Feature
chief issue is the monetisation of damage charges: “Years ago, another company charged us for a vehicle to be repaired – then the same vehicle came back with the same damage. That’s a company I’ll never use again.
“I appreciate damages occur, and it’s right that the customer is charged for them because it’s an asset. However, to make a revenue stream from it, I think, is a poor practice.”
BVLRA chief executive, Toby Poston, advises fleets to inspect vehicles when they are dropped off and take their own photos. He says fleets should, “expect to see evidence of any damage” and points to the organisation’s alternative dispute resolution (ADR) service, although admits it is mostly used by consumers, because fleet rentals are, “more based on discussions and ongoing relationships”. In addition to damage charges, fleet managers have previously told Business Car that keys are sometimes posted through employees’ letterboxes minus a delivery signature – allegedly ending up on the wrong doormats in some cases – and that it can be difficult to establish to whom damage is attributable. Another frequent issue is that once a vehicle has been assigned, the driver – not the fleet manager – becomes the main point of contact, so keeping abreast of rentals for reporting purposes can be tricky.
Business Car’s mystery shop
We posed as a Dartford-based fleet manager looking to set up a new contract, rang the big five firms and asked them a series of questions. For companies with a dedicated business/corporate phone number, we rang that, otherwise, we tried the main, customer- facing number listed on the website where available. We did not include Alamo, Budget, or Dollar, because they are owned by Enterprise, Avis and Hertz respectively and, in our experience, the teams are often the same behind the scenes. Thrifty is owned by Hertz internationally and we did not include as we believed the same applied in the UK. However, after this article was published, we were informed it operates independently of Hertz in the UK, instead licenced to Scot Group trading as Switch Car Rental.
We asked the following questions:
Where is our nearest branch?
Will the fuel type/transmission of the vehicle we receive match the one we book?
How is vehicle condition recorded at the start/ end of a loan and where does the assessment take place?
What would happen if a vehicle were delivered and no one was available to sign for it?
What’s the maximum age of vehicles you rent to business customers?
Do you supply EVs? If so, is there any particular process involved, such as a guaranteed level of charge on delivery?
Are you able to keep both the driver and the fleet manager informed about the status of the rental? E.g. sending an email with reservation details to both parties?
Can you give us a ballpark daily rental cost for a petrol, manual Volkswagen Golf or closest equivalent?
We based our assessment on the quality of the company’s response. Were they helpful? Were they polite? Could they answer our questions? Did they have a good grasp of their business?
1. Europcar
The best of the bunch by far, because the agent was extremely helpful, friendly, knowledgeable and generous with their time. There was a branch round the corner from our ‘office’ and rates were cheap.
What Europcar told us:
Fuel type and transmission would match the booking; the company uses telematics to monitor vehicles; a walkaround is conducted at the drop-off location; delivery drivers phone ahead and, if no-one is available to receive the vehicle, will ask the customer what to do with the keys; vehicles are estimated to be a maximum of four years old; EVs will arrive fully charged (we double checked that, and were assured they would be); corporate accounts have an online booking portal with full reservation and billing details; a day’s hire was £18.64 with our own fleet insurance, £28.84 with a collision damage waiver and £1,000 excess, and £33.59 with full-coverage/zero excess insurance – all with collection and delivery.
Above: Europcar was the best by far, with helpful staff, great rates and a convenient location.
A comfortable second, courtesy of its polite and professional agent. There was also a branch local to us.
2.Hertz What Hertz told us:
Guaranteed match for fuel type and transmission; the company conducts vehicle inspections at the branch – not at the drop-off location; keys will be dropped through the letterbox if nobody is available to receive the vehicle; vehicles are typically up to two years old; it has Polestars and Jeep Avengers on the EV fleet and there was no specific process for hiring them; multiple contact details can be added to reservations, but the branch will only contact the primary phone number; a day’s hire with your own blanket fleet insurance (does not apply registration-specific policies) is £25.61 or £50.39 without. Delivery and collection costs £65 plus VAT each way.
“Years ago, a company charged us for a vehicle to be
repaired – then the same vehicle came back with the same damage. That’s a company I’ll never use again.”
3.Enterprise
The agent was pleasant and tried to help, but did not seem well-informed and said several questions would have to be answered by the branch
or a corporate account manager after we signed up (they initially directed us to a form on the website for new business accounts). There was a local branch, for which the agent supplied the number.
What Enterprise told us:
Inspections happen at the point of drop-off; vehicles are typically up to three years old; Enterprise’s system can only accommodate one email address; a day’s rental at a retail rate (the agent could not provide us with a business one) is £49.50, including a damage waiver and £1,500 excess.
www.businesscar.co.uk | March/April 2025 | 29
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