Car rental delivery and collection
This guide covers the car rental delivery and collection processes.
What is delivery and collection?
This is the service provided by the rental company whereby a vehicle is delivered to you at an agreed address and time for the start of the hire period. At the end of the hire period, the vehicle is then collected from either the same address or another agreed location at an agreed time.
How much does delivery and collection cost?
It all depends on the rental company. Some will charge delivery and collection based on a cost per mile, the distance being that from the rental branch to the delivery address. If you’re a business rental customer with an account, you may have delivery and collection built in to your contract, therefore there’s no additional charge on top of the rental rate.
What happens when the vehicle is delivered?
This is the most important part of the rental period and one that requires time and consideration. At the point of delivery, you’re accepting responsibility for the vehicle and therefore accepting responsibility for its condition at the time.
Check the vehicle carefully for any damage
You’ll be asked by the delivery agent to check the vehicle. You’re looking for any signs of damage so that they can be recorded on the delivery check sheet. This ensures that you aren’t accidentally held responsible for existing damage when the vehicle is collected and checked. There are a number of things to look out for:
- Scuffs to alloy wheels
- Chips in the windscreen or other glass
- Scuffs on the bumpers
- Scuffs on the wing mirrors
- Any scratches on the bodywork
- Dents on the doors
- Check the upholstery for holes or tears
- Check for a spare wheel, locking wheel nut and/or puncture repair kit
- Check the mileage of the vehicle has been recorded correctly and the amount of fuel that it has been delivered with.
Get a demonstration of all the controls in the vehicle
The car that’s delivered may be one that you haven’t driven before, so rental companies will want to make sure you are completely comfortable with everything before you drive away. Your safety and the safety of others is very important, so you should be given all the contact numbers you need in case you break down or are in an accident. A demonstration of the following things would be expected:
- Lights and indicators
- Windscreen wiper and washers
- Sat nav and entertainment system
- Cruise control and speed limiters
- Safety equipment like lane departure warning and collision avoidance
- And how to open the fuel filler cap!
Keep hold of your copy of the handover document
This is your record of the vehicle condition and you will need this when the vehicle is collected.
What happens when the vehicle is collected?
You’re responsible for the vehicle until it’s collected by the rental company, so you should make sure it’s left somewhere safe. You should also be available to hand the vehicle over because the rental company agent will do a full check for damage.
Once the agent is happy that the vehicle is in the same condition as it was when delivered, you’ll simply have to sign over the vehicle and that’s everything done. We would always recommend that you do the vehicle handover, rather than asking someone else, because no one knows the condition of the vehicle better than you and nothing will get missed.