And Its Smith Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 Hopefully someone has some experience of good companies to book with. Essentially, I am looking to book a car for 7 days in Majorca for May. The options I can see is either choose a reputable company like Hertz or Enterprise and pay £300 or choose a company I’ve never heard of that has inconsistent reviews for £180-200. Anyone got any ideas? No point in paying £300 as a weeks worth of taxis would cost me less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Maesknoll Red Posted January 3 Admin Report Share Posted January 3 I used Enterprise in Germany last year, good service, no idea what it cost in the end, it went through expenses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyTonyTony Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 Goldcar pretty competitive in Spain. Go for the quick pickup option, and avoid the queues - you put you c card in the machine and the keys drop out. You have to register etc beforehand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchred Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 1 hour ago, TonyTonyTony said: Goldcar pretty competitive in Spain. Go for the quick pickup option, and avoid the queues - you put you c card in the machine and the keys drop out. You have to register etc beforehand I'd avoid them at all costs, wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. Everybody I know who has been with them (including a party I went with) are charged ridiculous extras. It's why they are invariably cheaper to start with Go to a reputable car hire company direct by registering with them before you go to get the best deals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
italian dave Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 I always use Europcar. Not the cheapest, but reliable, good service, no pressure selling. Look at taking out a separate policy covering your insurance excess. Somewhere like Swinton will charge you around £50 for an annual policy - and that will likely be less than the car hire company will charge for a few days. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyTonyTony Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 23 minutes ago, frenchred said: I'd avoid them at all costs, wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. Everybody I know who has been with them (including a party I went with) are charged ridiculous extras. It's why they are invariably cheaper to start with Go to a reputable car hire company direct by registering with them before you go to get the best deals You do know that Goldcar is owned by Europcar? They are fairly reputable.... All companies try and upsell, for example, zero excess car insurance. You just have to be a bit savvy. I dont understand what these "ridiculous extras" could be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richwwtk Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 All I would say is be very careful checking the car over on pickup and take pictures of anything wrong. Miss the smallest scratch or dent and you just know you will be charged for it on return 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Red Hat Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 (edited) 3 hours ago, TonyTonyTony said: Goldcar Dreadful. Frequent horror stories. https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/car-hire/article/car-hire-comparison/best-and-worst-car-hire-companies-aj00t0W8yvO2 Edited January 3 by Roger Red Hat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brows75 Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 Have used Centauro rent a car many times when in Spain and they have always been great. Was advised by someone in the Uk car rental industry to always go for the top insurance and as suggested by someone above take plenty of pics or even a video of the car on pick up and drop off for evidence of any damage (or lack of) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
And Its Smith Posted January 3 Author Report Share Posted January 3 Thanks everyone. Food for thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cidercity1987 Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 Ive always hired one of the cheapest and been all over the world. Never really had any problems other than the inconvenience of sometimes being bussed to an off airport office to collect the car. Also beware the hard sale of the extra insurance, I've always said no- might regret it in a crash but that hasn't happened to me yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILINFRANCE Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 4 hours ago, italian dave said: I always use Europcar. Not the cheapest, but reliable, good service, no pressure selling. My wife and I spent ten days touring in Andalusia a couple of years ago and used EuropCar. We flew in to Malaga and spent a few days there, before taking a bus to Granada for a few more days to do the usual tourist things, Al Hambra and the like. We had pre booked a small car (Fiesta or similar) with EuropCar for our journey to Sevilla and leisurely return to Malaga, but it wasn’t available when we arrived to collect it. No problem, they provided a well equipped Golf at no extra cost and, as it was raining (in Granada!?), drove us to the multi storey where it was parked. Drop off in Malaga airport in the early hours of the morning couldn’t have been simpler - just a code to press and drop the keys in the letterbox. A friendly mail later that day to acknowledge receipt of the keys and thank us for using EuropCar. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphindevon Posted January 3 Report Share Posted January 3 I’ve found each destination to have different favourites. Hertz in one town can be good in another not so much. I must admit I’ve used Goldcar in Spain with no problems but many have had problems. My best advice is pick a company you’ve heard of, take videos or photos of the car when you pick it up and make a note of any problems. But most of all, take out Excess insurance before you go and decline theirs. It’s crazy not to have it all but to buy theirs is stupid money. Use a company like https://www.icarhireinsurance.com/ there are plenty of others just check the ratings and what’s covered. I usually take out an annual one for about £40 but you can take out for just what days you’ll need it if it’s a one off rental. You can even add it as an extra on your house insurance with some companies. With this you should have peace of mind even if they try on a scam. Reading reviews you’d think every car hire company out there is out to get you, in truth you should be fine if you look after the car, get it back in plenty of time with the tank full. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The turtle Posted January 4 Report Share Posted January 4 (edited) On 03/01/2024 at 11:58, And Its Smith said: Hopefully someone has some experience of good companies to book with. Essentially, I am looking to book a car for 7 days in Majorca for May. The options I can see is either choose a reputable company like Hertz or Enterprise and pay £300 or choose a company I’ve never heard of that has inconsistent reviews for £180-200. Anyone got any ideas? No point in paying £300 as a weeks worth of taxis would cost me less. Cicar; when i booked all insurance is included in the price- no hidden prices) I used them in the Canary Islands, had an accident; no questions, no issues They are in canaries, and balearics ........ Best search engine; carjet (be sure to read all TCs. Be clear what you paid for, ignore car agent when arrive; most are good as gold, too many will try and upsell something you don't need) Edited January 4 by The turtle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elhombrecito Posted January 5 Report Share Posted January 5 15 hours ago, The turtle said: Cicar; when i booked all insurance is included in the price- no hidden prices) I used them in the Canary Islands, had an accident; no questions, no issues They are in canaries, and balearics ........ Best search engine; carjet (be sure to read all TCs. Be clear what you paid for, ignore car agent when arrive; most are good as gold, too many will try and upsell something you don't need) Personally, in the Canaries I swear by Auto Reisen. By far the cheapest, all insurance is included, child car seats etc are free, they don't try to upsell you anything, and everything is done with minimum of fuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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