When hiring a car you will usually be given a form to sign off any pervious scratches or damage existing on the vehicle, always ensure that if there is any damage to the car this is logged before you drive it away.

If in doubt take pictures of the damage with a device that will record the time and date of the image as further proof. So what do you do if you do accidently prang or scratch the car whilst it’s in your care?

Come clean – Firstly it’s important that you let the rental company know about the damage to the car, particularly if it could hinder the safety of the vehicle.

Don’t try to repair it yourself – It can be tempting to try to cover up or repair damage however this is really not wise as you could make it worse and if the garage deem the work to be substandard you could get hit with a ‘poor previous repair’ charge.

Record the damage – Before returning the car ensure that you have accurately recorded the damage on the car, take pictures and write a detailed description to email to the hire company (after calling to verbally inform them)

And lastly double check the terms of your hire agreement to establish how much excess you are liable for.