Returning your hire car

When you return your hire car, there are still one or two matters that need to be dealt with:

• determining the fuel consumption
• inspecting the vehicle to ensure that you are not held responsible for any subsequent damage 

ECC Belgium has a list of items you should be aware of when you return your hire car.

Returning the hire car: tanking up

Before you return the hire car, you may need to refuel first. This depends on the fuel formula opted for. If you have rented the car with a full tank, you will be expected to return it with a full tank. If you fail to do so, you must pay for the extra petrol and often extra service charges as well. This is subject to the condition that you are familiar with the rates.

Returning the hire car: inspecting the vehicle

Insist when you return the hire car that the car is inspected by an employee from the hire company. You will thus have a record of the condition of the car when it was returned, which is helpful if any problems occur later on.

If an inspection report was made by an employee of the rental company when you first hired the car, you were doing the right thing, because you can only be held liable for any damage that is not mentioned in this report.

If, upon return of the car, it appears that the car has been damaged, you must pay the actual costs. 

Please note: the hire company must be able to justify the costs by sending you an invoice of the repairs.

It may happen that you return your hire car in order to catch an early flight and find that the office has not opened yet. In that case, follow the procedure in your contract. Normally, you can leave the hire car in the company’s car park. But make sure you cover yourself by taking photos that clearly show the time and date. You can use these in the event of problems later on.