Everything you need to know about renting a car abroad this summer

Are you planning on renting a car on your summer holiday?

Before you hire, there’s lots you should know: we will take you through everything.

While holidaymakers might book their flights and accommodation months in advance, far too often hiring a car is treated as an afterthought.

But, like so many services, booking your car rental at the last minute could cost you far more – and worse still, you have a nightmare experience from a third-rate company.

That’s why we have written this guide to everything you need to know about renting a car while you are abroad.

1. Make sure you are eligible to drive abroad

You might have a driving licence, but that’s not enough to guarantee that you can rent a car while you are overseas.

Lots of countries have a minimum car-hire age, and while in certain countries that’s just 18, in others it can be as high as 21, 23 or even 25. Also, even if you are eligible to drive, if you are under 25 you might have to pay a surcharge on top of the standard hire cost. In most countries, you will also need a minimum of one year’s experience in order to hire a car.

2. Check you have all the necessary documents packed

When packing your bags for your holiday, don’t forget all the ID and other documents you will need to hire a car. It will vary from company to company, but here is general run-down of the documents you will need to present when you pick up your car.

• Your driving license.
• Your passport or similar photo ID if you have the older-style paper license.
• A utility bill or bank statement from within the past 3 months – it needs to have the same address as your driving license.
• A credit card that expires after the rental period – if you are pre-booked, make sure you bring the same card you paid with.

You also might need a DVLA code, which enables car companies to access your driving licence from anywhere in the world. This can be accessed from this DVLA webpage while you are at the car rental office.

Depending on the country you are visiting, you may also need to get an IDP (International Driving Permit), which can be purchased for £5.50 at any UK post office.

3. Buy your car excess insurance in advance

Car hire insurance can often a prove a minefield, so it’s good to get this sorted well ahead of your holiday.

Rental companies across most of the world are legally required to include basic insurance in their hire costs.

That means you will never be liable for the cost of the whole car if it’s stolen, set on fire or written off in an accident.

But that doesn’t extend to extra risks such as damage to the bodywork, windscreen or tyres – should these get damaged, you could get hit by an excess as high as £2,000.

The way to dodge this is by paying for an excess waiver policy, but these tend to be horrendously expensive if bought straight from the hire companies. Instead, go to a third-party insurance provider and book your policy way in advance.

4. Look out for shady tactics from rental companies

It’s not just sky-high insurance you should look out – car rental businesses can sometimes be guilty of trapping customers with needless extra costs.

You might arrive at the rental office to be told that the car you have reserved is no longer available, and instead you will have to ‘upgrade’, which means paying more for a superior car. Flat out refuse: this isn’t what you paid for.

Some businesses offer the car with a full tank of fuel, which sounds great, except you will have to pay at a likely inflated price, and you might not even use it all.

Instead, choose a business with a ‘fair fuel’ policy, meaning you will be expected to return the car with as much petrol as it has inside. Watch out for optional extras like satnavs or baby seats, these, again, will cost hugely inflated prices.

5. Prepare yourself for driving in a foreign country

Driving is not the same everywhere across the world – and you might for be in for a culture shock if you drive a car abroad for the first time.

We are not just talking about which side of the road you drive on: it’s also worth going on a few travel forums for a primer on driving in your destination.

Are the signs marked in miles or kilometers? What’s the national speed limit? Are the roads notorious for potholes and aggressive local drivers?

These are all potential things to prepare yourself before you head abroad – armed with this knowledge, you will feel much safer behind the wheel.

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