FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Q: What is the largest vehicle I can drive?

  A: If you hold a full UK Drivers Licence that was issued before the 1st January 1997 you should be entitled to drive any vehicle up to 7.5t in Gross Vehicle Weight (providing not for hire or reward) and any minibus with up to and including a total of 17 seats.  If you hold a full UK Drivers Licence that was issued after 1st January 1997 then, unless you have taken an additional test, you will only be entitled to drive a vehicle up to 3.5t Gross Vehicle Weight. This include vehicles such as a Luton box van with a tail lift, range of vans from SWB to LWB, 9-seater minibus (again, providing not for hire or reward) but excludes any minibus with a total of over 9 seats, unless your Drivers Licence specifies the D1 category on it.

• Q: How old do I have to be to hire a car or van and can you supply vehicle insurance?

  A: If you would like to hire a vehicle and wish to use our insurance cover then you must be between 21 and 75 years of age, and have held a full UK drivers licence for a minimum of 2 years. Drivers aged 21-25 will incur a young driver surcharge of £12.00 per day.

  For minibus hire 9 seats and over you must be between 25 and 70 years of age, and have held a full UK drivers licence for a minimum of 3 years. There are several other terms and conditions that must be met for you to qualify for our insurance. These can be found under our Self-Drive insurance, hire driver endorsement section. Our staff can go through these with you at time of booking, but it is the hirers responsibility to ensure the comply with all terms and conditions as listed. An insurance Excess for accident damages applies. This cost varies depending on size and value of vehicle booked. The excess is taken as part of our deposit and is fully refundable upon safe and undamaged return of the vehicle.

• Q: What is Collision Damage waiver (CDW) liability?

  A: Collison Damage Waiver is automatically included in your hire charge. This reduces the liability you are responsible for in the event of damage to and or theft of the vehicle.  By including the Damage Waiver in your reservation, the excess insurance liability you are responsible to pay is;

  • £650 for cars, people carriers up to 7 seats and vans up to MWB.
  • £900 for Minibuses, Executive Cars, LWB vans, Luton Vans and trucks.

  Customers who can provide independent and verified provision of Comprehensive insurance, adequate to cover damage, theft, loss of revenue, administration fees, diminishment of vehicle value, and any towing, storage, or impound fees may be able to decline taking damage waiver.

• Q: Can I reduce the excess liability?

  A: Excess liability protection is an optional coverage that reduces the applicable Damage Waiver excess (see damage waiver terms) to:

  • £325 for cars, people carriers up to 7 seats and vans up to MWB.
  • £450 for Minibuses, Executive Cars, LWB vans, Luton Vans and trucks.

  The price of excess protection varies by vehicle type and size and prices quoted below are inclusive of Vat.

  • £12 per day or part day, (£60 per week) for cars, people carriers up to 7 seats and vans up to MWB.
  • £18 per day or part day, (£90 per week) for Minibuses, Executive Cars, LWB vans, Luton Vans and trucks.

  We will take a credit card deduction and ask that you give authorisation. In the unlikely event of an accident, we will retain the appropriate amount, otherwise it will be returned to you on return of our vehicle.

• Q: What deposit must be paid for my hire?

  A: If you do not have a credit account and are hiring the vehicle under our insurance, a deposit is payable by credit or debit card before the vehicle can be released for hire. This deposit is to cover the insurance excess amount payable. The deposit is fully refundable upon safe and undamaged return of the vehicle.

• Q: How can I pay for the hire?

  A: All transactions for both deposits and payment of hires must be made by credit or debit card before the vehicle will be released for hire- we do not accept cash.

• Q: What additional costs should be added to my quote?

  A: All non-account customer quotes shown online are fully inclusive of VAT, fully comprehensive insurance, mileage allowance and 24-hour breakdown cover. A deposit is also payable which is fully refundable upon safe and undamaged return of the vehicle.

• How can I be sure that my reservation has been confirmed?

  A: Any reservation made online is only confirmed once you have received an email back from Arc Vehicle Rental verifying the booking details.

• Q: What documents must I bring when I collect the vehicle?

  A: When taking collection of your hire vehicle you need to bring with you the following:

  Drivers Licence: All persons must produce a FULL valid UK Drivers Licence which they must have held for at least two years, 3 years for a minibus 9 seats and over. It is the hirer’s responsibility to ensure that they have the correct licence. We are unable to accept any licence that is not in English. A Drivers Licence must be an original, a photocopy will NOT be accepted.

  Generation of a Driver’s License Check code;

  With effect from 8th June 2015, the paper part of the UK Drivers Licence is no longer accepted. If you wish to hire a vehicle from us using our insurance you will need to log on to www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence, enter your Drivers Licence Number, National Insurance Number and Post Code to generate a check code. This check code will allow us to view the paper counterpart of your Drivers Licence online so that we can check for any endorsements which might prevent us from hiring a vehicle to you. We recommend that you generate your check code shortly before your hire is due to commence as it is only valid for a maximum of THREE (3) weeks. On the day you have arranged to collect the vehicle, please ensure you bring with you both your UK Photocard Drivers Licence, the check code you generated as well as two other forms of ID as detailed below.

  Identification: 

  All UK residents must be able to produce one additional form of ID, e.g. utility bills, Council tax bill or a bank statement must be shown, (dated within 3 months), together with a valid credit, switch or debit card in the name of the main hirer. Any additional drivers must be present at the time of hiring and must be able to produce a full valid UK Drivers Licence conforming to the above criteria.

  All foreign driver’s licenses must be produced with a valid Passport/ID card.

• Q: If I have endorsements on my licence can I still hire a vehicle?

  A: This all depends on how many points you have and what offence they are for. Please call your local Arc Vehicle Rental Branch for advice on this. Please note we have the right to turn down any hire booking.

• Q: Can an additional driver be added to a hire?

  A: We can add additional drivers to any hire agreement (subject to our driver criteria) at a cost of £25.00 per driver per week or £5.00 per driver per day for hires of less than 7 days. Any additional drivers that you need adding to a hire agreement must be present at the time of hiring and are subject to the same restrictions as the main driver. Charges for additional drivers are payable at the time of hire. Each additional driver is also responsible as hirer under the terms of our contract and will need to sign our rental agreement.

• Q: Are there any mileage restrictions?

  A: All our daily hire vehicles have a mileage restriction of 150 miles per day (excess mileage charged at 25ppm for cars and minibuses, 20 ppm for all vans and trucks unless we have agreed a rate in writing in advance.

• Q: As the hirer what’s my responsibilities?

  A: You are responsible for all daily checks; tyre pressures, engine oils, windscreen washer fluid, lights etc. You are fully liable for any windscreen, glass, wheel or radiator damage, and any punctures.

• Q: What is your policy on motoring offences?

  A: The hirer is responsible for all motoring offences, private parking charges etc for the duration the vehicle is in their possession. Should a parking charge or other contravention charge not be paid by the hirer of the vehicle and we have to pay the charge, our standard administration fee of £35 will be added to the charge and debited from the hirer of the vehicle.

• Q: Are there any restrictions on my distance from your branch?

  A: Unless otherwise agreed by an authorised member of our team, your home address must be within a 20-mile radius of an Arc Vehicle Rental Branch you wish to hire the vehicle from, supported by the relevant documentation to verify this. This does not apply to overseas visitors or businesses that have a credit account with us.

• Q: What is your fuel policy?

  A: All Self-Drive hire vehicles are normally provided on an empty to empty basis. We provide the vehicle with a minimal amount of fuel, allowing you to judge for yourself how much fuel you need to put in. This means that we do not charge you for fuel deposits. Likewise, we do not reimburse a hirer for any fuel left in the vehicle on its return. If the vehicle is supplied with fuel, we will expect the same amount of fuel on its return and a charge will be made for any shortfall.

• Q: What happens in the event of a breakdown?

  A: We pride ourselves on the quality of vehicles we supply. All our vehicles are serviced /inspected every six months, however in the unlikely event that you should suffer a breakdown, simply telephone our 24-hour emergency breakdown service number which is on the key fob and displayed in the service sticker in the vehicle. A charge will be levied for any negligent call outs (including but not limited to punctures and windscreen repairs / replacements).

• Q: What should I do if the vehicle is involved in an accident?

  A: In the event of our vehicle being involved in an accident, there are several things that you need to do:

  • Get full details of the other party and their vehicle.
  • Contact your local Arc branch.
  • Complete an Accident claim form and return it to the local branch.

  You need to perform the above actions as soon as possible within 48 hrs after the accident to avoid any complications with your claim. At no time should you authorise repairs with a third party.

• Q: Do you guarantee a specific model of vehicle?

  A: We regret that we are not able to guarantee a specific make and model, only the group of that model vehicle. In the unlikely event that we do not have a vehicle available in the group you have booked, we will only ever upgrade you to the next highest vehicle group.

• Q: Do I have to pay to clean the Vehicle?

  A: Vehicles are fully checked and valeted before going on hire. We do not normally impose a cleaning charge on return of vehicles except in the case of negligent abuse, spillage, smoking / vaping, or if a pet has been carried in the vehicle. If in doubt you should contact us prior to your hire period commencing. Under no circumstances is smoking allowed in the vehicle, a charge of £90 + VAT will be levied to fumigate the vehicle.

• Q: Do we provide a child seat for a vehicle if requested?

  A: Unfortunately, we cannot provide child seats for our vehicles, but you are welcome to fit your own if you wish.

• Q: Can I take the hired vehicle abroad?

  A: Unfortunately, we do not allow our vehicles to be taken out of the UK.