If you’re heading off on a ski break over the next few months and are planning on hiring an SUV or jeep to help you negotiate the icy roads to the resort, don’t assume you’ll end up with a 4wd vehicle when you book a 4×4 hire car.
This is because suppliers often refer to SUVs and even jeeps as 4×4 vehicles when in fact they’re only 2wd. If you really need a 4wd, it’s important you specifically request this when you make your booking.
Photo by: Grafvision/Fotolia
To clarify things, we spoke to Economy Car Hire’s Managing Director Rory Sexton. He said: “It’s hardly surprising that customers would assume that if they book a car classed as a 4×4 they will end up with a 4wd, but this isn’t always the case. The confusion about this terminology actually comes from the car manufacturers themselves. Mitsubishi, for example, names their range of SUVs and crossovers the 4×4 range. Some models are 4wd, some are effectively only 4wd on command, and 2wd the remainder of the time and some are just 2wd all of the time.”
This all sounds pretty confusing so we conducted some research and found a number of competitors and suppliers don’t make it clear if you’re booking a 4wd or not. Holiday Autos and Hertz were the main culprits but Europcar didn’t make it easy to find the relevant information either. Sixt were the best performing site but since you can book with Sixt through us and get all our free inclusions, why would you go direct?
Rory continued “From a customer’s point of view, the variation in models that can be purchased by suppliers means it’s best to use the rule of thumb that an SUV will be 2wd unless it’s specified as being 4wd. If you really feel that you need 4wd, then call the broker or supplier and check before booking. Remember, even if car hire companies do suggest you can do things such as taking your car green laning, it is highly unadvisable to ever take any hire car off-road. The likelihood of damaging the car is much higher. And damage caused to the vehicle whilst off-road is usually not covered either by collision damage waiver or any third party insurance.” So if you damage the vehicle, you could be hit with an expensive bill that your insurance won’t cover! Not a great way to end a holiday.
Tips for hiring a 4×4
So, in short our advice is:
- Don’t assume a vehicle will be 4wd.
- If you need a 4wd, make sure you request it.
- If you hire a 4wd vehicle, never take it off road!
Have you ever been caught out this way?
If you ever thought you’d booked a 4wd and received a 2wd, let us know below. Alternatively, if you have any questions about booking a 4wd, get in touch so we can help.
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