WHEN Jane Bolton booked a hire car for a week-long girls’ holiday in the French Alps with an old friend, she paid £320 in advance.
But when she got to the Europcar pick-up desk in Geneva, Switzerland – the nearest airport to her holiday destination – she was charged an extra £10 per day because she was going to drive the car a few miles over the border into France.
It meant an extra £70 fee she wasn’t expecting.
“It was really annoying and put me a bad mood at the start of the trip,” says Jane, 54.
“It wasn’t a huge amount but it all comes out of the holiday budget – that could have paid for a meal out.”
She’s far from the only person to have been stung.
Seven out of 10 car renters say they have ended up paying hidden costs, according to iCarhireinsurance.com.
As car hire costs fall, we reveal how you can avoid hidden charges.
James McNeil, director of UK-based car leasing company Ready2Lease, says checking for damages should be the “number one” thing you do to avoid extra charges – no matter how tired you are from travelling when you pick up the car.
“Look around the car and highlight anything that could even potentially be considered to be damage, even tiny scratches,” he says.
"Make sure you take photos or videos – if you do this on a smartphone they will be timestamped to prove the damage occurred before you drove it."
You should also take a picture showing the mileage and fuel gauge on your pick-up and return, in case you are later challenged on this.
Before you load the car with your suitcase, lift the carpet in the boot and take a picture of the spare tyre or puncture repair kit – there have been reports of travellers getting huge fines for “missing” kits and tyres.
Some cheaper car hire companies have been accused of using hidden existing damages like broken locks and scratches underneath the car to trick customers into paying fines.
It's also worth trying the physical key in all the locks (not just using the key remote) to check for damaged locks – take a video to prove it – and take pictures under the bumpers too.
And brush down seats and shake out car mats before you return the car – taking pictures too – to avoid “extra cleaning” charges.
They are easy to skip – but they can include hidden costs. For example, extra charges for drivers over 70 or under 25, or for exceeding a set mileage limit.
Jane, who is a product director for ski holiday firm Erna Low, says she might not have been caught out by the cross-border charge on her trip if she had read the terms closely.
Hiring a child’s car seat for a week costs an average of £55, while a sat nav is £69, according to iCarhireinsurance.com.
Avoid this by bringing your own. Even budget lines – like easyJet and Ryanair – allow you to check in car-seats for free for under 12s.
You can buy car seat travel bags from around £15 on Amazon to keep them safe in transit.
Car hire firms often use pressure-selling tactics to push customers into buying expensive excess waivers at the pick-up desk.
An excess waiver covers the high fees car hire companies charge in the case of any damages.
These fees can be as much as €250 (£212) for a small scratch on a car door, says research by Zest Car Hire.
But buying an excess waiver at the rental desk can add up to an extra £200 to a week’s car hire.
“It’s always worth having an excess waiver but never buy it from the car hire company,” adds McNeil.
Instead, experts at Which? recommend buying a waiver in advance.
The best value policies are annual – covering multiple trips each year – and typically cost between £37 and £59.
Firms want to keep your details on file just in case you damage the vehicle or don’t bring it back, in which case they can charge your card.
But it means you could have to pay admin fees of up to £150 if you don’t have one when you pick up the car.
Airport petrol stations charge far more than regular ones, so top up before you arrive.
You can use an app like Google Maps (while you’re on the hotel WiFi) to research your route ahead of time.
Most fuel gauges will show the tank as full even if you have driven for a few miles. But make sure it is still showing as full when you return the car or you could be charged a hefty admin fee and high fuel costs to refill it.
Not only does it cost around £30-50 more to pay for your booked car hire at the airport, but your booking could get cancelled if you haven’t paid in advance, warns Which? Travel.
Most reputable companies will allow you to cancel for free if your plans change.
“The best prices are almost always available at least six months in advance, so don’t hold out in case prices drop – they probably won’t,” says McNeil.
A Martin Lewis fan previously revealed how he saved £900 on his holiday car hire by booking ahead.
The jet setter said he cancelled his car hire then re-booked after finding a lower quote closer to departure time.
He explained: "We booked for our three-week summer holiday, then discovered the price had dropped dramatically.
"We had free cancellation, so we did that then rebooked, saving £742.
"A couple of weeks later the price dropped further, so we did it again, saving a further £184, a total saving of £926."
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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