Though rental cars are carefully cleaned and inspected regularly to ensure they’re in great condition, occasional breakdowns can still occur despite the best efforts.
While breakdowns are rare, if you’re planning on hiring a rental car this summer, it can be helpful to know what to do in an emergency, to help keep your trip stress-free.With this in mind, we’ve spoken to Ed Sharp, Head of Car Hire at TravelSupermarket, who shares his expert advice and top tips on what to do if your rental car breaks down.
Pull over and park somewhere safe
First and foremost, if you experience a breakdown, you need to pull over and park somewhere safe and away from traffic, if possible.If you’re on the motorway, this might involve pulling over onto the hard shoulder or into a layby where you can safely stop without obstructing other vehicles, or you could park in a nearby car park if you are somewhere else.Once you have pulled over, make sure that you exit the vehicle and stand well back from any traffic if it is unsafe to remain in the car. Make sure also if you are travelling in a European country that you put down a warning trial and both you and your passengers put on high-vis jackets before leaving the vehicle.
Assess the situation
Now that you’ve parked somewhere safe, it’s important to assess the situation and try to remain calm instead of panicking. Panicking will not help the situation and may even cloud your judgement.Assess if there is any damage to your vehicle, or look for any immediate safety hazards (e.g., smoke and fuel leaks), and then consider whether you’ll need roadside assistance and what your next steps will be.
Contact your car rental company
One of the most crucial steps when your rental car breaks down is to contact the company from which you rented the car so that you can immediately report the breakdown. It’s important that you have the emergency contact number available before you set off, including local emergency services you may need, such as the police or fire service. Most car rental providers will offer roadside assistance as part of their services or as an add-on package. You’ll need to provide the roadside assistance team with details about your location, the cause of the breakdown, and any other information they may require.
Wait for breakdown service and repair
It is important that while you wait for the breakdown service and repair to arrive, you follow any instructions they give you. This could include keeping your hazard lights on, using reflective equipment if it’s dark so that you are more visible to other road users, and ensuring that you and your passengers remain out of harm’s way.
Know your coverage
It’s also important that when your rental car breaks down, you know exactly what is covered within your policy, so you are not faced with any unnecessary charges or expenses for repairs.To avoid searching for this information when roadside assistance arrives, make sure you have a summary of your policy somewhere easy to find before you set off on your trip, such as in an important folder in your emails. You can find lots of great deals and packages when hiring a rental car. But make sure that if you want things such as roadside assistance, mechanical faults and repairs, towing services, replacement vehicles, or lost keys that you look into additional breakdown cover and/or more general car hire excess cover. You should shop around and make sure you know exactly what kind of package and any additional cover you have so you know exactly what to expect when the worst happens.
Document the incident and any conversations
It’s also important that you document exactly what happened when your rental car broke down. This includes any conversations you have with roadside repair, the rental company, or anyone else, including the time, date, and names of the people you spoke to, so you have evidence of anything that occurred. It’s also important that you take pictures of any visible damage that may help with potential insurance claims.
Arrange alternative transport
Finally, if a replacement vehicle is not included as part of your car rental package and your breakdown significantly impacts your travel plans, ensure that you arrange onwards transportation. You can speak to your car rental company, who may be able to provide you with alternative transport or assist you with any compensation claims.
