Cars Tips

Car hire tips: how to avoid being ripped off

Car hire tipsWith the summer holidays just around the corner here are a few tips on how to avoid being taken for a ride by your car hire company….

the car for any damage, no matter how minor, at the start and end of the loan Also check that any essential equipment, such as spare bulbs, spare wheels or tyre inflation kit, and high-vis jacket are present. They’re legal requirements in many countries and you don’t want to be charged for something that was missing before you left. When you return it try to get a representative to sign the car back in to confirm the bodywork condition and the fuel level are as expected. Fill it up Some firms operate a full-to-empty fuel policy where they fill the car with overpriced fuel before the loan and expect you to return it empty, meaning you’ll end up driving around aimlessly to get your money’s worth. Far better to go for a package that asks you to return the car with the same fuel level as when you collected it. Just make sure to note the level before setting off and get evidence that it was at the same level when you returned it. Read more:  Couple warn of New York taxi scam after they were forced to pay $470 for short trip from airport 1 million Brits risk lives with foreign driving errors The i newsletter News for open-minded people. Delivered straight to your inbox. By entering your email address and clicking on the sign up button, you are agreeing to receive the latest daily news, news features and service updates from the i via email. You can unsubscribe at any time and we will not pass on your information. Get daily news updates Subscribe to the newsletter Sign up today Cars For Sale Used cars 103137 70 years of the NHS 1948-2018 Find out more Subscribe to the National Newspaper Of The Year Find out more Most Popular England World Cup squad 2018 – in full World Cup When men tried to turn real women into dolls Comment 100 of the best ever jokes and one-liners from the Fringe Culture Your guide to the World Cup 2018 group stage Football Woman trying to sell WWII relic on Ebay finds out it is actually a live projectile missile Video   by Taboola Sponsored Links Explore More 3 & 4 BHK Flats, Duplex at 47 Floor Tallest Tower at EM Bypass, Kolkata, 1.54 Cr Onward Bengal Peerless How To Stay Cool This Summer Without An Air Conditioner CoolAir 5 Ways to Make the Most of a Few Days in San Francisco Brand USA Flight Prices You’re Not Allowed To See! FlightFinder Essentials NewsSportLifestyleCulture Useful Links AboutContact UsAdvertiseSubscribe to i Join Us On All rights reserved. © 2018 Johnston Publishing Ltd. Cookie Settings Terms and Conditions Privacy and Cookie Policy

The i newsletter News for open-minded people. Delivered straight to your inbox. By entering your email address and clicking on the sign up button, you are agreeing to receive the latest daily news, news features and service updates from the i via email. You can unsubscribe at any time and we will not pass on your information. Get daily news updates Subscribe to the newsletter Sign up today Cars For Sale Used cars 103137 70 years of the NHS 1948-2018 Find out more Subscribe to the National Newspaper Of The Year Find out more Most Popular England World Cup squad 2018 – in full World Cup When men tried to turn real women into dolls Comment 100 of the best ever jokes and one-liners from the Fringe Culture Your guide to the World Cup 2018 group stage Football Woman trying to sell WWII relic on Ebay finds out it is actually a live projectile missile Video   by Taboola Sponsored Links Explore More 3 & 4 BHK Flats, Duplex at 47 Floor Tallest Tower at EM Bypass, Kolkata, 1.54 Cr Onward Bengal Peerless How To Stay Cool This Summer Without An Air Conditioner CoolAir 5 Ways to Make the Most of a Few Days in San Francisco Brand USA Flight Prices You’re Not Allowed To See! FlightFinder Car Reviews Jaguar I-Pace review: Whatever it is, it’s pretty good Graham Scott – Autocar 7:00 Wednesday June 20th 2018 If you ask whether this is an SUV or a sports car or whatever, the answer from Jaguar is the same: it doesn’t matter. Because it’s whatever you want it to be, which sort of makes sense what with the edges blurring so much between, say, a crossover and a soft-roader and an SUV or premium luxury car. But it is this: Jaguar I-Pace  Price: £63,495 Motor: permanent magnet Battery: 90kWh Power: 394bhp Torque: 513lb ft Gearbox: single-speed Kerb weight: 2208kg Top speed: 124mph 0-62mph: 4.5sec Range: 298 miles CO2: 0g/km The first battery electric vehicle (BEV) from a car manufacturer which has a long and proud tradition of making great cars with internal combustion engines. It’s a premium product, with a long range, long heritage and it’s been a long time in the gestation. It also had a very clear design goal, according to Wolfgang Ziebart, who was recruited for the project: “The goal was simple, to design the best electric car on the planet.” But, as we know, simple isn’t often easy. Read more: Tesla Model X review: the family-friendly future It follows the usual platform for such things, with the relatively compact dimensions housing the battery pack but there are also two electric motors, one either end. That gives all-wheel drive, and 50:50 weight distribution, with much of that way low down. The battery cells give 90kWh of juice, which according to the new official cycle will get you a whisker under 300 miles. Of course if it’s freezing cold and you’re in a screaming hurry don’t expect that sort of mileage. But that power system means there’s a lot of space inside, a surprising amount particularly for rear passengers. Although this is an achingly modern vehicle, Jaguar has kept things fairly traditional inside so you can have leather and wood should you so desire. It’s all very neatly designed and made and looks suitably Jaguar and premium. Then you notice the cabin is actually a touch further forward, which is possible because there’s no petrol or diesel lump under that bonnet. At the rear it’s more traditional SUV to ensure decent airflow and hence low Cd, but that in turn means the boot can hold 656 litres of whatever you fancy, plus there are lots of stowage areas around the vehicle. Driving it depends on what you feel like. You can set various parameters, and one of them is the amount of regenerative braking on offer. It’s actually possible to use just the throttle for virtually all of your driving, such is the retardation possible. The lack of brake lights might prove exciting for those tailgating you though. This sort of delivery does encourage you to be smooth, which of course will lengthen the already pretty impressive range. But should you wish to be a little more dramatic, then not far off 400bhp will ensure there’s plenty of drama. Acceleration is fierce, instant and seems to go on for a long time. A dash to 62mph in just 4.5sec, accompanied as it is largely by silence and a rushing noise, is mighty impressive and easily feels that fast. This may be an electric vehicle, but my word this is no milk float. You can take it fairly seriously off-road, or on the track or, okay, on the road. It works everywhere. The only downer is that it’s not a light vehicle, and won’t be with that much battery power. That means in turn that the handling is well tied down at the expense of the ride, which can be jittery at times. But that’s about the only downside. Should you hate electric cars you’re unlikely to buy one, but if you’re in the market for one, this is definitely one of the best around – whatever it is. Read more: Electric cars: the coming revolution How reliable are electric cars? Sign up to The Essential Newsletter By entering your email address and clicking on the sign up button, you are agreeing to receive the latest daily news, news features and service updates from the i via email. You can unsubscribe at any time and we will not pass on your information. Get daily news updates Subscribe to the newsletter Sign up today Cars For Sale Used cars 103137 70 years of the NHS 1948-2018 Find out more Subscribe to the National Newspaper Of The Year Find out more Most Popular England World Cup squad 2018 – in full World Cup When men tried to turn real women into dolls Comment 100 of the best ever jokes and one-liners from the Fringe Culture Your guide to the World Cup 2018 group stage Football Woman trying to sell WWII relic on Ebay finds out it is actually a live projectile missile Video Essentials NewsSportLifestyleCulture Useful Links AboutContact UsAdvertiseSubscribe to i Join Us On All rights reserved. © 2018 Johnston Publishing Ltd. Cookie Settings Terms and Conditions Privacy and Cookie Policy Book early and shop around As with many aspects of holidays, the further in advance you book your hire car, the more likely you are to get the best price. Don’t just go for the first price you see either, use comparison tools to check out the offers from different companies or go direct to their websites where they often offer their best deals. Virtually every airport has multiple rental firms so you should be able to compare several offers for the vehicle you need. Just make sure that you’re comparing like for like in terms of vehicle, mileage allowance and what’s included in the hire. Read more: 20 charming, peaceful and quirky places to stay on a road trip in France this summer Small-scale brokers can also sometimes offer deals you won’t get elsewhere thanks to tie-ups with particular providers. Just be aware that what they’re offering might not match other deals and unscrupulous ones have been known to offer deals that the company won’t honour when customers get to the desk. Insurance Every car hire provider will try to force you into taking collision damage waiver (CDW). This cover essentially reduces or removes the often-enormous excesses charged by hire firms if you have an accident. In some cases it only covers car-on-car accidents, so scraping it against a post or hitting a rock in the road won’t be covered, and in every case it’s massively expensive. There are plenty of third-party providers who offer hire car CDW at better rates either for one-off trips or on an annual basis. Read the paperwork It sounds obvious but don’t just blithely sign the contract you’re handed. Make sure nothing has been added that you didn’t want and that the price matches what you were quoted. Check if there’s a mileage limit, the return date and time, and the fuel level policy. If you’re unsure about anything query it before signing and before taking the car. Don’t borrow car seats and sat nav It’s important to have the right car seat for any young passengers but car rental firms charge big bucks to provide these. A quick check of some of the biggest operators found prices ranging from £27 to £73 per week. Depending on your airline and how long you’re away for, it could be better value to pay the excess baggage charge to take your own. Some airlines even allow you to bring a child car seat for free (although some apply age restrictions). As with child seats, sat nav is an easy way for rental firms to make money. We found weekly loan rates of around £100 – more that you’d pay to buy a brand-new system. Take your own system or, if you’ve enough data, use a smartphone instead, just be sure to take an appropriate hands-free mount as well. Check for damage Before driving away give the car a thorough inspection. The rental company will be quick to charge you for even the smallest scrape so make sure every blemish and mark is noted on the agreement when you collect it. Photograph it from all four sides and do the same when you return it to prove it’s in the same condition. Read more at: https://inews.co.uk/essentials/lifestyle/cars/car-features/car-hire-tips-how-to-avoid-being-ripped-off/Check the car for any damage, no matter how minor, at the start and end of the loan Also check that any essential equipment, such as spare bulbs, spare wheels or tyre inflation kit, and high-vis jacket are present. They’re legal requirements in many countries and you don’t want to be charged for something that was missing before you left. When you return it try to get a representative to sign the car back in to confirm the bodywork condition and the fuel level are as expected. Fill it up Some firms operate a full-to-empty fuel policy where they fill the car with overpriced fuel before the loan and expect you to return it empty, meaning you’ll end up driving around aimlessly to get your money’s worth. Far better to go for a package that asks you to return the car with the same fuel level as when you collected it. Just make sure to note the level before setting off and get evidence that it was at the same level when you returned it. Read more:  Couple warn of New York taxi scam after they were forced to pay $470 for short trip from airport 1 million Brits risk lives with foreign driving errors The i newsletter News for open-minded people. Delivered straight to your inbox. By entering your email address and clicking on the sign up button, you are agreeing to receive the latest daily news, news features and service updates from the i via email. You can unsubscribe at any time and we will not pass on your information. Get daily news updates Subscribe to the newsletter Sign up today Cars For Sale Used cars 103137 70 years of the NHS 1948-2018 Find out more Subscribe to the National Newspaper Of The Year Find out more Most Popular England World Cup squad 2018 – in full World Cup When men tried to turn real women into dolls Comment 100 of the best ever jokes and one-liners from the Fringe Culture Your guide to the World Cup 2018 group stage Football Woman trying to sell WWII relic on Ebay finds out it is actually a live projectile missile Video   by Taboola Sponsored Links Explore More 3 & 4 BHK Flats, Duplex at 47 Floor Tallest Tower at EM Bypass, Kolkata, 1.54 Cr Onward Bengal Peerless How To Stay Cool This Summer Without An Air Conditioner CoolAir 5 Ways to Make the Most of a Few Days in San Francisco Brand USA Flight Prices You’re Not Allowed To See! FlightFinder Essentials NewsSportLifestyleCulture Useful Links AboutContact UsAdvertiseSubscribe to i Join Us On All rights reserved. © 2018 Johnston Publishing Ltd. Cookie Settings Terms and Conditions Privacy and Cookie Policy

Source:inews.

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