By Sunny
If you have ever hired a car, you have probably been hit by at least one of these car hire scams, whether you realised it at the time or not. The rental industry has a handful of well-worn tricks that turn a 30 pounds a day booking into a 300 pounds a day hole in your bank account. None of them are technically illegal. All of them are avoidable.
Here are the ones UK renters actually run into, and what to do about each.
1. The damage you did not cause
The classic. You return the car, someone walks round it with a clipboard, and they find a scratch above the rear wheel arch that was there before you arrived. If you signed the checkout sheet saying the car was fine, you have agreed to pay for that scratch.
The fix is unglamorous: photograph everything before you drive away. All four corners, both bumpers, the wheels, the windscreen, the interior, the fuel gauge. Make sure the photos have a visible timestamp. If you spot existing damage, get it written on the rental agreement and signed by someone at the desk before you leave. If you collect the car at night and cannot inspect it properly in the dark, say so and get that noted too. The BVRLA, the industry body for vehicle rental, recommends exactly this.
A torch is worth packing. Your phone's torch is fine. Stone chips on a windscreen and scuffs on bumpers hide badly in floodlit car parks and show up beautifully in daylight when you return the car.
2. The excess that is not really waived
Your booking probably says insurance is included, with a Collision Damage Waiver. The word waiver suggests you are covered. What it actually means is that the rental company waives its right to charge you the full cost of the car if you crash it, and charges you the excess instead. That excess is routinely between 500 and 2,500 pounds. How many people would accept a 2,500 pound compulsory excess on their own car insurance? Not many.
The desk will then offer you their excess reduction product, often 15 to 25 pounds a day, which is where the real margin lives. You do not have to buy it at the desk. Standalone excess insurance from a specialist insurer covers the same thing for a fraction of the price, bought before you travel. Say no politely at the desk, buy your own beforehand, and keep the paperwork with your booking.
3. The fuel policy that costs double
The fair fuel policy is full to full: you pick the car up with a full tank, return it full, pay nothing. The trap is full to empty, sometimes sold as a convenience: you pay for a full tank upfront, return it empty, and the company refunds nothing for the fuel you did not use. Where it gets ugly is the price per litre on that upfront tank, which is often far above the pump price.
Even with full to full, some desks quietly suggest you skip refuelling and let them sort it at a modest service fee. That modest fee plus their fuel rate routinely costs three times a tank you could have bought yourself two miles from the airport. Fill the car up before you return it, and keep the receipt.
4. The upsell at the desk
You arrive tired, with family, at 11pm. The desk tells you the car you booked is not suitable for your luggage, or not available, but for a small upgrade fee they have a bigger one right here. Sometimes this is genuine. Often the car you booked is sitting in the row behind them.
The counterweight is knowing exactly what you booked. Have the booking confirmation on your phone showing the car group or model. If they say it is not suitable, ask for the one you paid for. If they say it is not available, ask what the free alternative is before agreeing to pay for anything. A booked group C car that fits your luggage does not stop fitting it because the desk has group E stock to move.
5. The deposit hold and the slow release
The deposit is pre-authorised on your card, not charged. Typical deposits run from 200 to over 1,000 pounds depending on the supplier and the car. Two things catch people out. First, debit cards: some suppliers accept them for payment but the deposit hold can freeze a large chunk of your holiday money for weeks. Second, the release: after you return the car, the hold can take 10 to 15 working days to disappear, and if the supplier claims damage in that window, part of it becomes a charge.
Use a credit card for the deposit if you can, check the deposit amount before you travel so it is not a surprise, and photograph the fuel gauge and mileage at return, timestamped, the same as at pickup.
6. The late return that was not late
Return times are strict. Some companies start a full extra day's charge from 29 minutes past your agreed time. Others have a short grace period. A delayed flight into your return, or traffic on the M25, is your problem, not theirs.
Build slack into the booking. If your flight lands at 2pm, book the return for 5pm, not 2:30. The extra hours are usually free at the point of booking and expensive at the point of return.
The two-minute defence
Before you drive away: photos of everything, damage noted and signed, fuel and mileage photographed, and the fuel policy and deposit amount in your own notes rather than trusted to memory. It takes two minutes. It is the difference between a clean return and a three month dispute over a scratch.
Our car rental guide covers deposits, insurance excess and fuel policies in detail if you want the full picture before you book. If you only need a car for a day, our daily car rental page shows what is included as standard.
Car hire scam FAQ
What is the most common car hire scam?
Being charged for damage that was already on the car. It happens because renters sign the checkout sheet without inspecting the vehicle. Photograph the whole car before you drive away and get any existing damage written on the agreement and countersigned.
Is excess insurance from the rental desk worth it?
Rarely. Desk excess reduction typically costs 15 to 25 pounds a day. A standalone excess policy from a specialist insurer covers the same excess for a fraction of the price. Buy it before you travel and decline the desk product politely.
What is a fair fuel policy?
Full to full. You collect the car with a full tank, return it full, and pay nothing for fuel. Full to empty policies, where you pay upfront for a tank and get no refund for unused fuel, almost always work out worse.
How do I get my deposit back faster?
Use a credit card rather than a debit card for the deposit hold, photograph the fuel gauge and mileage when you return the car, and keep the return receipt. Most holds release within 10 to 15 working days, but a credit card dispute is far easier than a debit one if something goes wrong.