Feature 4.
Avis The agents
(we spoke to two)
were amiable, but this did not seem a viable option for our ‘business’.
What Avis told us:
Our local branch had closed (however it's still listed on Avis’s website and still shown on Google Maps) with the nearest office a 40-minute drive away. Delivery/collection is only available when vehicles are hired for a minimum of 28 days; transmission will match the booking but fuel type may not; inspections happen at the drop-off location; delivery drivers will not drop off a vehicle without someone able to sign for it; vehicles are typically up to a year old; EVs are available and delivered with at least 50% charge; a month’s rental with our own fleet policy is £532.56, with a £1,500-2000 damage/theft excess is £799.68 and with full insurance/zero excess is £1,118.16, all excluding VAT.
Alternative rental companies One of our criteria was that fleets would need to be able to hire cars. That ruled out the likes of Northgate Vehicle Hire and Herd Group, which specialise in commercial vehicles, often on long- term rentals, but if you need vans for longer periods, they are worth a look. Brokers/aggregators, such as Nexus Vehicle Rental, typically pool multiple suppliers for maximum coverage, so customers could well receive vehicles from every company mentioned here and more. We also examined Green Motion, which has very low prices online – but tread carefully. When
we rang, the automated response said, “in order to provide the best and most efficient service, we are asking customers to email us”. Online reports and reviews about Green Motion are not favourable and typically suggest the company undercuts rivals on the headline cost, then applies questionable damage charges. Finally, do not discount small, independent rental firms. If there is one nearby that meets your requirements, it might offer a more personal level of service than the big boys.
Try as we might, we could not find a phone number on Sixt’s website. You can fill in a form and wait for someone to respond, but there does not appear to be a facility for budding customers to ring the company. Similarly to Avis, the closest branch to our ‘business’s’ location was a 40-minute drive away.
5.Sixt “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.”
Above: Along with the big-name rental firms, smaller independent outfits may be able to meet requirements and offer a more personal and local alternative. 30 | March/April 2025 |
www.businesscar.co.uk
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