Goldcar

Hi

I have just booked my carhire and its with Goldcar. I have only paid a deposit & have to pay the remaining balance of 70euro at the airport,plus fuel cost. I have a friend who did this & paid alot more than they expected, which was for the same thing - outstanding balance plus fuel costs.

I have used Goldcar before and always paid in full at booking. I would be grateful if anybody knows if I will have to pay any extras? I already have an insurance car hire excess policy bought here in Uk.

Thanks

Hi

This happened to someone I know too, they ended up paying an extra 80 euros! I would read thoroughly through their T&Cs on the website or try emailing them direct/head office for more information.

Good luck!

Cathie

Spanish car hire is no longer cheap.  On arrival at the car pick up desk, You will be hit with a bill for the full tank of fuel approx 120 euro even if the fuel tank costs only 80 euro to fill up, plus they will want you to take out their own extra insurance cover with them or you have to pay them a holding deposit of  approx 950 euros refundable to you if no damage is caused to the car.  none of the car hire desks recognise the UK excess insurance policy. 

The trick to avoid being stung for the petrol is to fill the tank before returning the car - you will get a full refund.  

There is usually an admin charge of around €25 in addition to the cost of the fuel. I don't think you'll get this back even if you do show up with a full tank. Car hire is still pretty cheap out of peak season. Figure on around £35 for a week, plus the €25 and cost of any fuel. Get excess insurance policy with insurance4carhire at £40 for a year and you're sorted.

Regards,

Adrian

Another thing to consider with the cheaper suppliers like Goldcar is the size of queues to collect your car. The last few times through Alicante we have seen over 20 people waiting. I guess the headline cheap price attracts the masses. 

Jim 

I would echo what thorpej2 has said. The queues for goldcar are often long and on my last visit they were massive!

I've booked through a number of companies now and would also echo what others have said.

Full/Empty - this type of rental expects you to pay for the full tank of petrol (50-60 euros) plus an admin fee (approx 20 euros). Any unused petrol should be refunded.

Full/Full - car has a full tank and return full. No fuel charge, no admin fee. Usually only available if you take out their insurance.

Insurance - a huge rip off. Better to take out your own and pay excess and reclaim if there is damage. Can be done on an individual hire basis or take out a yearly policy if you travel often. Will require you to provide a guarantee of the excess though nothing will actually be charged unless there is damage. 

Good companies I have had: Inter rent at Alicante. Great prices, no pressure to take their insurance, fuel charge taken at end of hire i.e. no full charge then refund. Good overall service nice car (Kia Picanto) air con worked.

OK companies I have had: Europcar at Alicante. High Prices, high insurance costs but good overall service. Nice car (Volkswagen polo) but aircon didn't work

Poor companies I have had: Dickmanns at San Javier. Good prices but lots of pressure to take their insurance. Full fuel charge taken on hire and refund on return. Poor overall service, bad car (Fiat Panda), dirty, very small and aircon didn't work

To date I booked via EasyJet for Europcar, good service but pricey. I booked the other two via DoYouSpain who offer the excess insurance.

Just watch out for the hidden extras in the T&Cs and just refuse the high pressure sales tactics on the insurance and take out your own excess insurance. Be prepared for a circa 20€ charge on the full/empty policy