HIRE CAR EXPERIENCES:
- Almost 1 in 10 travellers have arrived to find no hire car
- 20% have queued for more than half an hour
- But nearly a third get a better car than booked
Almost one in 10 car hirers (9%) have arrived to collect their hire car only to be told that none were available, according to a new YouGov survey which looked at the experience of hiring a car.
The survey, which was commissioned by iCarhireinsurance.com, the leading specialist provider of stand-alone car hire excess insurance, found that travellers often face a long wait when they arrive to pick up their car with one in five (20%) queuing for more than half an hour to be served at the rental desk. However, it’s not all bad news, as almost a third (32%) have been given a better car than they booked.
The survey also found that men are more likely to take responsibility for dealing with the hire car rental desk when going abroad with a partner than women, with a quarter saying they mainly take responsibility compared to 7% of women. Once at the rental desk, 19% reported to being shocked at the price of 'extras', including car hire excess waiver insurance and paying for an extra driver, which might explain why 19% found the process of collecting a hire car stressful.
To take away any stress when hiring a car, travellers should take as much care over the details of their booking as they do with other aspects of their holiday,
said Ernesto Suarez, founder and CEO of iCarhireinsurance.com. Some simple planning in advance of travelling to make sure you avoid extra costs at the rental desk, particularly the expensive excess waiver policies that rental companies sell, can make the whole process plain sailing as well as saving travellers a pretty fortune.
A car hire excess insurance policy from a specialist insurance provider like iCarhireinsurance.com starts from £2.99 a day for Europe or £37.99 for an annual policy, compared to approximately £17* a day from a rental company, and includes vulnerable parts of the car which are frequently excluded from rental company policies.
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,088 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 28th - 29th April 2016. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
* iCarhireinsurance.com surveyed the costs to hire a compact in Tenerife, Nice, Faro, Larnaca and Barcelona with five hire car companies, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt , for a week's hire from 28 May to 4 June. The average cost charged by the rental companies for an excess/waiver policy was £119.Notes to Editors
Halo Insurance Services Ltd is a ground-breaking online insurance broker which was founded in 2009 by Ernesto Suarez, a leading insurance expert specialising in non-standard motor insurance. Its products include car hire insurance, van hire insurance and car club excess insurance all of which have been designed to offer more cover for a better price than the excess waivers offered at the rental desk.
Halo operates the retail brands iCarhireinsurance.com in the UK, leihwagenversicherung.de in Germany, Aseguramicochedealquiler.es in Spain and Huurautoverzekering.com in the Netherlands. It also provides insurance solutions to a number of commercial partners involved who provide software and booking services to car hire operators.
Awards won:
- FINALIST – 2014 British Insurance Awards – Personal Lines Broker of the Year Award
- WINNER - 2013 British Insurance Awards – Insurance Start-Up Award
- FINALIST - 2012 British Insurance Awards – The E-Business Award
- WINNER - 2011 Insurance Times Awards – Broker Innovation of the Year
Halo Insurance Services Limited is registered in England number 6929208. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Register No. 504629 for the sale and administration of general insurance products in the United Kingdom and throughout the European Economic Area (EEA).
