Fines & Tolls FAQs

If you need help and support with anything related to Fines & Tolls, find answers in our frequently asked questions

Speeding fines are something you hope to avoid when hiring a car, however sometimes these things happen, and you might receive a fine such as a speeding or parking fine. Please see the answer to questions on what to do and what to expect below.
How do I change or extend my rental and how much notice do you need if I need to cancel?
What payment methods are there and when do I need to pay the deposit / balance?
What sort of vehicles can I hire and can you guarantee a specific make and model?
What happens if I damage the car or have to make a claim on my insurance?
How much is the car hire excess and what insurance options do I have?
Do I need an international driving permit and what are the age restrictions when hiring a car?
What extras can I book with my rental such as child seats and sat nav and how much are they?
What happens if I get a parking or speeding fine in a hire car and how do I pay toll roads?
Can I return the car somewhere else and what should I expect when collecting my hire car?
What do I need to book a hire car and how long is my quote valid for?

FAQs trending today about Fines-Tolls

Taking a rental car from one country to another is not as uncommon as you might think and is a popular request. It is usually possible to take your hire car to a neighbouring country, however it will almost always incur an extra charge.

Cross border fees are charged locally by the car hire company, and you should always check before you book if the company;

  1. Allows cross border travel and if yes, allows travel to your desired country.
  2. How much the cross-border fee is.
You should always advise the car hire company in advance of your plans to take the hire car to another country so they can prepare the necessary paperwork in advance of your arrival to avoid a delay. You should also remind them of your plans when you arrive to ensure the paperwork has been processed.

To check the cross-border restrictions, simply click 'Important Information' and then 'Car' where restrictions / charges will be outlined.


faq car hire cross border charges
See more on popular cross border car hire here;

If you are caught speeding by a mobile speed trap, you may be stopped by the local traffic police and an on the spot fine may be issued requiring you to attend a police station and present your driving licence / pay the fine.

If you are caught by a fixed speed camera or mobile camera that issues the fine to the registered keeper of the car (the car hire company) you may not know until you return home and the fine is issued / forwarded from the car hire company. The car hire company will pay the fine on your behalf and counter charge you, usually with an administration charge applied.

See more on speeding fine in a rental car here.

If you receive a parking ticket in a hire car, it is usually fixed to the windscreen and will detail the offence and fine due along with methods to pay. You should make arrangements to pay the parking fine at your earliest convenience.

If you do not pay the fine and it is escalated to the registered keeper of the car (the car hire company), the car hire company will settle the fine on your behalf which may have increased if you initially missed the payment window. The car hire company will counter charge your credit card for the fine plus an administration charge. 

See more on parking tickets in a rental car here.

All frequently asked questions about Fines-Tolls

If the fuel policy on your car hire booking was ‘full to full’ you are required to return the car with a full tank of fuel to avoid fuel charges being imposed by the car hire company. The car hire company may charge for missing fuel, plus an administration charge if the car is not returned with a full tank of fuel.

We recommend planning a fuel stop within 20km of the drop-off address to ensure that the tank is still full when you return the car. You should also keep a copy of any receipt or bank statement of any fuel purchase should the car hire company dispute the fuel level when returning the car. You can also take a photo of the fuel gauge at the car hire drop-off for extra peace of mind.

If you have been charged for fuel but returned the car full, we recommend taking this up directly with the car hire company in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with their response, please do contact us and we will intervene.

Please log into your booking using the ‘Manage Booking’ facility and select “Helpwhere a member of our customer service team will review and be in touch.

If your car hire booking has a limited mileage policy and you exceed this you will be charged after the rental has concluded by the car hire company. The excess mileage charge can be viewed under ‘Important Information’ or can be found in your specific car hire terms and conditions.

faq mileage policy excess charge


 

Approximately 80% of our car hire bookings have unlimited mileage, however some car hire companies do impose mileage restrictions on car hire bookings.

Where there is a mileage restriction this will be clearly stated next to each car / supplier in our search results. You can filter results to show only unlimited mileage policies to avoid any excess mileage charges.

faq car hire limited mileage

 

Taking a rental car from one country to another is not as uncommon as you might think and is a popular request. It is usually possible to take your hire car to a neighbouring country, however it will almost always incur an extra charge.

Cross border fees are charged locally by the car hire company, and you should always check before you book if the company;

  1. Allows cross border travel and if yes, allows travel to your desired country.
  2. How much the cross-border fee is.
You should always advise the car hire company in advance of your plans to take the hire car to another country so they can prepare the necessary paperwork in advance of your arrival to avoid a delay. You should also remind them of your plans when you arrive to ensure the paperwork has been processed.

To check the cross-border restrictions, simply click 'Important Information' and then 'Car' where restrictions / charges will be outlined.


faq car hire cross border charges
See more on popular cross border car hire here;

If you are caught speeding by a mobile speed trap, you may be stopped by the local traffic police and an on the spot fine may be issued requiring you to attend a police station and present your driving licence / pay the fine.

If you are caught by a fixed speed camera or mobile camera that issues the fine to the registered keeper of the car (the car hire company) you may not know until you return home and the fine is issued / forwarded from the car hire company. The car hire company will pay the fine on your behalf and counter charge you, usually with an administration charge applied.

See more on speeding fine in a rental car here.

If you receive a parking ticket in a hire car, it is usually fixed to the windscreen and will detail the offence and fine due along with methods to pay. You should make arrangements to pay the parking fine at your earliest convenience.

If you do not pay the fine and it is escalated to the registered keeper of the car (the car hire company), the car hire company will settle the fine on your behalf which may have increased if you initially missed the payment window. The car hire company will counter charge your credit card for the fine plus an administration charge. 

See more on parking tickets in a rental car here.

When hiring a car, you as the driver are responsible for paying for any toll roads used. Depending on where you hire the car and the toll system in that country will determine how you pay the tolls.

Cash tolls are simply paid by cash / card on demand. Where a country uses ANPR (automatic number place recognition) and charges the registered keeper of the car, you should check in advance with the car hire company their policy. Most companies simply pass the toll charges directly to your credit card, sometimes with an administration fee.

If you are visiting France, Spain or Portugal it is worth considering an Emovis tag to enable the use of the tag lanes and avoid paying for the tolls as you go, they are simply charged automatically to your account and collected later. Our customers can also access an Emovis Tag promo code here.

If you are visiting London and travelling within the congestion zone it is usually your responsibility to pay the congestion charge when used. You should always check with the car hire company when collecting the car as some will pay the charge on your behalf and deduct from your rental deposit, others take no responsibility and will simply forward any fines or penalties received plus an administration charge.

Always check the rental company terms and conditions, see more on paying the congestion charge in a rental car here.