Picking up the car
Handover is short, and almost every later dispute is decided by what happened during it. Knowing where the car is released, what to photograph and what the agreement actually says turns a rushed twenty minutes into a routine one.
Articles in this section
1Picking up a rental car at the airportAirport collection is the fastest way to start a trip, but the handover point is not always inside the terminal. Knowing which of the three common arrangements applies…
2Collecting a rental car late at nightNight arrivals are routine at busy airports, but rental desks are not always staffed to match. The difference between a smooth collection and a stranded arrival…
3Collecting a rental car in the cityCity collection trades convenience for cost. It is usually cheaper than an airport counter and often better suited to trips where the car is only needed for part…
4What to inspect before driving a rental car awayThe inspection is the cheapest insurance you will ever take out. Five minutes with a phone camera at handover settles almost every dispute that might otherwise arise…
5What to check before signing the rental agreementThe agreement is signed in a hurry at a counter, and it overrides whatever the booking page said. A short, targeted read of four or five clauses catches nearly every…
6How to record existing damage before you driveMost disputed charges are for damage that was already there. Whether you pay for it comes down to one thing: whether it was documented, in writing, before you drove away.