Extra Charges

At Car Hire .net we pride ourselves that all the brokers and suppliers we offer are fully inclusive. That if you book through us with their direct rates you will be able to pick up the car without extra fees. Unfortunately there is a few unavoidable exceptions to our boast.
Here we would like to list them and give some information on them:

Child seats or additional extras

If you request a child seat, ski rack or anything else that is separate to the vehicle itself you will unsurprisingly be charged a daily fee for their use. Charges vary from country to country but an example in the UK with Europcar the charge is £6.08 + vat per day payable locally. A security deposit of £50.00 is also required but will be returned when the seat. Please don't expect a brand new seat especially in holiday hotspots as they do get a lot of use. Also you will have no help installing it as it will make the rental company liable so it's down to you I am afraid.

High Altitude Stations or Winterization

Not sure if it is in the dictionary but you may see winterization in the terms and conditions or high altitude stations mentioned. What this entails is the additional equipment required for driving in snow or the low temperatures of high altitude driving for example around ski resorts. This may include but is not restricted to snow tyres, chains and additional chemicals for the engine (anti freeze). In some countries this equipment is mandatory but in all cases when the equipment is put in place by the rental company the charge is definitely mandatory. Make sure you check your terms and conditions before booking when heading somewhere the cold white stuff may lie.

Travelling Into Another Country

Now a lot of the time this is free and is allowed. But there are suppliers that either do not allow travel over the border or charge for the privilege. Travelling into the former eastern block countries will either be not allowed or have a fee incurred due the conception that these countries have a higher risk in terms of theft of the vehicle. Again check your terms and conditions prior to booking if you are planning on driving into another country.

Insurances

Yes you can pick the car up without taking any additional insurances - you have to do this if you take our refundable insurance product (which is much cheaper than the at the counter insurances offered). The question is if your comfortable with driving with an excess. In France for example excess amounts can go from 800 Euro to 4000 Euro for high value vehicles. So if you have an accident or are a victim of crime, even if either event is not your fault, you are liable for the damage up to the excess amount. It really is up to you but we feel the refundable excess product we offer is the best piece of mind to have. Sometimes like in Spain you have no excess on the cars but there is a catch which brings us on to our next item....

Fuel

Yes traditionally you pick it up full and you return it full but there are a host of other options. As touched on before you can get zero excess but this is tied to a full to empty policy like with Goldcar in Spain. You pay a premium for the fuel and they score with any unused fuel you bring back (which happens a lot and you don't get anything for). Even traditional full to full companies like Europcar in the UK now offer fuel options where you can buy a tank and return it empty.