Car rental - Petrol tank not full

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Based on resolver’s experience to date, this is one of the most common bugbears for car renters and, whilst different fuel policies are operated by different companies, you can be pretty sure that none will seem particularly fair to the customer. In the past it was common to pick up the car with a full tank and return it with a full tank. If you returned it with anything less than a full tank, this usually resulted in a rather hefty surcharge, but at least you had some control over how much you paid for. However, it is now increasingly common to pick up a car with an empty tank and pay for the fuel up front (with inflated prices) and, as you will probably return the car with a small amount of petrol in it, you will have lost out. It is worth asking the company if you can refuse this policy – market research shows that they sometimes agree!

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You should know

Car rental companies have to give clear terms and conditions, transparent pricing info, and a full explanation of their liability and waiver cover. In fact, all charges should be made clear to you upfront.

You should always take a full inventory and get the car hire company to sign off on everything – even if the company tells you it isn’t necessary.

If you decide to take out extra cover, it’s best to make sure that the cover is in the same name as the lead driver. This could avoid a number of potential pitfalls in the future.

Car hire companies should invoice you for any charges incurred. In some cases, they may debit money directly from your account – they should make efforts to notify you beforehand.

If you do have to dispute a charge, you should always try to do it within 14 days.

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