand.

Be careful about which documents you sign, and ask for an English copy if presented with ones in a foreign language — or make a note in English if this is not possible.

DAMAGE

ONE in three hire car drivers find damage on the car which is not highlighted on the checkout sheet, according to the study by ihirecarinsurance.com.

It’s important to inspect the vehicle thoroughly at pick-up and take dated photos and videos as proof.

Consumer campaigner Scott Dixon at thecomplaintsresolver. co.uk says: “Most people are keen to get their holiday started after picking up a vehicle, but take the time to take pictures and check for damage before you set off, to avoid being caught out later.

“Pay close attention to wheels, tyres and alloys and note even the slightest damage with photos as evidence.”

He also recommends checking the fuel gauge and taking a photo before setting off, and when returning, to avoid any refuelling charges.

You usually have to bring the vehicle back with the same amount of fuel that it had when you picked it up.

Ben adds: “Anecdotally there are increasing reports of car hirers being fined for returning dirty cars.”

Cleaning fees can be £100 or more, so try to avoid this by removing all rubbish and cleaning up any excessive mud or other mess.

MAKING A COMPLAINT

IF you have an issue with your car hire, go direct to the company as soon as possible, and within 14 days.

If you’re still not happy, you can complain to trade body BVRLA in the UK.

Member firms sign up to a code of conduct and it includes some of the bigger car hire firms.

You can also contact the European Car Rental Conciliation Service which runs an adjudication scheme on unresolved complaints. The rental must be with a company that has signed up — which includes Europcar, Enterprise, Avis, Budget, Maggiore, Hertz, Thrifty, Dollar, Alamo, National, Firefly and Sixt.

Helen Dewdney, consumer champion at thecomplainingcow.co.uk, says: “If a payment is taken long after the vehicle was returned, question the reasoning for holding onto your credit card detail.

“Under The General Data Protection Regulations 2018 there must be a valid reason for holding your data.”

Mystery insurance charge came five months after hol

PROCESS manager Sohelia Tadayyoni hired a car from Europcar for an eight-day Turkish holiday in September 2022 with her family, including her sister Soraya and husband Omid.

Everything was settled at the time, but five months later she started receiving WhatsApp messages demanding payment from a company claiming to be working on behalf of Europcar.

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It said Europcar was owed 1,134 Turkish lira (£28) for unpaid insurance.

At first Sohelia, 35, from Maidenhead, Berks, assumed it was a scam but after contacting Europcar’s head office, it confirmed the company was affiliated with it.

She says: “They didn’t explain anything to me. The company name was different to the car hire firm so it was confusing.

“I requested an online meeting with them so they could explain what the debt was for but they didn’t show up.

“They just kept sending me threatening messages asking for money.”

After three months of this, Sohelia blocked the number and heard nothing further.

She says: “We enjoyed having the car and there shouldn’t have been any further contact after returning.

“It was very stressful getting these messages after such a long time had passed, and it’s disappointing from a well-known international company that you assume you can trust.”

A Europcar spokesman said: “There was an administrative error which resulted in the customer being incorrectly refunded for the premium protection cover they had selected in advance.

“The company’s local debt collection agents were appointed to recover the incorrect refund.

“They used WhatsApp when they didn’t receive an email response from the customer.

“While the charge was legitimate, the company can now confirm the case has been closed.”