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You’ve had your holiday, you’ve explored, you’ve relaxed, and you’ve soaked in the culture. You’ve had a fantastic time but there’s no place like home. One thing in your way is returning your hire car. This is a process tainted by bad, unclear and shady practices but we want to clear it up. We’ll run through everything you can expect when returning your car, the good and the sometimes not so good.
1. Plan for and expect to return the car at the date and time you specified.
Car hire providers work on busy and tight schedules. The reason we ask for specific times when booking is to allow car hire providers to know what’s available. When you drop your car off chances are it’s checked, cleaned and hired out again very soon after. If you’re late with returning the car, you might be charged for an extra rental day. Most providers have a grace period after the expected return time in which they’ll let you off, but this shouldn’t be taken for granted. Your best bet is always to return the car as close as possible to the time and date you specified.
“I’m delayed, stuck in traffic or something else has happened, I can’t drop the car off in time!”
This is a nightmare, it’s super stressful to be stuck in traffic knowing you’ll be late for your return time. If this happens to you, call the rental car provider and let them know you’ll be late. Call them as soon as you realise you’ll most likely be late. If you can’t get hold of them, call us and we’ll try our best to get in touch and update them on the situation.
Doing this gives you the best possible chance of a not being charged for an extra day. You might still be charged for being late but letting them know is always the best option.
“I’m returning a car late at night or early in the morning, will someone be there?”
Cars being returned after office hours is quite common. If you’ll have to return the car outside of normal office hours for the provider, a few things might need to happen.
First, when collecting the car, you’ll need to pay a return out of hours fee. When booking through us we show this on the extras page under the local charges section and you can pay this at the provider’s desk when you collect the car. This fee isn’t a way to grab extra money, it simply covers the overtime the company will have to pay their staff for staying later.
On collection, the provider might give you details of where and how to leave the car on return. This normally means there won’t be any staff around on your return. You’ll be asked to leave the car in a certain place, with the keys posted through the provider’s door or somewhere else discreet. If this is the case, make a note of all the details and do everything as asked on your return. Bear in mind that while the vehicle remains unattended after you’ve dropped it off, you’re still accountable for that vehicle.
2. Expect the car to be checked over thoroughly
When you return the hire car, standard practice is for the provider to look over the car and check for any new damage. This means anything from new paintwork scratches to dents and scuffs on the wheels. If this damage has been caused by you, the provider will detail the charges and either take the charges from your security deposit or invoice you separately. If you want more info on collecting your hire car, check out our complete guide to car hire collection.
The provider will also check the vehicle’s fuel gauge. Depending on the fuel policy you have – which you can find on the pre-paid voucher you used to collect the car – you’ll need to have returned the car with an empty tank, a full tank or simply with the same level as when you collected it. If you’ve done this, then all is good. If not, they may charge you for the missing fuel.
“The provider is charging me for damage I didn’t do!”
This is always a tricky situation but there are solutions. If the provider is attempting to blame you for damage that you didn’t do – and you’re certain you didn’t do – then it can lead to awkward standoffs. Preparing for this unfortunate situation starts when you collect the car. If you documented the car properly on collection with plenty of photos and videos, then all should be good. Simply show them the proof. Sometimes small scrapes and scuffs get missed by accident when providers are looking over the car, so they’ll mistakenly think its new damage. The key here is to make sure you document everything on collection, make sure the provider has every bit of damage written down. This protects you.
“The provider is saying I owe them for fuel!”
Again, this is a tricky situation but if you’ve prepared properly you should be fine. It starts with when you collect the car, a key step is to take a picture of the fuel gauge. This gives you an accurate representation of what’s expected on return – depending on the fuel policy. You can find your fuel policy on the pre-paid voucher we emailed to you.
If your policy is same-same (return the car with the same amount of fuel as collection) then a picture helps you know exactly what you started with. A photo of the gauge proves your point and should resolve the situation.
“I filled the car up to the correct amount, but the drive from the nearest petrol station dropped the gauge!”
This is an annoying one, but it can be solved. The best option is to simply work out the distance and fill up a tiny bit more to cover it. Once done, simply take a picture of the gauge next to the receipt right after filling up. This proves you did fill the car up to the correct amount. Most providers are situated close enough to petrol stations that this shouldn’t be an issue, but it’s always handy to know what to do.
“I’ve got proof and everything, but the provider insists we owe them!”
This is rare but can happen. It’s most often a mistake but it can be worrying. In this instance, if you’ve demonstrated proof and done everything correctly, we highly recommend you give us a call. We’ll liaise with the provider and try to come to a resolution.
3. Expect us to be on the other end if you need us
We have a commitment to only working with providers who provide fantastic service. Providers who will be helpful, efficient and understanding every time you return your hire car. Despite this, sometimes things can go wrong. If at any time you’re not sure what to do when returning your car, give us a call. Our customer service team are helpful, knowledgeable and always here to help.
Our customer service team are available on +44 1362 852288 from Monday to Friday, 8am – 7pm. 8am – 5pm on Saturdays and UK bank holidays and from 10am – 4pm on Sundays. If you need help during these hours you can all our normal number which, as above, is +44 1362 852288.
“It’s out of your normal office hours and I need help!”
If you need help outside of the times listed above, we do operate an emergency 24/7 out of hours number. To contact us on this number, call the normal number listed above (+44 1362 852288), listen to the whole message and press the option for the emergency phone. Don’t leave a voicemail on this number, it’s not monitored.
Very useful information thanks
Having used Zest many times in Spain & also from Toulouse, I have so far, always had a great experience & smooth car pick up/drop off. Your website is simple & clear to use & on the only occasion I was unable to complete a booking online, a quick call to Zest explained the problem to me fully. 10 out of 10 so far Zest thank you.
Thanks for information. Your proactive customer approach is one of a number of reasons for using your service.