Although we give every effort to make our terms as simple as possible if you need any clarification, please contact our helpful Customer Service Team.
The below Rental Terms apply ONLY for Bookings made through our website (drivalia.co.uk). For bookings that you made with Drivalia UK through other websites please refer to their advertised terms and conditions or your rental voucher.
1. Booking Procedure
Our booking reservation system shows you real-time availability and your reservation will be confirmed instantly. We offer a simple yet comprehensive booking process that will allow you to reserve your vehicle easily.
Select pick-up and drop-off (if different), rental locations, and dates/times. You will be presented with available car groups that you can book instantly. You can filter our results by selecting type of cover (standard CDW or insurance excess waiver), fuel type (petrol or diesel) and transmission type (manual or automatic).
Next to each car group you will find an (i) icon with information on the particular vehicle. Prices are also presented as daily rate and the reservation total to help you compare rates.
Choose your desired car group by clicking book now! You will be presented with all the information about your booking. Chosen car group, pick up/drop off locations, date, time, and the total amount of your reservation. You can then complete your details such as name, email, telephone, and flight number.
After you have completed your reservation, you can also add extra items to your booking such as additional drivers and baby seats. You will also receive a confirmation email/voucher explaining all relevant pick-up information and details.
2. Payment Methods
In order to collect your car, we require a pre-authorisation deposit on a credit card in the name of the main driver. Standard deposit from £1500. Alternatively, you can purchase an excess waiver package with a credit or debit card. Please note, that payment by debit card requires excess to be reduced to zero. For further information on our insurance terms please see below under insurance excess waiver & covers.
We do not accept virtual credit cards or cards without a visible card number.
If you are a UK resident using a debit card you must also agree to and pass a credit check/provide proof of employment. Drivalia UK branches do not accept cash payments or prepaid cards. We accept all credit and debit cards as well as union pay. Payment cards must have at least 2 months remaining on the expiry.
3. Car Types
The vehicles displayed and models are our most common vehicles in the category. We will provide you with either this model or a similar vehicle in size and engine type.
We cannot guarantee that the make or model of the rental vehicle will be the same as the vehicle displayed on our website.
You can find a full list of our vehicles available to rent on the Our Fleet page.
4. Cancellation Policy
Free cancellations apply to Drivalia UK online bookings with the exception of prepaid bookings. Should you wish to cancel your booking please see our Manage My Booking page.
You can cancel your Drivalia UK booking up to 60mins before the scheduled collection time.
If you fail to tell us of your cancellation prior to the scheduled collection time or do not arrive to collect your reserved rental car, we will charge you up to 3 days of rental. Please note if you fail to meet the “Drivers Requirements” section below, a free cancellation is no longer valid. For pre-paid reservations, see below. (5)
5. Pre-Paid bookings
Please note that prepaid bookings are non-refundable and cannot be amended. Failure to collect your car will result in a no-show fee equivalent to 100% of the booking amount. Similarly, failure to meet the requirements outlined in the terms and conditions will also result in a 100% loss of the booking amount.
Failure to meet our credit check terms, a cancellation fee of £29.95 will apply. In the event that the rental fee is lower than the cancellation fee of £29.95, the cancellation fee will still apply, resulting in a 100% loss of the booking amount. If you have paid more than this amount, then we will refund the difference.
6. Driver’s Requirements
Driver’s Age. Min-Max Age of Drivers:
Driver’s Ages 23 – 80
All drivers must have held a full driving license for at least 2 years (minimum 24 months of driving experience).
Young Driver Surcharge
Drivers under 25 years old are subject to a young driver surcharge, with specific rental restrictions:
- Ages 23-24
- Surcharge: £40 per day
- Permitted Vehicle Categories: Mini to Compact (Categories A, B, and C) and vans up to short wheelbase (SWB)
- Ages 21-22
- Surcharge: £40 per day
- Permitted Vehicle Categories: Mini and Compact (Categories A and B only)
- No van rentals allowed
Insurance Referral for Drivers Aged 21-22
- Drivers aged 21-22 require insurance provider referral:
- Weekday Rentals: 24 hours advance notice required
- Weekend Rentals: 72 hours advance notice required
All insurance referrals must be requested before your collection date.
Driver’s licence:
International hirers must upload or present a valid licence from their country of residence, their passport (or id card), proof of return and inbound travel. If the licence is not written in English, then an international driver’s permit is also required. For hirers not flying into the airport, please see below for ‘local hirers’ terms.
Hirers from some international locations will require referral to our insurers. All hirers must have held a valid licence for 2 years otherwise, it will be necessary for Drivalia UK to refer your licence to our insurers for authority to hire.
Hirers from any sanctioned countries require referral to our Insurers prior to the start of the hire.
We cannot accept driving licences from certain countries for insurance purposes. Please check if the origin of your driving licence is
accepted with a member of our Reservation or Branch Support team before hiring your vehicle.
UK and Republic of Ireland hirers must also bring 2 proof of address dated within three months (we accept electronic copies of these proofs via a handheld device online uploads within our check-in area is mandatory prior to arrival) and the DVLA check code (click here for info obtaining the DVLA check code) or your counterpart of licence as applicable.
Points – endorsements:
Minor offences such as speeding and traffic signals are acceptable up to a maximum of 6 points. If you have any bans or convictions in the last 5 years, please call us before making a reservation.
7. Insurance Excess Waiver & Covers (Included in our prices)
Third-party liability protection (TP):
Third-Party liability covers the driver’s liability for damage to any third-party property. The hirer is still liable for the excess amount, as stated in the rental agreement. Insurance excess waiver can be purchased to reduce the excess amount.
Fire and theft waiver (FTW):
Theft Waiver limits the driver’s liability for costs incurred by fire or theft of the rental car – or damage incurred by the theft or attempted theft – liability starts at £1,500 up to a maximum of £2,500 (depending on car category), subject to the terms of the rental agreement.
Collision damage waiver (CDW):
Collision Damage Waiver limits the driver’s liability (excess) up to £2,500 in the event that the rental car is damaged, subject to the rental agreement. This protection applies to all authorised drivers of the rental car only.
The above packages are all optional and included in the retail rate due to advertising regulations. These covers can be removed at any time on request. For more information on this, please call reservations on 08000 75 80 75.
You can reduce your liability (excess) to £900 or £450 at the rental desk or you can reduce your excess to zero online or at the rental desk. Click here for more information.
Security deposit: a security deposit equal to your liability (excess) is required to be held on the main driver’s credit card. The security deposit is not held when zero excess is chosen; however in certain circumstances you may be required to leave a £200 deposit.
A local hirer is a UK resident. All local hirers who do not possess a credit card will be subject to a soft credit and risk check. If this is unattainable, the hirer must provide proof of employment. All hirers must hold a credit card with at least £200 credit available or will also be subject to a soft credit and risk check. Failure to comply with any of our terms or by not passing our soft credit/ address check will result in the reservation being canceled. For prepaid bookings – a cancellation fee of £29.95 will apply.
Debit cards are acceptable with our Relax Zero package. If a credit check is unattainable, at time Drivalia will accept 2 x months payslips as proof of employment this will be at the managers discretion. Some job types may not be eligible, based on insurance terms.
8. Not Included in Our Rates (optional extras)
- Baby seat (0-4yrs old).
- Child seat (4+yrs old).
- Additional driver.
- Unlimited mileage for hires up to 30 days.
9. Fuel Policy
Our vehicles must be returned with the same level of fuel provided at the start of hire.
If you return the vehicle with less fuel than was provided, you will be charged £3 per litre for the missing fuel plus a refuelling charge of £9.50. All charges are subject to VAT.
*No refund for any fuel at the end of the rental.
10. Electric Vehicles
If your rental is an electric vehicle, the hirer is to return the vehicle with at least 80% charge remaining or will be subject to a fee depending on the vehicle category.
Please note you are responsible for all charging costs, including any idle fees, when charging your vehicle at a public charge point. Drivalia is not responsible for any additional costs that may be incurred if charge points are out of use.
To discover more on our EV charging guidelines, how to locate EV charge points, charging speeds, etc. please ask your local Drivalia branch before starting your rental or visit our dedicated page here.
11. Important Information
Vehicle damage:
Loss of, or damage to, the vehicle and/or accessories caused by driver abuse, negligence or breach of contract. In these circumstances you will be responsible to pay the full amount of the damage, regardless of the excess reduction package purchased.
If the hirer is found to be negligent in the use of the vehicle and the damage is beyond viable repair, Drivalia will charge for the full value of the vehicle.
Unused rental days:
Should the hirer decide to return a Drivalia UK vehicle back to our branch earlier than you originally planned, we shall not refund you for unused rental days.
Failure to collect:
If a customer is going to be late to collect their vehicle, then they must let the branch know their estimated arrival time. Drivalia UK can only hold a booked vehicle for 4 hours past the booked collection time (less during peak periods). If a vehicle in another category is available, then you will be charged accordingly. Customers who fail to arrive on the day of collection will be marked as a ‘No Show’ and charged up to 3 days rental. Prepaid bookings will not be refunded.
Traffic and parking fines:
If the vehicle receives a fine during the rental period, you will be responsible for full payment of the fine as well as a £55 traffic fine management fee per fine. This includes, but is not restricted to, parking offences, speeding fines, congestion charges, bus lane offences, traffic signal offences, toll road offences, private company fines, etc.
Overseas travel:
Hirers can take their hire vehicle overseas. To avoid delay, please contact us in advance to allow us time to supply the required VE103b document. Rentals are restricted to 100 miles per day excess mileage £0.50 for the course of the rental when going outside of the UK for part of the rental, £20.00 per day green card surcharge applies with a one off £125.00 fee and drivers need to arrange and produce at point of hire a 5-star euro breakdown cover. Green card insurance does not apply if the country is within the United Kingdom.
A cross border fee of £50+VAT will apply if the hirer takes the vehicle to the Republic of Ireland through Northern Ireland or from UK Mainland to Northern Ireland.
Drivalia UK does provide roadside assistance, but this extends to UK mainland only.
Free roadside assistance is not included when taking the vehicle to locations off the UK Mainland. Customers will be liable for any recovery/roadside assistance costs incurred when the vehicle is taken off the UK Mainland.
21/22 year old’s – No overseas travel permitted in the vehicle. If you go without informing us, it will be a breach of contract and will incur a £2000 penalty fee.
Flight information:
If booking a car for collection at an airport location, please ensure that you provide a flight number for your arrival. If you do not provide a flight number and you are late then it is possible your booking may be cancelled.
Valeting fee:
If the vehicle requires more than the usual standard cleaning on its return to restore it to its pre-rental condition, allowing for fair wear and tear, a valeting fee of £80 maximum will apply.
Smoking policy:
We provide and implement a no-smoking policy for all vehicles in our fleet. If the vehicle is returned with a foul odour or evidence of smoking then you will be charged a fumigation fee of up to £300 at the manager’s discretion based on the evidence available.
Debt Recovery:
Should there be outstanding charges within your booking, we will pass the account to our debt recovery company and you will be liable to pay us a £20 admin fee, all recovery charges and legal fees.
Pets:
You are permitted to have pets in your hire vehicle provided they are within a carrier at all times. If the vehicle requires cleaning of pet hair or odour, you will be billed for a valeting fee at the branch’s discretion.
Hire duration:
As per our insurance regulations, hirers may not rent a car for more than 90 days in any 12-month period.
Email promotions:
The hirer will receive special offers and promotions from Drivalia UK by email. If you wish to remove an email address, please click unsubscribe or email us.
Privacy policy:
Our privacy policy is available here.
Vehicle hire terms:
The rental terms are available here.
Registered UK office:
Drivalia UK Ltd. t/a Drivalia UK
250 Bath Road
Slough
Berkshire SL1 4DX
Drivalia UK reserves the right to cancel the delivery of the vehicle in case of doubts about the financial capacity of the client, outstanding debts, or any serious incidents with Drivalia UK.