Avoiding car hire rip-offs

In Which? Travel’s latest car hire survey, 83% of people told us they were worried about getting ripped off when they hire a car.

The problem with cheap car hire is that it simply isn’t sustainable. As rental companies fight to advertise the lowest headline rate, they increasingly resort to underhand tactics to maintain their margins. 

We’ve rounded up the most common scams below – and there are a daunting number of them. But it’s important to remember that not all rental firms are cowboys. The easiest way to avoid getting ripped off, is to book with the best in the first place.

Read our full reviews of the Best and worst car hire companies

1. The UK website car hire rate rip-off 

What is it? The company charges you more if you use a UK website to book a hire car abroad than if you use the local domain. 

In one instance Which? Travel found that a UK traveller booking a hire car in Las Vegas, from the UK, would pay £220 more than someone booking online in the USA. This was for exactly the same car, with the same level of insurance.

How to avoid it: You don’t need a VPN to access websites in other countries, just follow these three steps:

1. Replace the end of the URL with the relevant country’s top-level domain. For example, Hertz.co.uk is the UK website, but you can change it to Hertz.com for the US website. 
2. If you see any cheaper prices, make sure that it’s a like-for-like comparison and that any savings are not negated by different levels of insurance cover, or exchange-rate fluctuations.
3. Use a payment card that doesn’t charge for foreign transactions 

2.  The pay-on-arrival car hire rip off

What is it? You choose ‘pay at location’ when you book, and have to fork out £30-£50 more than someone who chooses to ‘pay now’.

As well as being more expensive, we’ve also found that customers run the risk of an unscrupulous company cancelling your booking in order to take a more valuable one if rates rise. 

How to avoid it: Always choose ‘pay now’. You’ll guarantee a rate and help guard against cancellation. 

Some companies incentivise pricier ‘pay at location’ options by throwing in free cancellation. Avoid these companies. The best providers give you free cancellation however you choose to pay. And if you have free cancellation, you can always cancel and rebook at a later date if prices go down.

3. The delayed customer car hire scam

What is it? You turn up late to the rental desk because your flight was delayed, and the company says your car has already been given to another customer, forcing you to upgrade to a pricier vehicle or make a new booking at turn-up prices.

Car hire T&Cs often have a clause stating that they will give away the car if the customer arrives more than 59 minutes late. And some companies have taken advantage of the recent spate of flight delays and cancellations to enforce this rule and rake in some additional revenue.

How to avoid it: You’re less likely to get caught out if you enter your flight details, and an accurate pick-up time, when you book. Staff should then be alerted to delays, but if possible you should also inform your car rental company if you're going to be late. 

4. The older/younger driver rip off

What is it? When you arrive at the rental desk, you’re told you can’t take the car because of your age, unless you pay a daily charge.

Which? Travel found ‘senior driver’ fees ranging from €60 to an outrageous €252 when we searched for a 14-day rental from Malaga airport – almost double the cost of the rental.

These surcharges tend to be buried deep in the T&Cs, so you’re unlikely to spot them before you book – even if the website asks you to input your age. Fees tend to be charged at the rental desk, by which time it’s too late to look elsewhere.

How to avoid it: When you hire a car, always input your age and beware of car hire companies or brokers that don’t ask for it. Before you book, scour the T&Cs for age limits, older driver fees, and any location specific conditions.

5. The rental car upgrade trick

What is it? The car hire company tells you it’s run out of the size of car you booked, so you’ll have to pay to upgrade. 

How to avoid it: Know your rights. If the rental firm has taken too many bookings – it’s their problem not yours. In Europe, they have a legal obligation to give you what you paid for. If they don’t, they're in breach of contract. So if they give you a bigger car it has to be at the same price. And if you get a smaller car than the one you paid for, you should get a refund for the difference.

6. Car hire insurance scam: pressure selling

What is it? When you arrive at the rental desk, the agent tries every trick in the book to upsell you insurance you might not need. In our recent survey, 37% of people said they felt under pressure to buy insurance at the rental desk.

In Europe there’s no requirement to buy extra insurance – basic insurance is always included in the rental. But you will have to pay the excess in the event of a bump or scrape. Which? Travel has found that car hire company excess waivers are a rip-off, offering inferior cover and costing much more than policies offered by specialist insurers online.

When Which? Travel went undercover, we found that incentivised agents will lie and bully you into buying their insurance, even if you have your own cover. Pressure selling is an endemic problem in this industry, even though it is a criminal offence.

How to avoid it: Buy your own excess reimbursement policy online from a top-rated car hire insurance provider, then say no to insurance at the desk, and stand firm. Explain that you don’t want any extra cover and that you understand the need to pay up to the excess limit if you damage the car (you can claim this back). 

7. Overpriced car hire extras

What is it? You’re charged way over the odds for extras like sat nav, car seats and a second driver.

For example, when we checked prices at Alicante airport with low-cost Spanish operator Goldcar, an additional driver (£51.53), baby car seat (£48.20) and GPS (£48.20) increased the price of a week’s booking by £148. That’s more than the cost of the car for the week.

How to avoid it: Free GPS apps that don’t require data roaming are available for your smartphone. Download one like Navmii before you leave the UK. 

Many airlines, including easyJet and Ryanair let you take your own child car seats for free, or you can find cheaper car-seat rental in many major airports. 

And the second driver fee can be avoided by using a company that throws it in for free, like Which? Recommended Provider AutoReisen in the Canary Islands. 

8. The hire car fuel policy scam

What is it? You’re charged over the odds for a full tank of fuel, and you’re then told to bring the car back empty – which is virtually impossible – with no refunds for unused fuel. 

Different companies offer different fuel options, but the most common are full-empty (as above), same-same (you bring the car back with the same amount of fuel) and full-full. The full-empty option will always cost you more than the other two, as car hire firms overcharge for the fuel they sell you. The same-same option is better, but you may still lose out as it’s very difficult to return a car with exactly the same amount of petrol as when you set off.

How to avoid it: Choose a car hire company with a fair fuel policy – ideally full-full. Which? Recommended Provider Zest Car Rental clearly displays these providers to help you choose. Just bear in mind that if you don’t bring the car back completely full, you may face a refuelling charge (see below).

9. The hire car re-fuelling rip off

What is it? You bring the car back without refuelling and you’re charged over the odds for petrol, plus an extortionate refuelling charge. 

Goldcar, for example, charges €50 if its agent determines the car is not completely full of fuel – plus its own price per litre for the missing fuel. 

Of course, it’s very difficult to bring it back completely full unless there’s a petrol station at the airport. So even if you feel you’ve met your obligations, you could be caught out by an overzealous rental agent. 

How to avoid it: Ask where the nearest petrol station is when you collect the car. That way you’ll know where to refuel at the end of your journey. And make sure it will be open if you’re returning the car late at night.

10. The additional mileage car hire scam

What is it? You’re charged extra for driving further than the maximum mileage.

For example, if you drive further than 60km (37 miles) per day with Firefly in Spain, you'll face a €0.45 charge per additional kilometre travelled. An extra 100km per day would add up to €126 for a week’s hire. 

Sometimes the mileage is buried in the car hire company’s T&Cs, and sometimes the rental companies simply get your mileage wrong – charging customers for miles they never drove.

How to avoid it: Check for additional charges before you rent the car. If you’re planning to cover great distances, find a company without additional mileage charges. 

If you do hire from a company with a maximum mileage clause, make sure you take a photo of the dashboard at the start and end of your holiday so that you have a record of how many miles you clocked up.

11. The dodgy damage car hire charge

What is it? You’re either charged over the odds for a tiny scratch, or you have to fork out for a pre-existing bump or scrape that didn’t happen on your watch. 

Systematic overcharging of customers for repairs is a well-known issue in the industry and the major companies have admitted to Which? Travel in the past that they do not always even make the repairs – so the bill you receive may be purely theoretical. 

And a whopping 40% of people in our recent survey told us they were charged for damage that already existed when they picked up the car.

How to avoid it: There are several steps you can take to avoid being taken for a ride: 

Make sure you have the best car hire insurance.

Inspect the car inside and out when you pick it up, photographing any damage and reporting it to the rep immediately.

Ask for the car to be inspected when you return it and take a photo of the signed damage report.

If you are charged, demand to see evidence of the damage and how the repair costs were calculated before escalating your complaint. 

12. The cleaning con

What is it? You’re charged an extortionate amount to clean the car inside and out, despite returning the car in a reasonable condition.

We’ve seen ‘exceptional’ cleaning charges of up to €242, which would be steep even if you’d driven through a quagmire. Common issues are sand on/in the car and watermarks on the seats. 

How to avoid it: There’s no need to clean your hire car unless you really have made it exceptionally dirty. But it’s a good idea to always put a towel down if you’ve been swimming, and brush out any excessive sand. And always demand photographic evidence of any stains in question.

13. The late/early drop off trick

What is it? You turn up late to return the car, and there’s another whopping fee to pay – usually an extra day’s hire, plus an admin fee. Worse still, some companies even fine you for bringing the car back early!

Many companies give you a ‘grace period’ for late return, but we’ve found that can be as little as 29 minutes – so you’re only one traffic jam away from another unexpected charge.

We’ve only heard of a handful of cases of early drop-off fees – but they can happen if you have the misfortune to meet a particularly officious agent when you return the car.

How to avoid it: Car hire companies calculate charges in 24 hour blocks – so give yourself some leeway when you hire the car. For example, if you pick it up at 1pm, but intend to return it at 10am, you can still give a return time of 1pm without additional cost. And make sure you receive written confirmation that the car has been checked back in. If you are unlucky enough to be charged for early return, always challenge it. 

14. The unauthorised charge scam

What is it? You receive your credit card statement when you return home from holiday, and find an unauthorised charge. Sometimes you don’t even know what you’ve been charged for. 

Car hire companies are notorious for taking payments regardless of whether the fee is disputed, or even known about by the customer. We’ve heard reports from customers who’ve been hit with spurious charges for all of the scams listed above. And in the worst cases, customers have had to chase the car hire company to find out what the charge is for.

How to avoid it: You can’t avoid it, but you can always raise a complaint. Your car hire company must provide an explanation and supporting documentation for any charges that are taken from your account. Customers have told us that the very act of querying a charge has led some companies to refund them, with no explanation. Failing that, you can try a section 75 claim with your bank, or escalating the complaint (see below). 

What to do if you get scammed by a car hire company

If you think you have been ripped off, ask the car hire company for an explanation of any additional charges and supporting documents. If you're not happy with the explanation, tell the company the money has been taken 'under protest' and inform your card company about the dispute.

If you paid by credit card you can make a claim against the card provider under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. If you paid by debit card you can ask your card company to use the chargeback system to reverse the payment and give you your money back.

Failing that, there are some complaint resolution services you can try. In the UK around 500 car hire firms are members of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), which has a code of conduct and a complaints procedure.

And for complaints about car hire in Europe you can try the European Car Rental Conciliation Service (ECRCS) – a free service to help with unresolved complaints concerning cross-border vehicle rentals. The ECRS can get refunds for incorrect charges, but will only deal with complaints about its member companies.