Car Rentals England

Take a ride with Car Rentals England

On Rent: You dont need to be a car owner to drive in one. Just hire one from a Rental car center, which gives you the specified type of car on an advance booking. Cars can be rented on an hourly basis or charged according to the days of use (on weekends or on a weekly basis). The cars can be hired for domestic as well as corporate purposes like anniversaries or birthdays, fun, tours, weddings, product launches, film locations, advertising etc.

The business: The car renting business in England is becoming highly competitive with the arrival of online booking in Car rentals england agencies and the hiring facility offered by airline agencies along with their air tickets as a package. The main attraction of these airline agencies is that it comes in line with a package, and the rent is usually cheaper when compared with other rental agencies. These developments have made the rentals of the car very competitive and also made the rental companies to relook their online policy so that they can keep pace with the recent developments. The location of these car rental agencies are usually centered in and around major airports, so that the travellers can use this facility to the optimum to decrease their on-road traveling time.

The Trend: Name the car and you can hire it from the major car rental companies in England. The list of types, which they usually offer range from a Limousine with or without a chauffeur (additional charges to be paid for added benefits), prestige cars, small cars, sports cars, compact cars, family cars, estate cars, 4by 4 cars etc. Private car owners in England are giving up their private vehicles and instead prefer rented vehicles. The result, home delivery of rental cars and a one-way hire making the system very populous. Cars are now delivered according to the requirement of the customers at their homes, hotels, station (bus or railway) or airport (all these are according to the availability of the vehicles)

The prerequisites before booking a car:

Surcharge: If the car hire company is operating near an airport, they have to pay an additional fee and sometimes, customers have to bear the extra charge in respect of this. Just make sure that this charge is included in the quote if applicable.

Before collecting the car, a full valid driving licence and identification card is essential.

They charge for a period of 24 hours, and late returns will be subject to additional rent, so before booking a car make sure that the booking is done in exact hours and dates of the rent period.

Insurance cover can be obtained from an independent insurance agent that will cover the damage if any, caused to the car during the rented period. Third party insurance will always be included in the quote.

Dealing with the Rental Centers

Companies with International offices can manage to arrange the cars to be waiting for the customer at the airport or even from all major railway stations. They charge more than the smaller rental agencies. Larger companies have a choice to offer better and new cars when compared to the smaller companies and some may even offer the option of returning the car to the place you initially started from.

Where can you find them: Browse through the Yellow pages in the Telephone Directory and under Car Hire you can find the small car rental companies listed out. Online websites provide the link to larger companies as well as of medium to small companies to suit individual convenience.

A Car hire quotation usually includes the following:

» Insurance on accidents

» Covering third party insurance

Protection against theft

» Surcharge by airports/Premium Location Fee

» Value additions on Tax

» Insurance cover on breakdowns for 24 hrs

Payment: Direct bookings are available through the online websites and payments can be made either online or through credit cards. Car companies usually charge a figure as deposit while you book the car and the customer has to pay the remainder when they come to pick up their car. No extra charges taken for any changes done in the booking and the customer will be refunded if the notice of cancellation is given before 48 hours. Depending upon hire companies and the facilities offered, the car rentals charge between £100 and £180 for a small car or £150 and £220 for a medium size car. For instance, if you are hiring a Ford Ka 1.0 (M), you will be charged $ 90 per day if the rental period is for 3-4 days. Rates are applied accordingly if the number of days exceed. The companies calculate a day’s rental as a 24-hour period from the time of collection to the time of return.

Do you have a licence It’s mandatory that when you are going to hire a car on rent, the person hiring it must have a driving licence for atleast one year. Some companies even ask for two years licence, mostly for younger drivers. For drivers who don't possess English driving license, please carry an International Driving Licence.

Are you in between 25-70

Lower limit- Preferably 25, but some go for even 21. Car companies will not hire cars to persons less than 25 years of age, but a limited number of these agencies give cars to persons from the age of 21.

Upper limit- Not above 70, that’s the policy of the major companies. Some may go above the limit provided you give a clean driving licence and a doctor’s certificate showing fitness of health.

Halt, check these before you book a car.

» Are you below 25 years of age then the company may ask for a deposit in addition to the rental charges.

» Be ready to pay an extra insurance cover for some may even ask as much as £15 per day.

» Possess a clean driving licence, no legal offences for breaking traffic laws.

» Carry both an ordinary driving licence and an international driving licence to be on the safe side.

» Check your credit card balance and ensure that you possess one, as the rental agencies may insist that the deposit or hire charge be made through the credit card.

» Be sure that the car hired has the correct seat belts or the correct seats as the law in England demands that the cars must posses the both.

» And if you are a visitor from overseas, there must be no confusion as to the customer’s nationality, age and other details.

Before you drive, go through these

Check if the hire prices are for an unlimited travel, that is make sure that if you have to pay extra for the distance traveled.

Financial viability: In some of parts of England the cost of hiring ferries are much cheaper when compared to renting a car.

You cannot take a car hired in England to continental Europe without the consent of the hiring company as a “ Green card” insurance certificate is needed for this.

Check if the breakdown cover is included in the contract and if there is a breakdown, what the telephone numbers to contact and whether the company would provide with an alternative car.

Clear the procedures that the company provides in case of an accident.

Recheck your mode of payment

Check if only the current figure is deducted from your credit card at the end of the hire period. For there are companies that add extra amount to the credit card bills after the period of usage. Hire companies charge an amount from the credit company, which they feel will cover their service. This money is not deducted from the customers balance, but it is added to their credit card balance until the full payment is done through. Therefore the customer can exceed their credit limit, preventing further usge of the card. It is recommended that before traveling, you enquire about increasing your credit limit for the period of the holiday, in an attempt to reduce this risk.

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