FAQs

You can hire a vehicle for a minimum period of 3 months up to a maximum of 18 months.  Your commitment to the hire would be for the minimum 3 month period.

If circumstances change and you decide to return the vehicle before the minimum 3 month rental period has elapsed then you will be required to pay the balance of the rentals falling due up to 3 months.   So, for example: if you decide you wish to return the vehicle at the end of the first month of the rental period then if you haven’t already paid for month 2 then you will have to make rental payments for both month 2 and month 3.  If you have already paid for month 2 then you will still have to make rental payment for month 3.   There may also be other charges that are payable - such as excess mileage charges or repair costs.

If you decide to give the vehicle back 3 months (or more) after delivery has elapsed then you just need to give us one month’s notice of your wish to return the vehicle.  No further rental payments will be required, however, there may be other charges that are payable - such as excess mileage charges and/or repair costs.

Mileage is one of the major factors in defining how much your agreement plan will cost.  If you exceed your chosen mileage then at the end of the rental period we will charge you for the number of  miles you have travelled over and above the inclusive mileage allowance in the relevant period.  For example, if you opt for the 1000 inclusive miles allowance per month and over a rental period of 7 months you actually travel 10800 miles then we will charge you for 3800 excess miles. If the excess mileage charge is stated in the Tariff Guide to be 20p per mile then you would be charged £760.  In this example, it may actually be more economical for you to consider taking the higher inclusive mileage allowance rather than paying excess mileage charges. It is therefore vital to choose a mileage allowance that reflects your driving habits.   So that you arrive at the best inclusive annual mileage allowance for your needs you should take a measurement of how many miles you travel currently in an average month and multiply it by 12.  Be sure to bear in mind any seasonal differences in your driving behaviour that might occur during the rental period to make your estimation as accurate as possible.

The contract includes the following:

• Free delivery in mainland UK.  A delivery charge will apply for some locations, for example the Highlands and Islands. See T&Cs for full details
• Full manufacturer’s warranty
• Breakdown recovery through the manufacturer warranty recovery process
• Road tax (vehicle excise duty)
• Service and maintenance to include tyres (fair wear and tear only).

The following features are not included in the contract:

• Vehicle insurance
• A relief vehicle - unless your vehicle is subject to a manufacturer’s recall

Yes – Road Fund Licence (otherwise known as vehicle excise duty) is included in the contract and  will be covered for the duration of the agreement.

Yes – contracts for all vehicles include either 12 or 36 months breakdown recovery depending on the manufacturer. The recovery agents that will respond to any breakdown of the vehicle (for example, RAC or AA) will depend on the manufacturer that supplies the vehicle. To find out the length of the breakdown cover included and the contact number you need to call in the event of a breakdown in the UK please call our Regulated Business team on 0371 384 5932.

You are responsible for arranging your own insurance on the vehicle. This must be a comprehensive insurance policy and if you have an excess on it then you are responsible for that also. If you are the person hiring the vehicle then you must be the main policyholder or a named driver on the insurance certificate. Please note that Europcar Group UK Limited is, and will remain, the registered owner and keeper of the vehicle.

If your vehicle has been involved in an accident then you should let us know as soon as you can.  You are then responsible for the cost of it being repaired by a reputable repairer. If we consider the damage to be significant or if it is related to safety in the vehicle then we may wish to inspect the repair once it has been carried out. If your vehicle has been declared a ‘total loss’ (ie., is written off) or it is stolen – you must inform us immediately. We will require written confirmation from your insurance company that the vehicle is a total loss before we agree an amount for settlement of the contract.  If you have an excess on your policy then please remember that you will be responsible for settling that element of it. In the event of a total loss, the most important thing to do is contact us as soon as you can. Your sales advisor in our Regulated Business team (please call 0371 384 5932) will be able to give you all the information and instruction you need.

Yes, all our vehicles come with the full UK manufacturer’s warranty but the length of time this warranty covers will depend on the manufacturer. Please ask your sales advisor in our Regulated Business team (on 0371 384 5932) for details of the warranty that is provided for your vehicle.

Your agreement does not include a relief vehicle unless one is supplied by the manufacturer if your vehicle suffers a breakdown.  If the vehicle is required for servicing or maintenance then you will need to make your own arrangements.

From the point of us both (you and us) signing the rental agreement then, provided you pay the Advance Payment (the deposit and the agreement administration fee) and the first monthly rental payment on time, we aim to deliver the vehicle to you within 14 days.

Whenever you return the vehicle to us you must give it back to us with no more than what is considered by the BVRLA to be ‘normal’ wear and tear. As members of the BVRLA we have adopted its recommended fair wear and tear conditions and a guide is attached to the agreement and can also be found on the website.

Ultimately, whether a diesel, or petrol or even a hybrid vehicle is best for you will depend on your individual needs and driving preferences.    One of the biggest things to bear in mind when making this decision, however, is your regular driving habits. Diesel vehicles are fitted with something called a diesel particulate filter (DPF). The DPF is part of the vehicle’s exhaust system, and is designed to clean engine exhaust gases before they enter the atmosphere. The DPF is designed to clean itself by ‘burning off’ the excess soot particles when it gets hot enough – typically after 30 minutes of driving at around 45mph. If you don’t reach those speeds for long enough the filter won’t be able to clean itself and a warning light will come on. Therefore, if you are typically a city driver or one that doesn’t do a large number of miles in a single journey then a petrol or hybrid vehicle may be more suitable for you.

No – the vehicles that are that are available are standard vehicles and we are not able to accommodate specific requests in relation to specification.

Payments for all but the first rental payments will be made by direct debit. You will make the first Rental Payment 24 hours before the Vehicle is due to be delivered using the debit card that is linked to the bank account you nominate to make the direct debit payments for the second and subsequent rental payments.    The direct debit payments will be collected from your nominated bank account on whichever date of the month you elect as your preferred Rental Payment date until either you have made at least 6 Rental Payments or the Rental Period comes to an end, whichever is the latest date.

Yes we will. As part of the application process you will be asked to provide certain information that will enable us to undertake a credit check and an affordability check.  We will use a reputable credit reference agency (Experian) for this purpose. We ask for a good to excellent credit score in the first instance and we may then also look at other factors (such as debts or other financial commitments) that may affect your ability to make regular payments on time. You can check your current credit score on Experian for free or call our team for advice. For more information about credit checks, please visit this website.    

We aim to respond to a credit application within 2 working days, however during busy periods it can take up to 5 working days.

You must have held a full driving licence for a minimum of 12 months. Licences issued overseas, must:

• be clearly identifiable to us as a driving licence
• be valid for use in the UK; and
• entitle you, as the licence holder, to drive the type of vehicle you are looking to rent from us.

If you cannot fulfil the first criteria (an identifiable driving licence) then we may need you to supply an International Driving Permit. International Driving Permits (‘IDP’) An International Driving Permit (an ‘IDP’) will be required if the original driving licence is not written in English or does not contain a photo of the driver.  An IDP is a translation of your driving licence. It is not valid (or necessary) in your home country (ie.,in the country of issue) or on its own. An IDP will be only required when the original driving licence. If you are providing an IDP then you must, at the same time, present the driving licence it is translating.   If your home country doesn’t issue IDPs then a Letter of Endorsement issued by your home country’s Embassy or Consulate is acceptable. A Chinese driving licence is acceptable if:

• it is accompanied by an International Driving Permit
• it is presented with a notary translation

As long as…

• you have a full driving licence that you have held for at least 12 months when the rental period starts (this can be either a UK or European licence) and it complies with the endorsement restrictions shown on our website here; and
• you can afford the monthly rental payments; and
• you have a ‘good’ to ‘excellent’ credit score

then … you can apply to rent a vehicle from us. There is no upper age limit.

Europcar is both the registered owner and keeper of the vehicle and will hold the V5C registration document (also known as the log book).

Any mileage over the agreed amount is charged at the excess mileage charge per mile that is shown in the Tariff Guide attached to the agreement. By way of example, if the excess mileage charge stated in your Tariff Guide is stated to be 20p per mile and you exceed your mileage allowance by 1,000 miles, you would be charged £200.

We will pass your details to the issuing authority as the person responsible for the fine or ticket and we will charge an administration fee of £40 for doing so.