Scariest car rental scams (and how to avoid them)

We know of the horror stories in car hire and quite frankly, we understand why people are scared to rent a car. The tactics employed by some companies are shameful, immoral, and often totally illegal. Of course, we’d never work with any companies that operate in this way, but you do need to be wary. Not everyone is as diligent. Here is our line-up of the scariest car rental scams…

‘You don’t have any insurance’

This comes up often and carries very little truth. Travellers arrive at the rental desk with the basic cover for their car rental booking and are told that their insurance isn’t valid. This can even happen when you’ve opted for a standalone car rental insurance policy as well.

Representatives at the pickup desk (who are paid commission on insurance sales) will say that you are not insured and if there is so much as a scratch you will be charged upwards of 1000 euros. This is a scare tactic to make you take out the rental company’s costly insurance.

The only truth in this is that you will be charged if there is damage, but only for the cost of the damage. A puncture for instance, 200 euros maximum. Dent on the bumper? You could be looking at 300 euros. The only time you will be charged the full excess amount is if the damage caused exceeds the excess.

Below is a typical cost breakdown of common damages:

These are just typical charges and sometimes can vary between vehicle groups. Damage matrices are there to make it fair to everyone and easier for the representative to know an approximate figure for repairs.

Charges for damage you didn’t cause

You’ve likely heard the stories of travellers getting charged for damage that was already on the vehicle. Whilst this is a terrible practice, it can happen and it’s not always on purpose.

Firstly, as there are so many vehicles rented each day, it can be impossible for representatives to remember if the blue VW Polo had a scratch when it was last returned. This should be picked up on return of the vehicle, but everyone is human and sometimes things can be missed.

What happens is, the scratch or dent is missed off the damage report, you return the vehicle and you’re hit with a charge for damage you didn’t cause. What can you do? Our best advice is to check the rental vehicle thoroughly before you sign anything and drive away; take lots of photos and make sure the damage is recorded on the rental agreement before you sign. If there is any dispute when you return the vehicle, you’ll have photographic evidence to back you up.

Of course, there are some unscrupulous companies that carry on charging different customers for the same damage over and over again. Usually a small scratch that’s somewhere difficult to spot.

We ask every customer for feedback following their rental to make sure that, if any company were operation unfairly, we can deal with it straight away.

Return without inspection

Another horror story linked to the above is being charged for either damage you didn’t cause, or damage that simply doesn’t exist. We’ve heard stories of this happening when customers are asked to return their rental car to a car park with no one from the rental company present. The vehicle is then damaged after it’s been returned, and the customer is charged for said damage.

There have also been instances by some dodgy car rental companies charging customers for non-existent damages, without the customer being present, there cannot be any counter argument.

Again, the best way to protect yourself from any of these charges is to take lots of photos, preferably with a timestamp. Once you leave the rental car in the car park, take photos from all angles to prove there is no new damage and you should be protected.

Booking with the “cheapest” 

The cheapest car rental quotes are often the cheapest for a reason and others are not actually as cheap as they seem! Some online car rental booking platforms won’t disclose the real car rental costs to make the total price seem cheaper. These may be revealed further into a booking process or even when you arrive to pick up the car! Additional fees that could be excluded from initial car rental cost could be: 

• Security deposit needed to protect the car rental company. 
• Younger/older driver surcharge (younger than 25/older than 70) 

• Out of hours pick up or the hotel/accommodation delivery fee 
• Any additional drivers 
• Locally added extras (child seat, Satnavs, snow chains) 

Furthermore, cheap car rental may not have the same inclusions that are important to keep you financially protected! 

The best way to avoid this is to go through the details with a fine comb or avoid any unreputable car rental companies. Triple check the final rental cost at the end of the booking process and investigate the added costs of any added extras you’re planning to rent out. Read through feedback on multiple review platforms to ensure you aren’t booking with any companies that practise these scams or hide any costs. 

Lock damage

We’ve saved the worst and quite possibly, the sneakiest tactic until last. Of course, all cars these days have remote locking, you’d never think to use the actual key would you? That’s what some shady car hire companies are hoping for.

The mechanical locks on some hire cars are deliberately damaged prior to rentals taking place, so that when you return the car, you can be charged for broken locks. An expensive one and you’ll never see it coming.

The best way to avoid this happening to you is just test the mechanical key when collecting your next hire car, if it doesn’t work, refuse the vehicle or certainly get the damage noted.

Protect yourself

We haven’t put together this article to scare you, but rather to inform you that these practices do occur in the car rental world.

We have strict measures in place to avoid working with any rental company that employs such tactics, so the best way to avoid these is to book car rental with us – we would of course say that! However, it is something we pride ourselves on, only putting forward the best car rental companies in the world so you, the customer, has a great rental experience every time.

About the author: Jake

Jake loves to dream of his next adventure, whether that's sunny beaches, snowy escapes, or finding hidden gems in popular locations, he's all about the love of travel!