7 car hire rip-offs and how to avoid them

Exploration and discovery are yours for the taking when you hire a car on holiday, but without a little planning you can end up paying way over the odds.

It’s no secret that some car hire firms have less-than-stellar reputations, pressuring customers to spend more at pick-up and adding unexpected charges at drop-off. Arm yourself with a few car hire basics, though, and you can approach the car hire desk with confidence.

From pricey excess policies to expensive extras, we’ve rounded up seven of the worst car hire rip-offs – and reveal how you can avoid them.

Rip-off #1: Sky-high excess costs

Insurance is included when you hire a car in Europe, but you may find it comes with incredibly high excess charges – that’s the amount you have to pay to cover the cost of an accident before the policy kicks in. This can be up to £2,000 in some cases, potentially leaving you well out of pocket if something goes wrong.

One way to get around it is to buy an excess waiver policy, which reduces the charge to zero or a small sum. Your car hire provider will offer you a policy at the desk, but these can cost up to £20 per day. Instead, buy your car hire excess insurance via a standalone provider before you travel and you could pay from just £3.49 a day.

For multiple rentals a year, an annual policy with a standalone provider can work out even better value, so make sure you do the maths!

Rip-off #2: The ‘full-empty’ fuel policy

Being hit with a petrol bill before you’ve even got in the driving seat isn’t the best start to a holiday. But many car hire companies employ a so-called ‘full-empty policy’, which means you pay upfront for a tank of petrol and can return it empty.

There are two drawbacks to this policy. First, you’re likely to be charged an inflated price for the petrol. And second, you may not use all the fuel you’ve paid for if you’re on a short trip or don’t end up driving much. In some cases, you’ll be offered the right to a refund on unused fuel, but there’s still usually a service charge attached. It is a common catch at busy Spanish airports.

All car rentals compared on TravelSupermarket come with a fair fuel policy as standard, including every deal on our Malaga Airport car hire page, so you know you won't be out of pocket.

Rip-off #3: The ‘upgrade’ option

When you arrive at the rental desk to pick up your pre-booked car, you may be told the company has run out of vehicles in the category you chose and be offered an upgrade – at a price.

Don’t fall for it. You should either be offered a higher category of car for no extra charge or a lesser one with the appropriate refund. Make sure this is the case before you sign your contract and drive away.

Rip-off #4: Paying for extras you could bring yourself

Want to use a sat nav when driving abroad or think you’ll need a baby seat? Go for it – but don’t fall into the trap of hiring them through your car rental company. Sat nav hire, for example, could cost you the best part of £15 a day – that’s over £100 for a week. Avoid the charge by bringing your own.

If you’re travelling abroad, you can usually bring pushchairs and car seats for free on your flight. You could also hire them in your destination (Spain, for example, has loads of rental providers for holiday equipment).

For directions, many sat navs cover both the UK and Europe. Alternatively, you can use Google Maps in offline mode. Simply download the map of the area you are travelling to and you'll have access to a free sat nav, without the excessive roaming charges.

Whichever you use, be aware that you may need to turn off speed or traffic camera alerts before you hit the road – they are illegal in many European countries.

If all else fails, there’s always the option of a good old-fashioned paper map.

Rip-off #5: Booking your car at the wrong time

With so much to organise before a holiday, it’s easy to put off hiring a car until you arrive at your destination. But booking a vehicle online in advance will save you a chunk of cash and ensure you get the right car for your needs.

So, how far in advance should you book your car hire? Our data shows that the sweet spot is between five months and two weeks before your pick-up date, when prices are around 13% cheaper than the average. Book the day before, however, and you could be hit with prices that are 15% more expensive.

For example, a quick search on TravelSupermarket found that a week’s car hire from the same rental company at Tenerife South Airport was 15.6% cheaper when booking two weeks in advance (from £7.65) compared to next day pick-up (from £9.07).

That said, it all comes down to finding a price you’re happy with. If you think you’ve found a bargain deal with free cancellation, book it. You can always cancel and rebook another deal if you find a better deal later.

And if you have left it to the last minute, it’s still worth comparing prices online before you pay up at the desk. It might not be much, but it could still save you some sterling.

Rip-off #6: Unexpected charges when you get home

You expect to return from holiday with a lighter wallet – but it’s infuriating to find extra taken off your credit card for a bill you thought you’d squared. Car hire firms may charge more than you expected if they claim you’ve damaged the vehicle in some way or that you returned it without the agreed amount of fuel.

To protect yourself, give the vehicle a full inspection both when you pick it up (take photos and video as evidence) and when you return it, and ask for a receipt stating it’s in good order with the required amount of petrol.

It also pays to keep all documents, contracts and other evidence (such as the photos) if you need to dispute unexpected charges.

Rip-off #7: Hidden charges

Always read the small print of your car hire policy to check for any hidden charges or exclusions. For example, most car hire companies will add a fee for renters under 25 or for including a second driver, while some charge extra if you’ve been driving for less than four years.

Others – and we're talking about the really unscrupulous operators here – may try and sneak hidden fees, such as their own insurance policies, onto your contract. You will have to sign this before you leave, so ensure that you’re clear about every item/fee on it.

And others will levy an ‘admin’ fee for theft or damage to the car – even if you’ve bought an excess waiver policy. To put it in a nutshell: being thorough in your research when hiring a car is the way to get the best deal.

Final things to check when hiring a car to avoid rip-offs

Check you have the right documents

In 2015, the paper counterpart to your photocard driving licence was condemned to the scrapheap by the DVLA. In its place, a shiny, new digital code was introduced to share driver information (points, penalties etc) with car hire companies – you’ll need this when you pick up your car. You can generate this 21 days before you’re set to pick up your vehicle on the DVLA’s website. However, for a belt-and-braces approach, we recommend keeping your paper counterpart and taking it with you too.

Another essential is a credit card – there aren’t many companies that will allow you to drive away without some sort of security deposit first. The deposit itself isn’t actually taken from the card, just blocked out until you return the car. The credit card will need to be in the name of the primary driver; some companies will also accept debit cards, but it’s wise to check beforehand.

When you book, you may also be given a voucher from the company which usually contains the details of your rental, so make sure you print this before you leave for the airport.

Oh, and a valid licence helps too. Nothing spoils a road trip like turning up to collect your wheels only to realise you aren’t actually legally able to drive. It can take up to three weeks to get a replacement licence, so make sure you check well in advance of your holiday.

Check the car thoroughly

By the time you pick your car up, you’re probably chomping at the bit to start your actual holiday. But wait, before you drive off into the sunset, you need to check your hire car thoroughly.

And by “check”, we don’t mean a cursory glance to make sure the car has four wheels.

Go round the car, searching for any bumps and scratches, taking photos as you go. If you have a smart phone, use it so you can time stamp the pictures – then make sure your rental company makes a note of any marks you have found. It should have a paper print out of the vehicle for this exact reason.

Check the exisitng vehicle condition report, which you should be given when you pick up the car. This will have any existing damage on the vehicle marked on it.

As well as the general body, always check the wheels too as these can be prone to damage.

“Whenever you pick up a car there will probably be scratches on the alloy wheels as a result of general wear and tear and companies can avoid marking these down on the checkout sheet as existing damage. We have seen instances where a customer is accused of damaging wheels and they have no evidence to show otherwise,” warns Ben Wooltorton.

Finally, check that the car has everything you need, such as a spare tyre and jack or any other equipment you may need to drive in your destination.

Make sure you have a contact number

Last but not least, make sure you have a contact number for the company you are renting the vehicle from. Ideally, you want a direct line to the depot where you rented the car, not just a general overall company number.

If the car breaks down right outside the agency forecourt, fine. But if you’re miles away and the car stutters to a smoky halt, you’ll want a familiar voice on the end of the phone not an automated message.

*All information correct as of 13 June 2025.