Drop-off guide to returning your car hire

There are many things to consider when booking your car hire. Dates, locations, opening hours, car category, rental rate and pick-up and drop-off times. It’s important to know exactly where and when to pick-up and drop-off your car – which may not necessarily be in the same location. Consider whether the location is on-site, or will a shuttle bus be needed – if so, consider the extra time you may need planned into your trip for this process.

When you’re in a hurry to catch your flight, returning a car hire can be a stressful experience. Stress is further added due to unknown drop-off locations, which roads to take, who to hand the keys too, and how will they post-rental car inspection go with the supplier’s member of staff. Due to this, Auto Europe has put together the following informative guide to help your drop-off go as smoothly as possible. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask us directly via phone.

What to do before returning your car hire?

Plan your route

The most important thing to do before dropping off your car hire is to plan your route to the drop-off point. Useful Apps such as Google Maps and Waze can help you to plan your route, although care should always be taken to ensure it is taking you to the correct place. Be aware that not all traffic issues, breakdowns or roadworks may be displayed on these Apps, so make sure you leave plenty of time. It is common practice for car hire suppliers to charge a fee for late returns.

At your drop-off destination, make sure you know the exact car park or building you are returning the car to. This may not be the same place as when you picked up the car. If in doubt, contact the car hire supplier by phone to obtain exact directions. Often, you’ll find car hire signage at train stations and airports – although do not always expect to find these. We would advise obtaining drop-off information during the pick-up stage. This way you can clarify any concerns straight away with the supplier staff member.

Confirm where the nearest petrol station is to the car hire drop-off

It is a good idea during pick-up to also ask where the nearest petrol station is to the drop-off area. This is important because many car hire suppliers have a full-to-full fuel tank policy. This means that if you collect your car at fuel tank, you must return it at full tank too, or be charged a refill fee. The total charge will be the fuel cost, plus an administration cost. If the vehicle has less than the full tank, let the member of staff know, and take photographic or video evidence before driving off. Upon your return just fill the car to the same point.

Filling up the vehicle before drop-off is your sole responsibility and knowing exactly where the nearest petrol station is will save you a lot of time and headache. When filling up, make sure you ask for a receipt as form of proof that your filled up. The receipt will have a time, date and amount of litres bought. Along with the standard full-to-full fuel policy, other fuel policies are in existence. For example, full-to-empty – meaning that you can bring the car back on an empty fuel tank. You can confirm your rentals fuel policy by referring to the vouchers terms and conditions.

Confirm rental car is clean and damage free

It is important to make sure your vehicle is cleaned inside and out before returning the car. It is common practice nowadays to expect some level of cleanliness upon the vehicle return. The car hire supplier does not expect the car to be fully cleaned, but likewise not overly dirty inside and out. If the car is deemed to be returned with an unsuitable level of cleanliness by the supplier, a cleaning fee may be applied and charged to your deposit. Aspects such as location, time in possession and weather conditions during rental will be considered by the supplier in order to ascertain if the car is properly cleaned or not.

To avoid any unwanted charges, we always advise to hoover up any dirt from the car, and clean any stains or finger marks from the windows and interior. Make sure you dispose of any rubbish before drop-off, including receipts, drinks and food packaging. Please note that all rental cars are now non-smoking – it is therefore a violation of the terms and conditions if the supplier deems the renter to have smoked within the car during the rental period. If there is smoke in the car, you should expect to be charged at least two extra cleaning fees. Do not smoke in the vehicles.

Take photographic and video evidence

We highly recommend taking photographic and video evidence of the condition of the car both inside and outside. Inform the supplier member of staff of your desire to do so, and if possible, make sure they are present. Pay particular attention to any scratches or damage on the paintwork. Look for damage on the bumpers, chassis, fenders, rims and to the wheels. Inside, make sure you capture evidence of the seating, seatbelts, mileage and fuel level. This should be done upon pick-up and again after drop-off.

Along with the photographic and video evidence, make sure the pick-up slip and drop-off slip correspond and that there is no added or omitted damage or scratches. Having photos and videos in your possession will allow us to better refute any fees charged by the supplier for supposed damage caused to the car during your rental period.

Collect your personal belongings

It is often the case that customers leave personal belongings within the car upon drop-off. This is easily done especially if rushing to catch a flight. Along with inspecting the car inside and out for damage, make sure you haven’t left any personal belongings inside the car. Check the backseat, under the seats, side door holders and in the glove compartment for anything that you may have forgotten. Although it is possible to retrieve your belongings after the booking has ended, because the car is rented out to other customers straight after, the car hire supplier does not take responsibility or guarantee that any lost items will be found. We do advise contacting the supplier as soon as possible to inform them if you have lost something in their vehicle.

The drop-off process

Car re-inspection – with supplier staff present

When you drop off the car hire at the end of your rental, handing over the car key is only the first stage. If there is a member of staff from the supplier present, then they should re-inspect the vehicle for any new damage or other issues of concern. They will look over the car and take note of the new mileage and petrol level. Make sure the staff member signs the drop-off form as everything being okay before you proceed on your journey. If new damage is found, firstly make sure that it is new but rechecking the pick-up slip and any photographic or video evidence you captured at the start of your rental. It is best to try and resolve the situation there and then. If it is deemed that the damage is new and was done whilst the vehicle was under your car – you will be charged for this accordingly. This will either be done on the day, or you’ll receive an invoice afterwards.

Once all parties are satisfied of the vehicles condition, the supplier will provide you with the “check-in form”. This will confirm the end of your rental. The supplier will then release the previously held deposit back onto your credit card. Generally, allow up to 14-working days for this to show on your credit card statement. The staff member will then take the vehicle from your possession, and you can continue your journey.

Car re-inspection & key drop-off box option – without supplier staff present

If you return the car during out-of-hours whilst the supplier office is closed, there won’t be a member of staff there to re-inspect the vehicle. This means that the inspection process will take place without you present. Although this is nice, because you can continue on your journey quicker, it does mean that any new damage or issues will have to be dealt with afterwards – normally slowing the return of your deposit. For this purpose, we highly encourage you once again take photographic and video evidence of the car when you drop it off.

When dropping off your car whilst out-of-hours, you can drop the car keys in the provided drop-box (not all suppliers have this service). Look for a drop-box directly outside the office or near the vehicle drop-off area. Make sure that the box belongs to the correct car hire supplier. Drop-boxes, also known as Deposit boxes, can be located at different locations, we therefore advise you ask the supplier during your pick-up where to find these upon your return. Not knowing where the drop-box is located can be stressful, especially when you are rushing to catch a flight.

Returning your rental car - FAQs

The following are the most popular questions and answers regarding returning your rental car. We have compiled them into one simple location, so that you can easily put your concerns at ease. Our travel guide also contains in-depth information about age requirements, how to modify bookings and much more. If you have a question or concern that is not covered here, please contact our reservation agents today.