Which Local Car Rental Company Should I Choose?

Every car comes with Third Party Liability Coverage. This means that in the event of an accident where another person is involved, the local rental company is responsible for covering their damage claims, up to the limit of the Third Party Liability Coverage. Additional costs above the limit of the Third Party Liability are not covered. In most holiday destinations, the limit of the Third Party Liability is 1 million EUR. Additional coverage other than that of the local car rental company may be available with other outside insurance companies. Third Party Coverage remains after authorized cross border travel. 

Each local car rental company is able to declare their own fuel policy. Generally, there are three different kinds:

Full-to-Full: The rental car is received with a full tank of fuel, and must be returned equally full. Shortages of the originally full tank must be repaid locally. Occasionally, the vehicle is given half full, and then must only be returned half full.

Full-to-Empty: The rental car is given out with a full tank of petrol, which must then be purchased at the time of pick up. No reimbursement is given for petrol left in the tank upon return.  The price per litre depends on current petrol prices for the holiday region you are in. In most cases, this additional charge is deducted from the deposit returned at the end of the rental. Although many customers do not prefer this fuel policy, this allows the local rental companies the ability to offer lower rental prices to their customers, something which few customers complain about!

Empty-to-Empty: The car is received empty, no petrol tank is charged, and no amount is refunded for petrol left in tank at the end of the rental.

Please make note of the fuel policy for the car rental you have chosen. An explanation of the fuel tank policy is always available before booking in local conditions section D of the local terms of rental. Generally, inexpensive car rental companies have Full-to-Empty policies, as do Portuguese and Spanish.

In the cost of the car rental, most local taxes and costs are already included. Some local car rental companies nevertheless must charge additional taxes, depending on their location. Snow tires in the Alpes, road tax in Italy, and an environmental charge in London, must all be paid on location directly to certain car rental companies. If a charge will apply, it will be clearly listed in the local rental conditions of the company you have booked, either in sections C, D, or E. Additionally, additional costs due to customer requests must also be paid locally.

Here is an overview of a range of possible local charges:

• Road tax, Winter Tax, Environmental charge
• One way fees (when the drop off location is different than the pick-up station)
• Out of hours pick up
• Hotel Delivery
• Cross Border Fees
• Young Driver Insurance
• Extra Item charges (child seats, SatNav systems, roof racks, etc.)
• Additional Driver charge

All additional costs as listed above must be paid directly to the local partner. Such costs are usually grouped and charged to your credit card at the end of the rental. If the cost for one ‘Additional Extra’ is too high, such as a high Young Driver Insurance, have a look at the conditions of a variety of local partners as such costs may vary, or in some cases, not even apply.