With Easter just over a month away, I know a lot of you will probably be thinking about hiring a car either for the first time, or for the once every couple of years that you need one. Like returning a vehicle, picking up your hire car is one of those ‘easy when you know how’ things that can be frustrating if you don’t know what you need!
These are my tips on what you can do in advance and what to bring. You can also find “car hire made easy” basics on our website.
1. Look at insurance and
fuel options in advance
All our cars are ready to drive away for the price quoted to you, and in most cases this includes Vehicle Damage Cover and Theft Damage Cover as well as Third Party (your quote will tell you what is included). But when you collect you may want to take out additional cover to reduce your excess if you do have a problem or to add personal insurance. We also have different options for how to pay for your fuel, as you don’t necessarily need to bring the car back full. To give yourself more time to decide what’s best for you, take a look at the information online before you come to pick up your hire car.
2. Bring both parts of your driver’s licence
We need the photocard to check your identity, and the paper counterpart to check for endorsements. If you turn up with only the photocard we can find out from the DVLA about endorsements, but we do charge a small admin fee for this.
3. Make sure you have a valid credit or Visa debit card
We are not able to accept debit cards such as Switch or Maestro. This is because the rules that apply to (most) debit cards make it more difficult to process the payments in a way that makes sense for car hire. In a nutshell, restricting payment to credit and Visa debit cards makes the transactions simpler.
4. Bring your reservation number
It’s always useful to take a copy of your reservation number, although our staff should be able to find the details of advance bookings in the computer anyway. If you book online a confirmation email will be sent, or if you book by phone the agent will provide you with this number.
Lastly, please allow enough time for collection, because however much we streamline our service there are still important checks and paperwork to go through with you. If you need to make things quicker, you could try signing up for Avis Preferred.
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I am a U.S. citizen booking in Ireland in October. In the U.S. we have only the photo portion of a driving license. What does the “paper counterpart” of the license include and is there a US equivalent that is available?
Hi Helen, your standard US driving license is fine! The “paper counterpart” applies to customers with a UK driving license only
Can you tell me what the optional insurance costs would be per day for both the Peugeot 407 sw 2.0 & the Audi A4 Avant 1.9 TDI Estate?
Also do you still have a vectra Estate from Manchester Airport?
Hi Gareth, the price of Premier Cover (which reduces your excess to £100 and includes free additional driver and Super Personal Accident Insurance) on a large size car such as an Audi A4 Avant or a Peugeot 407 is £15 per day. The price is only applicable on the first 7 days of the hire and any days after that are free of charge.
We do have Vectra estates but unfortunately there is no guarantee you will get one. The only way to guarantee a make/model in the UK is by booking one of our Select Series cars, of which the Audi A4 Avant is one of them.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Rob
I am a British License Holder wanting to pick up a car in The Netherlands, however I only hold the old style/original British paper license – can I still hire a car with you?
No problem at all. The old licence type is still valid. For your added security however, I’d recommend getting it changed to the new type at some stage.
Peter
I remember once travelling to Stoke-on-Trent by rail and being met on the platform by an Avis rep with the keys for my hire car. Was this a special service? I recently hired an Avis car in Haarlem in Holland, but I couldn’t arrange a pickup at the station and had to get a taxi to the Avis office, and another back to the station on my departure.
I will be arranging another trip by rail to Mannheim in Germany later next year. How would I go about arranging to pick up and leave the car at the station there?
Many thanks
Peter
Hi Peter
I have to say this looks like a one off occurrence. The only time this would normally happen is if there was a rental office at the station, this is mainly because there is nowhere safe for the keys to be left.
Have a good trip in Germany.
Xavier
I am hiring a car in South Africa over Easter, and only have the old style British driving licence, with 3 points. Can I still hire a car with Avis?
Hi Suzanne,
South Africa, very nice!
This is fine. I’d recommend bringing your passport with you as well as a form of photo id.
Have a great time.
Rob
hi,
could you tell me what the small admin fee is if you only have your photocard license and not the paper counterpart with you.
thanks
Hi Kerry, the admin fee is £5.88. This is to cover the premium call cost and associated administration.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Rob
hello, just a quick question, i am a us citizen and am over in the uk with me english partner, can i drive on my us licence over here, i am to believe i can for up to 12 months, and if so are there any restrictions??? thank you
Hi Steve, if you have been resident in the UK for less than a year than it is fine for you to use your US licence (there are no restrictions that are out of the ordinary). It is only if you have resided in the UK for more than a year do you need to have qualified for a UK driving licence.
Does this answer your question?!
Rob
yes that does, thank you, one further question, i was told by someone that as i only have a us licence i cannot hire any cars with manual trnsmission is this correct?
Hi Steve, sorry for the late response on this. I was just waiting for confirmation from my colleague so I could ensure I gave you the right answer. Essentially, it depends on what type of licence you have. If your licence only qualifies you to drive an automatic then you will only be eligible to drive an automatic. If you have a ‘dual’ licence then you will be able to rent either a manual or an automatic.
Does this make sense to you? Are you able to see these indicators on your driving licence?
Rob
I am 25 but I have only been driving since sept last year. I need to hire a car as when I return to England (flying from Scotland). Can I hire a car?
Hi Alex, you need to have held a licence for at least a year to rent a car with Avis in the UK. So, based on the information you’ve provided, you will have qualified to rent a car with Avis by September this year.
I hope this helps!
Rob
Hi
I am a newly qualified UK driving license holder (less than 1 year) however I used to drive on my Indian license (since 2005). Would I be able to rent a car in this case?
Thanks
Hi Angel,
When you arrive at the office if you can prove that you have held a clean licence for 12 months then you will be able to rent. This means proving that you have held an Indian licence sine 2005 with some kind of documented evidence.
I hope that helps
Chris
Ive had a UK license for a couple of months and have been driving here regularly. Ive driven in another country for around 4 years now but have lost my license to prove that. Is it possible that I can hire a car here with my UK license?
Hi Tallal,
I’m afraid that you will need to prove to the office that you have held a licence for over 12 months. In which country did you do your test? Can you get proof from there to say that you were driving for over 4 years? If not then I’m afraid you won’t be able to rent until you’ve held your UK one for a year.
I hope this helps
Chris
Hi, i was wondering if its possable to hire a car from england and drive to germany leaving it in germany?
Thanks.
Hi Michelle
I’m afraid UK cars cannot be left outside of the UK.
Chris
Hi
can you suggest me if I can drive a car since I have valid Indian Licence and here in scotland on buisness purpose .
Kindly advise .
Hi Santosh,
Providing your Indian licence permits you to drive abroad (e.g. is a full licence) and as long as you have held it for over 12 months then yes you will be able to rent.
Also if it is not written in English then you will need an International licence along with the original in order to collect the car.
I hope that helps
Chris