Are you going to hire a car in UK or Europe ? (1 Viewer)

Eeyore

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If you are going to hire a car, in UK or Europe, then you will possibly need to generate a code from the DVLA website to enable the hire company to check your licence online. You can do this before you go but the code is time-limited.

If your code has expired and you need a new one you will need your licence number, your post code and your National Insurance number.

We don't normally have these with us when away but will do so now.
 

Glandwr

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Hired a car in Catania last year, no checks, just a photocopy of licence and passport, and CC scanned

Dick

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D

Deleted member 29692

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It's really down to the company you're hiring from.

In the past some of them would want to see your counterpart license and some wouldn't.

Nothing's changed, anyone who wants to check can do, anyone who doesn't want to won't.
 
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Eeyore

Eeyore

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It's really down to the company you're hiring from.

In the past some of them would want to see your counterpart license and some wouldn't.

Nothing's changed, anyone who wants to check can do, anyone who doesn't want to won't.


However, as I am attempting to point out, if you are in some rental office in X and the company wish to check, unless you have your NI number with you they will not be able to do so. You might well then not be able to hire a car.

The licence does not show any points you have got. The DVLA website does.

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D

Deleted member 29692

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However, as I am attempting to point out, if you are in some rental office in X and the company wish to check, unless you have your NI number with you they will not be able to do so. You might well then not be able to hire a car.

You're quite right of course. (y)

They've extended the validity period now as well. When first introduced the code was only valid for 72 hours. Now it's 21 days so much more flexible, especially if you will be hiring abroad. If I was going on holiday I would probably generate one to take with me just in case.

https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence
 
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Eeyore

Eeyore

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This is fine if you're only going for 21 days. Many of us with motorhomes, go away for much longer and often hire on whim.
 

Brian and Jo

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What is the cost of hiring a car in the uk for a long weekend or a week .we have changed Jo,s car now and are deciding wether or not to have an a-frame fitted or just hire .any input would be welcome.(y)
Brian & Jo

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Eeyore

Eeyore

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Many of the Caravan Club sites have an arrangement with - I think- Enterprise and the car is delivered and collected from the site. Can't tell you how much I'm afraid but in Europe we think it is very much cheaper to hire this way than to trail a car over and pay extra on the ferry etc.

You can get One year insurance for around £39 which covers all the excess insurance costs for all the car hire you do during the year.
 

BwB

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What is the cost of hiring a car in the uk for a long weekend or a week .we have changed Jo,s car now and are deciding wether or not to have an a-frame fitted or just hire .any input would be welcome.(y)
Brian & Jo
That's a bit of a how-long-is-a-piece-of-string question. But this should give a good indication...
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D

Deleted member 29692

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Many of the Caravan Club sites have an arrangement with - I think- Enterprise and the car is delivered and collected from the site. Can't tell you how much I'm afraid but in Europe we think it is very much cheaper to hire this way than to trail a car over and pay extra on the ferry etc.

You can get One year insurance for around £39 which covers all the excess insurance costs for all the car hire you do during the year.

Be very very careful dealing with Enterprise. I've had that misfortune in the past. Now I'd rather walk than deal with them

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D

Deleted member 29692

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I find Enterprise to be one of the best run vehicle hire businesses around. Efficient polite and good value. What problems have you had with them.

A company I worked for had a courtesy car from them as part of an insurance claim so the car was paid for by the insurance company. Even it that situation you have to provide a credit card to them. We had the car for quite a while. When we got a credit card statement we saw that they had been charging us rental for the car for some time even though the insurance were paying for it. After a row we returned the car, in perfect condition. They then came back with a list of so called damage caused to the vehicle which we obviously disputed. This went on of quite some time during which time we discovered they were still charging the card. In the end we had to report the card stolen to get it cancelled to stop them. It ended up with the solicitors but took forever to sort out.

Like I said I would never ever use them no matter how desperate I was and I would always advise people against using them.

Dishonest, lying crooks would be my description.
 
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A company I worked for had a courtesy car from them as part of an insurance claim so the car was paid for by the insurance company. Even it that situation you have to provide a credit card to them. We had the car for quite a while. When we got a credit card statement we saw that they had been charging us rental for the car for some time even though the insurance were paying for it. After a row we returned the car, in perfect condition. They then came back with a list of so called damage caused to the vehicle which we obviously disputed. This went on of quite some time during which time we discovered they were still charging the card. In the end we had to report the card stolen to get it cancelled to stop them. It ended up with the solicitors but took forever to sort out.

Like I said I would never ever use them no matter how desperate I was and I would always advise people against using them.

Dishonest, lying crooks would be my description.
Sounds like six of one and half dozen of the other to me nic nic. We have had loads of vans from them recently and cant fault them in any way possible. However, like all car hire firms now, you have to be fully aware of the terms and conditions. The small print is there to see especially with regard to excess charges and damage waver. Believe me there are many fare worse that Enterprise.

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D

Deleted member 29692

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Sounds like six of one and half dozen of the other to me nic nic.

Excuse me?

How is fraudulently charging a credit card six of one half a dozen of the other?

Unless you're calling me a liar in which case I find that offensive.

Not that I have to justify myself to you, your opinion is less than irrelevant, but it was eventually sorted by the solicitors 100% in our favour, no fault on our part whatsoever so take your six of one half a dozen of the other and troll someone else.
 
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Eeyore

Eeyore

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What is the cost of hiring a car in the uk for a long weekend or a week .we have changed Jo,s car now and are deciding wether or not to have an a-frame fitted or just hire .any input would be welcome.(y)
Brian & Jo

This might help:

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Aug 27, 2009
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Excuse me?

How is fraudulently charging a credit card six of one half a dozen of the other?
Unless you're calling me a liar in which case I find that offensive.
Not that I have to justify myself to you, your opinion is less than irrelevant, but it was eventually sorted by the solicitors 100% in our favour, no fault on our part whatsoever so take your six of one half a dozen of the other and troll someone else.
I thought we were having a discussion about our experiences with Enterprise. Where did that come from.:rolleyes:

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lou020

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I've used Enterprize through the caravan club, very good experience with them.
you have to ring the office where you are getting the car from to arrange for them to pick you up and take you to their office. Same when returning the car,they take you back to where ever you want.

I've also rented in france from the big supermarkets,very easy.
 

sdc77

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We hire from Glasgow airport when we go to Scotland ... about a tenner a day for a focus (ish) car ..
In france weve used drivy... you have to register but the hire rates are good if you look around.
Not a fan of enterprise tbh
 
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However, as I am attempting to point out, if you are in some rental office in X and the company wish to check, unless you have your NI number with you they will not be able to do so. You might well then not be able to hire a car.

The licence does not show any points you have got. The DVLA website does.
I appreciate what you are pointing out but from the outset of this wonder how it can be legal ? If you have a selection of nationalities renting none of the others can have there licence checked so it would appear to be discrimination & contrary to EU rules for the Brit to supply additional tat ?

As to Europacar ,I tried to rent from them in North Devon last year & gave up after 5 phone calls. Promised return calls never materialised. Went elsewhere in the end.
 

Gellyneck

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I appreciate what you are pointing out but from the outset of this wonder how it can be legal ? If you have a selection of nationalities renting none of the others can have there licence checked so it would appear to be discrimination & contrary to EU rules for the Brit to supply additional tat ?

Is it not something to do with UK plastic licence not giving access to convictions and paper part no longer being updated, or something like that? Could very well be wrong though!
 
D

Deleted member 29692

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I appreciate what you are pointing out but from the outset of this wonder how it can be legal ? If you have a selection of nationalities renting none of the others can have there licence checked so it would appear to be discrimination & contrary to EU rules for the Brit to supply additional tat ?

As to Europacar ,I tried to rent from them in North Devon last year & gave up after 5 phone calls. Promised return calls never materialised. Went elsewhere in the end.

You aren't meant to provide that info to the hire company. The idea is that you generate your code before you get there and just hand it to them if they want to check your licence.

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pappajohn

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This is fine if you're only going for 21 days. Many of us with motorhomes, go away for much longer and often hire on whim.
Sorry, why should going for more than 21 days have any bearing ?
Once the vehicle is hired, within 21 days, the hire company then have a record of the hire and your details
They can then renew at any time.
 
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Eeyore

Eeyore

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Sorry, why should going for more than 21 days have any bearing ?
Once the vehicle is hired, within 21 days, the hire company then have a record of the hire and your details
They can then renew at any time.

This is fine if you know that you are going to hire, when and who from. We sometimes do it on the spur of the moment, more than 21 days after leaving home and usually in a small European town. IF anyone wanted to see our points record then, without a NI number, we could not get the necessary code to allow them to do so.

I didn't want to make an issue of this. The paperless driving licence regulations are still fairly new and we had not latched onto the fact that a NI number is needed to get access to the DVLA records. If the information saves someone arriving, unannounced, at a car rental office and being unable to rent from them, then that is all I intended in the first place.
 
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Is it not something to do with UK plastic licence not giving access to convictions and paper part no longer being updated, or something like that? Could very well be wrong though!
No other country plastic part gives access to convictions.
You aren't meant to provide that info to the hire company. The idea is that you generate your code before you get there and just hand it to them if they want to check your licence.
Why ,when I turn up next to you with my Spanish licence & am hired a vehicle even though they cannot check my licence ?
Therefore it is just the Brits who are supplying info to hire companies.

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D

Deleted member 29692

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Why ,when I turn up next to you with my Spanish licence & am hired a vehicle even though they cannot check my licence ?
Therefore it is just the Brits who are supplying info to hire companies.

It's down to the company to request it if they want to. If they don't want to they don't have to.

Don't see the problem myself.
 

TheBig1

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many many years! since I was a kid
I have hired vans and cars from Enterprise, europcar and other companies in the last 12 months. the only one to check my licence with dvsa was enterprise and that was done with a simple phone call. the agent dialled dvsa and identified the branch and my name then handed me the phone to confirm who I was and give permission for them to access my details and i then handed the phone back. it took about 1 minute and I wasnt asked for my national insurance number, although I have it memorised.

interestingly enterprise was the least hassle to hire from collected me and returned me to a cc site a couple of miles away. cost me about £150 for hiring a skoda octavia for a week, which i thought was pretty cheap for the service provided
 

mikebeaches

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I hire cars fairly regularly (mostly abroad), but I would to try to avoid Enterprise if possible.

A year or so ago in the UK I was accused of getting a windsreen chip and they tried to charge me. When I insisted they show me the chip, which I hadn't noticed, it turned out on close inspection that it was a chip that had been repaired PREVIOUSLY!

Begrudgingly they removed the charge but no apology.

Mike

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