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“We will have to pre-authorise thousands of pounds on your credit card”. Not true, but guaranteed
to scare the hell out of most travellers. The most they can pre-authorise is the amount of the
excess, and many don’t actually take that much.

Stand your ground. Just keep saying “No”.

There is, however, one pitfall. When you return they might try to tag you for every mark on the
vehicle. Before you leave the hire firm’s premises detail every scratch, dent and mark. Preferably
take photos. Make sure that one of the company’s staff carries out this inspection with you. If
they claim there’s no one available to do that, write on the agreement “Prior damage assessed by
hirer only.” Mark all the damage you can see and get someone at the counter to sign it.

Remember to check headlights and the windscreen for damage. A starburst on the windscreen
can cost hundreds of pounds.

Here’s another right tight little lurk. Full to empty fuel charges. They charge you for a full tank
of petrol so that when you return it there’s none of the hassle of having to fill the car up before
dropping it off.

Beware of rental companies bearing gifts.

Not so bad if you are hiring for several days or more because you will use that tank. But if you
only need the car for a bit of local running around you’ll likely return it with a substantial amount of
fuel – that you have paid for – still in the tank. They just top it up and soak the next sucker in the
queue.

Even after a long hire you won’t want to risk running out of fuel so you’ll return the vehicle with a
few litres left in it. At the outrageous price of petrol in the UK it could be worth £20-30. A nice little
earner for the rental company’s bottom line.

Another fuel charge racket. You have no idea how expensive fuel can be if the company has to
top the tank. Apart from the most expensive cost per gallon/litre you have ever seen, some will
also add anything up to £40 or £50 surcharge. Fill before you drop.

The headline price is not the price. Just get used to it. Virtually anything you want over and
above the bare minimum costs and costs and costs.

For instance, if you are like me and can’t be bothered with all that gear-changing rubbish, an
automatic transmission will cost substantially extra. For the difference between a manual car and
an automatic version sometimes I think it would be cheaper to take it to a garage and do a
transmission transplant.

The Brits, and the Irish and the Europeans, don’t seem to have discovered the pleasure of not
having to be bothered with gear changes. Most of the cars they drive are manuals. God only
knows why.

No point in railing on about it. Pay up and shut up. Or learn to drive a manual.

Here’s some typical costs.

For a 14 day hire in September as suggested by http://rentalcars.com – a Fiat 500 will cost £194
Heathrow to Heathrow. A Vauxhall Astra £242. But if that’s an automatic Astra you’ll pay
£563. Highway robbery. Literally. The additional running costs of an automatic just aren’t that
great. Certainly not more than double.