Excess, SCDW, deposit, fuel policy... The terms you agree to without knowing what they mean, explained plainly.
Vehicle hire is full of words nobody explains, and they decide what you end up paying. Here is each one in plain language, what it usually hides, and how we handle it.
The maximum amount you pay yourself if the car is damaged, even though it is insured.
Extended cover that removes the excess and usually includes glass, tyres and the underside.
Basic damage cover: it caps your liability but leaves an excess for you to pay.
Legally required cover for damage you cause to other people or vehicles.
Cover for theft of the vehicle, separate from damage cover and with its own excess.
The European form drivers fill in together after an accident to record what happened.
The amount the company blocks on your card as a guarantee during the rental.
You can drive as far as you like with no distance charges.
The rules on how much fuel the car has when you collect it and when you return it.
A daily supplement many companies apply to drivers under 25.
A second person authorised to drive the vehicle and covered by the insurance.
Supplements that are absent from the compared price and appear at booking or pick-up.
A supplement for returning the vehicle somewhere other than where you collected it.
A surcharge for collecting the vehicle at an airport, usually a percentage of the rental.
The periods of peak demand, when prices rise and availability runs out.
Paying up front is usually cheaper but comes with stricter cancellation terms.
The minimum time you must have held your licence in order to hire.
Many companies require a credit card in the main driver's name in order to hold the deposit.
An official translation of your licence, needed only for non-EU/EEA licences.
Which licence each engine size needs, and when a car licence is enough.
Compulsory for rider and passenger, and must carry the ECE mark on its label.
The company bringing the vehicle to where you are staying instead of you going to an office.
Someone waiting for you in arrivals with the car ready — no desk, no shuttle bus.
Collecting or returning the vehicle outside office hours, often with a supplement.
Being able to cancel at no cost up to a set time before pick-up.
Failing to turn up for the car without cancelling, which usually means losing what you paid.
Help if the vehicle breaks down or is immobilised during the rental.
The damage check at pick-up and return, and the report where it is recorded.
Getting a higher category vehicle than you booked, normally at no cost.
The AP-7 between Alicante and Tarragona stopped charging tolls in 2020 — many guides still say otherwise.
How a penalty is handled with a hire car, and why it ends up costing more.
The badge classifying a car by emissions, which governs access to low emission zones.
Taking the vehicle out of Spain usually needs prior authorisation and sometimes costs extra.
The four-letter code classifying each vehicle by size, body, transmission and air conditioning.
The set of equivalent models your car is assigned from: you book a group, not a model.
Uncommon in Spanish fleets, usually costs more and is worth booking well ahead.
Required by law for children under 135 cm, with specific rules on where they must sit.
The maximum loaded weight of the vehicle: a category B licence tops out at 3,500 kg.
The cubic metres of load space, and what actually fits in each size.
Write to us and we will explain it without small print. A family business on the Costa Blanca since 1972.
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