What to do if you have a breakdown or accidents with a car hire?

No one likes or expects to have a breakdown or an accident with their car hire. However, these do happen and sometimes more often than expected. Depending on where you are travelling to, roads may not be as well maintained, and thus flat tyres are more common. Likewise with windscreen chips from lose stones on the roads. Different countries, have different driving styles, which could lead to a higher chance of accidents if unprepared. Ultimately, being prepared and knowing what to do in case of a breakdown or accident is wise and recommended. When you find yourself in these situations, you should consider the following:

Personal safety

In an event of an accident or even a breakdown in an undesirable place, make sure you take into consideration personal safety. It is important to act quickly and ensure that you and/or any passengers are not injured. You should move everyone to a safe area but within reasonable distance from the vehicle. On motorways, you should go behind the side barrier. It is important for everyone to wear their Hi-Viz vests and to also set out the triangles. If possible, put your hazard lights on.

Take Video and Photographic Evidence

If safe to do so, it is extremely important to you capture video and/or photographic evidence of the scene. This is more so important if involved in an accident. Capture evidence of the vehicles, their positioning, road surface, vehicle damage, etc. Try not to capture any individuals as in some countries you will need to obtain permission if doing so. The capturing of evidence is extremely important for being able to settle any claims with the insurance company afterwards.

Who to call?

If involved in a breakdown or accident it is a requirement to inform both Auto Europe and the car hire supplier of this. This should be done immediately but no later than 24-hours after the incident. In some situations, roadside assistance may be offered by the car hire supplier. You must also inform both parties if you find new damage to the vehicle which you believe wasn’t there at the time of pick-up. This will allow the car hire supplier to update their records and consider what action to take upon the return of the vehicle.

Car hire damaged by an unknown person

It is an unfortunate situation, but sometimes damage to your car hire can happen without you present - for example, when it is parked. If this happens, and you cannot find the other party involved - it is known as an unknown party damage. If you find yourself in this situation, you need to firstly obtain a police report within 24-hours of the incident. This is extremely important because you cannot submit any insurance claim without it. You must also inform both Auto Europe and the car hire supplier.

Car repairs

Any damage to the car will need to be repaired by an approved repairer. You are not permitted to organise this yourself, instead the car hire supplier will organise said repairs and submit an invoice to you for payment. All repairs must be pre-approved by the car hire supplier and thus no work is permitted on the car hire without this. If you need a breakdown of repair costs, please request this from the car hire supplier. The costs will normally be debited from your deposit.

The role of Auto Europe

If you took out extra coverage such as the Full Damage Protection during your car hire from us, then Auto Europe will help you make the claim. If you took out local insurance directly with the car hire supplier, then the supplier will process the claim for you. To place a claim on the Auto Europe insurance, you must provide an accident report – signed by yourself and the supplier. If the accident involved a third party, then the police must be contacted during the incident, and a police report submitted. You must contact Auto Europe immediately. An agent will guide you through the process of completing the necessary forms and what documents to submit.

Flat tyres

Unfortunately flat tyres do happen and finding yourself on the side of a busy road with a flat tyre isn’t pleasant. Generally, many car hire vehicles come with a spare tyre in the boot, or underneath the rear of the car. However, this is not always the case. Some car hire suppliers include a spare tyre as an added extra. If your car does not have a spare tyre, then look for a tyre compressed air can – this can be used to inflate your tyre temporarily until you get to a tyre centre.

Some tyres will be damaged beyond the ability of reinflate, even temporarily, if this is the case, you will need to contact the car hire supplier who will arrange for roadside assistance. Consider Auto Europe insurance cover, and protect against unexpected costs involved with flat tyres. If you have any further questions, please contact our reservation team today. We are on-hand to help answer any car hire related questions you may have and help you find the very best car hire deal for your budget.