Insurance Requirements for Car & Van Hire

DRIVERS LICENCES All British drivers need to hold a full current driving licence and be aged over 21 (except certain categories - see below*). Foreign licence holders must be in possession of a national and where required, an international driving licence. Restrictions may apply to some licence holders. Please call one of our offices for further information.

*N.B. For cars 1600cc and above, MPVs, Minibuses and 7.5 tonne vehicles, hirers need to be aged 25 or over. For Prestige Cars of 2500cc and over, the minimum age is 30.

DVLA If you have mislaid your UK driving licence, if it is illegible or has been de-faced, we may be able to contact DVLA to verify your details using their premium telephone call service which costs £2.60. This service is generally available during our office hours except for Sundays but cannot always be relied upon due to factors beyond theirs and our control. Please contact us in advance of your hire for further details.

DRIVING EXPERIENCE & AGE

Cars - For cars of 1400cc and under, you need to be aged 21 or over and have held a full current full driving licence for 2 years if you are 21 or 22. You only need 1 year's driving experience if you are 23 or over. For cars over 1400cc you need to be 25 or over and have held a full current driving licence for at least 1 year.

People Carriers & Minibuses- You need to be over 25 and have held a full current driving licence for 2 years or more.

Prestige Vehicles - For vehicles over 2500cc you need to be aged 30 or more.

Vans, Trucks & Tippers (except 7.5 tonne vehicles) - You need to be over 21 and have held a full current driving licence for at least 1 year.

7½ Ton Vehicles - You need to be over 25 and have held a full current driving licence for at least 2 years unless you hold an HGV licence in which case you need to be over 21.

 

LICENCE CATEGORIES The following explains the types of SSD vehicles that can be driven depending upon the categories listed on the driver’s licence:-

• Category B - Cars, 4x4s, People Carriers & Minibuses with no more than 9 seats including the driver.
• Category C1 - 7.5 tonne vehicles.
• Category D1 - Minibuses with no more than 17 seats including the driver.
• Category E allows you to tow, and is combined with another category, for example B+E, C1+E or D1+E.

 

ENDORSEMENTS  SSD's insurers can accept up to six points for the more minor offences such as parking, speeding, construction and use and certain other offences. If you are aged 23 or under, an unendorsed or "clean" licence is required. If you are unable to satisfy these requirements, please contact us and we will provide you with a quotation for alternative comprehensive insurance cover.

INSURANCE All vehicles are covered on the public highway comprehensively with an accidental damage excess.

COLLISION DAMAGE WAIVER Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) limits your vehicle damage and theft liability to between £300 and £1000 depending upon the type of vehicle hired and is also subject to endorsements, previous accidents and driving experience. You can purchase Excess Protection Waiver (EPW) to further reduce your liability (see below). CDW will not cover you for the following:-

• Windscreen, glass, mirrors and tyre damage.
• Interior damage eg. cigarette burns
• Roof or overhead damage above the height of the windscreen
• Damage when the vehicle is not on the public highway
• Theft of the vehicle when its keys have been lost or stolen
• Damage or theft caused by the negligence of the hirer
• Damage caused by racing or driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Vandalism
• If the terms and conditions of the rental agreement are breached.

 

EXCESS PROTECTION WAIVER Excess Protection Waiver (EPW) reduces your excess contribution in the event of a motor accident to between £30 and £500 depending upon the type of vehicle hired and fully protects you against damage to tyre treads, windscreens and light lenses. EPW does not fully cover you for wheel rim or tyre side wall damage. Overhead damage above windscreen height is not covered fully by EPW but EPW does limit your overhead damage liability to £500.

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS Full terms and conditions are published on this website and printed on the reverse side of each rental agreement. All hirers are asked to read these carefully.

IDENTIFICATION Hirers are required to supply additional identification when hiring a vehicle. As a minimum we will require 2 additional forms, made up of address identity and personal identity. Acceptable forms would be utility bills (no more than 3 months old), credit card statement, council tax bill etc.

V.A.T. V.A.T. Will be charged at current rates on rental, fuel, waivers, delivery and collection charges.

PAYMENT The cost of the rental and any fuel is required at the commencement of hire. Payment can be made by Debit Card, Maestro, Mastercard, or Visa. Amex or Diners cards attract an additional surcharge of 5%.

RETURNABLE DEPOSIT Hirers paying by cash are required to pay a deposit equal to the value of the damage excess that applies to the vehicle in addition to the cost of the hire. Debit card holders are required to pay a deposit of £100 in addition to the cost of the hire. We can only accept payment by credit card for the hire of Prestige vehicles.

LATE RETURN OF VEHICLE Late returns will be charged at an hourly rate (one sixth of the daily rate) plus collision damage waiver and insurance at daily rates.

AVAILABILITY Whilst every effort will be made to supply the model requested, in the event of it being unavailable, an alternative model will be provided if at all possible. We will notify you as soon as possible if a similar vehicle is not available.

 

CANCELLATION 48 hours notice of cancellation is required. If cancellation is made within this period, we reserve the right to charge a 20% cancellation fee.

OPERATORS LICENCE The Hirer must be in possession of a current and suitable Operator's Licence if vehicles in excess of 3.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) are to be used for hire or reward or in connection with the hirers trade or business.

TRAVELLING OVERSEAS Vehicles may be taken out of mainland England, Wales or Scotland, provided this has been agreed beforehand and in these cases there will be additional charges. We will arrange green card insurance and for our vehicle to be covered by AA 5 star cover or similar and Bail Bond if appropriate. We will be happy to provide you with a detailed quotation on request. For further information please go to our Continental Hire page. Minibuses with more than 9 seats (including the driver) must be fitted with a tachograph and can be taken abroad providing the driver has a digital tachograph card as this is a European requirement.

LOADING THE VEHICLE The hirer is responsible for not exceeding the gross vehicle weight (GVW) of the vehicle.

EXTENDING THE RENTAL The facility is available providing we are informed prior to the expiry of the agreed rental period (as shown on the rental agreement) and the required additional payment is made so that the insurance cover may be extended.

RETURNING THE VEHICLE Vehicles must be returned to the office from which they were rented unless they were delivered at the start of the hire. There are facilities for returning vehicles after normal business hours.