Frequently Asked Questions - Click a question to view the answer?
Procedures; What can I expect or choose?
• What does my rental quotation cover?
As a rule the money quoted to you from Collison’s includes all your safety and legal requirements for your rental period. This means that it will include the rental cost, your insurance, breakdown cover, and V.A.T. You will not need to pay any more than this to enjoy driving a rental vehicle from Collison’s in the UK. However, if you wanted any additional items we can quote for these up front so that you know exactly what to expect.
• What extras might I choose to buy?
Collison’s retain the right to charge you for items in addition to your standard rental needs. These include extras like child seats, insurance for additional drivers, satellite navigation systems, delivery and collection from out of area, or having to contact the DVLA to prove your eligibility to drive. We also offer an excess protection cover which is a separate chargeable item should you choose it (see ‘What additional protection do I need?’ below). If you think you need a particular feature or product in your rental then just speak to us and if it’s not already included we will do our best to supply.
• What additional protection do I need?
None, although you could buy an excess protection policy. Our standard insurance (Collision Damage Waiver or CDW) covers you for most eventualities but does have an excess of £500. This means that in the event of a claim, you must provide the first £500 of any repair costs before insurance covers the rest. With our excess protection insurance through Towergate and underwritten by AXA, we can reduce or eliminate that excess for a small daily fee during your rental. Unlike most policies this one also includes the excess fee for theft and for accidental damage to windows, tyres, the undercarriage and roof.
• What deposit do I need to leave?
For most vehicles Collison Vehicle Rental require £250 to be left from a debit or credit card for the duration of the hire. However, on some vehicles such as the Spyders or minibuses £500 is the standard deposit. Occasionally the way or where you are using the vehicle means that we have to vary the deposit or the excess, but we will advise you of this when you book. This deposit is generally put straight back onto your card as soon as you return the vehicle, although it can take a few days to show in your account. However, if you damage the vehicle or do not refuel it, we reserve the right to keep back enough of the deposit to cover repair or refuelling costs.
• How can I pay?
We accept all major forms of credit and debit card except for American Express.
• What do I need to bring as ID?
Three items. We will need to see your driving licence (both the paper and card parts if you have the newer style licence). This confirms that you are eligible to drive. We also need another form of photo ID to prove who you are. Either your passport or employment card is valid for this, but you cannot use your driving licence; it must be a separate form of identification. We also need a recent (in the last three months) utility bill or bank statement to confirm your residential address.
• The Rental Agreement
When we have copied your three forms of ID and gone through some basic insurance criteria, we will take payment and print out a Rental Agreement between you and Collison Vehicle Rental. You will be required to sign to confirm that you understand the terms of the agreement. To give yourself a head start, please look at our general Terms and Conditions, and this standard Rental Agreement.
• What happens next?
Once you are happy with the terms of our agreement, we will take you to check over your hire vehicle. We will go around the vehicle with you, in order to point out any damage or peculiarities so that you can drive away with confidence. If you do notice anything that we haven’t noted on your check sheet, please do tell us before you drive away. Otherwise there is no way to prove that you weren’t responsible for anything spotted when you return the vehicle, and this could make you liable for the repair cost.
General
• Can I book or pay for a vehicle which isn’t for me?
We are happy to take bookings and deposits from anyone who can provide some basic contact details for themselves and the driver. When it is time to pay for the hire and the security deposit we require the person paying to fill in a simple statement with additional details confirming that they are aware of this use of their card and that they have responsibility for any costs.
• What if I can’t find both parts of my licence?
Legally your driving licence is not complete unless both the card and paper part are present. The card part tells us all about you and your driving eligibility and the paper part tells us what endorsements have been put on your licence and when. If you really cannot find both parts then the DVLA will supply us with the missing information over the phone, but at a cost of £5 per enquiry. This must be done during their office hours of 0900 to 1700 on weekdays, so if you know your licence is incomplete and your hire is due to start early, late or at a weekend, you will need to come into Collison’s between nine and five a day or so before to make the call.
• What is CDW and EDW on my quote?
CDW stand for Collision Damage Waiver and is your standard insurance cover for the duration of the hire. Although some companies provide their own, Collison’s generally arranges insurance for all retail customers. EDW is the Excess Damage Waiver which allows the excess of the main insurance (the fee you would need to pay for repairs before the CDW cover takes over the rest) to be decreased or removed. Please see What additional protection do I need? for more information about what this covers.
• Out of hours start or finish?
The opening hours at Collison Vehicle Rental are 0800 to 1730 on Mondays to Fridays and 0800 to 1200 on Saturdays. However, it is very simple to arrange an out of hours start or finish to your hire if your circumstances require it. Occasionally there are additional costs (if we have to open up the premises out of hours for example), but speak to any of us about what you need and we will work out the best way to achieve it at minimal cost or inconvenience to you.
• Taking a vehicle abroad?
Make sure we know if you require a vehicle to take abroad and we can easily arrange all the paperwork and cover to keep you safe and legal whilst you travel. In general please allow five working days in order to allow the certification to be completed but always give us a try. We have managed a booking to take a van to France with less than two hours notice! When you call or email please let us know the dates and time of travel and when you would need the vehicle from us. Also please tell us the number of people travelling and the countries through which you are driving.
• Who is allowed to drive vehicles from Collison’s?
Generally drivers should be 21 to 75 (inclusive) with a full clean UK car driving licence that they have held for a minimum of 2 years. For larger vans or minibuses we require a ‘D’ category on your licence.
We will require you to honestly answer the following insurance questions and if the answer to any is yes, we will need further details before confirming that we can hire to you.
1. Have you ever had any motor insurance proposals declined, a policy cancelled or renewal refused, or been required to pay an increased premium or had any special conditions imposed by any motor insurer?
2. Have you any physical or mental infirmity or do you suffer from diabetes, fits or any heart complaint?
3. Have you had any motoring accidents in the last three years? Please be prepared to give details if so.
4. Do you have any current convictions for any motoring offence (except parking)? If you have a non-UK licence, we can often still arrange insurance cover for you, but require additional details. Please fill in and send us the attached, signed form so that we can check with the underwriters before your hire.
• One Way Rentals
Collison Vehicle Rental can arrange rentals for any size of car from anywhere in the UK mainland to any other address in the UK mainland. Regretfully we cannot provide one way rentals for vans (and don’t know of any companies which can), but are happy to quote for your car needs.
