Please tell me everything about hiring a car...

[Soprano]

After 4 non-driving adventures, we're now getting a car. This will be with Dollar as it was free with the Virgin holiday. It is supposed to be an upgrade.

Whats all this about "extras" Dollar try on you? And what about petrol? Some of the recent posts have quotes £300+ ??? I only think we will be making short trips and shudder at the thought of spending THAT much on petrol.

Would also like info on child seats have a 3 and 4 year old so know I need them, but not sure on their cost. A recent thread didn't shed any light on this question, so not expecting an answer here.

As usual, I am grateful for any advice...

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi,

We rent a Dollar car with Virgin every time we go.

Dollar will try and get you to upgrade your chosen vehicle, they always have 'offers' on, if you are happy the car is the right one for your needs just politely say no.

Do you know what size car you are getting and how many in your party?
Have you pre-paid for SLI/LDW etc? or have you booked a fully inclusive package that includes fuel/taxes etc?

You really need these for insurance and if you (without wishing to worry you) in the unlikely someone bumps into your car etc

Petrol costs have risen, although cheaper than in the UK.
If you are not venturing outside Orlando you will probably have to fill up say 3 times over the 2 weeks, if that is how long you are going for, I would imagine depending on your size of car it would not cost you more than $100 on fuel.

Child seats I think were about $60 for 2 weeks last time we needed one, they are not as good as you would own in the UK but they are ok and better than having to take your own.

 

[Soprano]

Thanks for (another) quick reply!

Hmm, I'm not sure what I booked (how stupid does that sound) it was just the free car which came with the holiday. My insurance is with insurance4carhire.com . I have no idea what SLI/LDW is, I presumed it was some un-needed extra. How much do they cost? Again, not sure about the fuel either... I need to check these when I get home.

I like the sound of $100 for fuel!

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Thanks for (another) quick reply!

Hmm, I'm not sure what I booked (how stupid does that sound) it was just the free car which came with the holiday. My insurance is with insurance4carhire.com . I have no idea what SLI/LDW is, I presumed it was some un-needed extra. How much do they cost? Again, not sure about the fuel either... I need to check these when I get home.

I like the sound of $100 for fuel!

SLI is , Supplimentary Liability Insurance - this covers you against legal costs etc should you be unfortunate to bump into another car, not essential but recommended for peace of mind, costs I believe a minimum $12 or so a day.

LDW or CDW is, loss (collision) damage waiver - covers you in case of any damage to your hire car, you would be I think liable for any damage, you really MUST have this cover, approx $20 a day cost.

You will also have to pay Florida state taxes which may be $7 or so a day also.
Airport Tax too, not sure how much but maybe $5 or $6 a day too.

Sorry, but best you know now - guess you will have to prepare to pay most of this when you arrive, we used to but now use Virgin's all inclusive which means you pay before you go, and it works out cheaper.

As I say SLI is not mandatory, but generally it is recommended and Dollar will try and push you to pay for it, LDW or CDW, plus the taxes you will definitely have to pay for.

As I said earlier child seats are $60 or so each, for 2 weeks - to be honest that was a few years ago though.

 

[angel659]

Hi


Double check what car hire 4 insurance covers, I am sure you still have to pay for extras when you arrive which insurance or taxes I am not sure. I think thats an extra $100 I am not sure again. I read on thier site you have to pay for extra's when I was looking and found it was cheaper to book premium insurance with Virgin than booking it all seperately.

Car seats I would advise you to take your own. They cost around $9 a day for hire and you dont really know what you are getting. We took ours and had no problems with them. Virgin pre-pack them in a clear bag so the staff can see whats inside. They come off the plane with the buggies.

 

[Goofyish]

This is the information from the insurance4carhire.com site relating to the USA cover they offer for £99:

insurance4carhire.com

Take out annual Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) before you travel and avoid costly insurance charges of as much as US $30 per day, sold at the car rental counter.

• Covers the rented vehicle for Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) up to US$ 80,000
• Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) up to US $1 million
• Lock-out provision to cover up to US $60.00 for a locksmith
• Covers all additional drivers named on car rental agreement

Conditions Applicable
• Not valid for USA and Canadian residents
• Not valid for exotic cars (above US $80,000 value) or antique vehicles more than 20 years old
• Not valid for commercial vehicles, camper vans, mobile homes or vans with more than 8 seats
• Restricted to those aged between 21 and 74 years old
• Rental limited to 31 continuous days on any one rental agreement

Is this the package you got for your car insurance Soprano?

Seems to cover most things apart from local tax and petrol.

One other insurance that you may need to think about is the "Un-Insured Driver Cover". This is incase you have an accidient and the other driver isn't insured.

​

 

[JohnnySharp2]

• Not valid for exotic cars (above US $80,000 value) or antique vehicles more than 20 years old

'exotic cars', hmm which are they then? Sounds just right for me
I would hope your car isn't more than 20 years old Soprano

Tim is right though, if you have this package you are already covered for SLI/LDW - is this what you have?

 

[Soprano]

This is the information from the insurance4carhire.com site relating to the USA cover they offer for £99:

insurance4carhire.com

Take out annual Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) before you travel and avoid costly insurance charges of as much as US $30 per day, sold at the car rental counter.

• Covers the rented vehicle for Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) up to US$ 80,000
• Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) up to US $1 million
• Lock-out provision to cover up to US $60.00 for a locksmith
• Covers all additional drivers named on car rental agreement

Conditions Applicable
• Not valid for USA and Canadian residents
• Not valid for exotic cars (above US $80,000 value) or antique vehicles more than 20 years old
• Not valid for commercial vehicles, camper vans, mobile homes or vans with more than 8 seats
• Restricted to those aged between 21 and 74 years old
• Rental limited to 31 continuous days on any one rental agreement

Is this the package you got for your car insurance Soprano?

Seems to cover most things apart from local tax and petrol.

One other insurance that you may need to think about is the "Un-Insured Driver Cover". This is incase you have an accidient and the other driver isn't insured.

​

Ah! Yes, thats the one! Thanks. I didn't think to look up the website Sounds like I'm a-okay then.

Just a matter of petrol. How does all that work?

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Ah! Yes, thats the one! Thanks. I didn't think to look up the website Sounds like I'm a-okay then.

Just a matter of petrol. How does all that work?

You may get the option when you arrive of paying for a full tank I suppose, this means the car will be full when you drive off, and you can return the car empty (or at least with enough to get you to the Airport).

They do charge more, close to double probably but you would not want to start searching for fuel soon as you arrive I am sure.

 

[alisonbestford]

We used insurance4carhire, alongside our 'free' Dollar rental car, last year and the 'extras', including state taxes, and a tank of petrol were around $110 for 17 days

Just looked at the receipt (why I've kept it though....... ) and the pre-paid fuel was $32.38

Seem to remember filling up just once whilst we were there and we did a 90 mile drive to the beach during our stay

 

[Soprano]

We used insurance4carhire, alongside our 'free' Dollar rental car, last year and the 'extras', including state taxes, and a tank of petrol were around $110 for 17 days

Just looked at the receipt (why I've kept it though....... ) and the pre-paid fuel was $32.38

Seem to remember filling up just once whilst we were there and we did a 90 mile drive to the beach during our stay

~sounds great.




Thanks to everyone

 

[alisonbestford]

I believe Dollar are re-knowned for trying to sell on 'extras' at the desk but they just glanced at my ins certificate, said 'you look as though you know what you're doing.........' and waved me on my way

 

[disneyholic family]

You may get the option when you arrive of paying for a full tank I suppose, this means the car will be full when you drive off, and you can return the car empty (or at least with enough to get you to the Airport).

They do charge more, close to double probably but you would not want to start searching for fuel soon as you arrive I am sure.

although it's usually true that they charge significantly more per gallon, this past summer, the petrol prices were rising so quickly, the car rental companies couldn't keep up....so much so , that when we rented in several different cities, including orlando, the price they charged for gas was pretty close to what we could buy it for at the pump....

 

[JohnnySharp2]

although it's usually true that they charge significantly more per gallon, this past summer, the petrol prices were rising so quickly, the car rental companies couldn't keep up....so much so , that when we rented in several different cities, including orlando, the price they charged for gas was pretty close to what we could buy it for at the pump....

oh right, that's good news then, thanks