Car hire Geneva?

[Andy Bernard]

Hi Kevin

I tend to go to Moneysupermarket.com or Moneysaving expert and see who is offering the deals (Argus, Holiday Autos etc) - so far (touch wood), it's worked out quite well. BUT there are a couple of, if not scams, areas of questionable practice.

1. CDW excess - Yes, sir any damage to the car is limited to anything from €500 to 1000, but you can reduce that to zero by taking out additional insurance - if you do that at the point of rental, it will be as much as the daily rate for the car - you will know when you book it and it is possible to buy CDW excess cover fro a separate company. Some of the car hire deals do in fact offer a zero excess for CDW, and then they come in to scam 2:

2. OK sir, collision damage is protected, but of course this doesn't cover windscreen, any glass, tyres. You can cover these items for yet another daily charge. And then there is the fuel scam:

3.Sir, so that you do not have to worry about filling the car up with fuel on your return, we provide you with a full tank and you can return the car empty (as if you are going to do that when you are catching the flight home). Using this - and it is difficult to get out of - the fuel price is approximately 50% dearer than you would pay on the street if you brought the car back empty - usually you will have quite a bit in the tank, so the cost per litre is even greater.

It is possible to get a deal - discount codes with e main companies is probably safer - but you have to read the small print very carefully.

Cheers

Andy