Get away this summer with great car hire deals Automatic Vans Now Available Self-drive minibus hire for business and personal use Get away this summer with great car hire deals Automatic Vans Now Available Self-drive minibus hire for business and personal use Get away this summer with great car hire deals

FAQ's

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. How old do I have to be to hire a vehicle?

Drivers must be at least 25 years old to rent any of our vehicles, except for the Range Rover and Executive car ranges, which require a minimum age of 30.

2. Do you have an upper age limit to hire a vehicle?

If you are over 70, we may need additional information and approval from our insurance provider before processing your hire. Please call our office to discuss with a member of our team.

3. How long do I need to have held a full licence for?

To hire any of our vehicles you must have held your full driving licence for a minimum of two years.

4. What documents will you need to see when I hire a vehicle?

a) A full UK driving licence. This should be either a photo card or an old paper-style licence. If you only have the old paper-style licence, we will also need to see another form of photo ID i.e. a passport.

b) Your National Insurance in order to complete a DVLA check online. Alternatively, you can generate your own DVLA Check Code and supply it to us.

c) One other form of ID, confirming your residential address, such as a utility bill or bank statement. This must be dated within the last three months – mobile phone bills cannot be accepted.

5. I have a foreign licence. Can I still hire from you?

Yes, but it depends on where your licence was issued. We accept licences from the EU, USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand if all other criteria are met. For licences from other countries, we must verify and get insurer approval before confirming your booking. This can only be done during office hours (Monday–Friday), so please allow plenty of notice.

Regardless of the country, you must present your licence, passport, and another ID. We also require your home address and UK stay address if you are visiting. If you live in the UK, you can use a foreign licence for up to 12 months before needing to apply for a UK licence.

6. I have points on my licence. Can I still hire from you?

This will depend on the date and nature of any offences. Please contact our rental team for advice. If you fail to disclose any current or expired convictions or penalties that our insurers prohibit, we will refuse hire at vehicle collection and no refund or compensation will be given.

7. Can I hire a minibus on my licence?

Generally you will need a D1 on your licence in order to drive a minibus. However, we do have some minibuses on fleet which you can drive with a category B licence. However, there are restrictions and conditions as detailed below:

• Licence & Age: Full Category B licence held for 2+ years, aged 25 years or over for self-drive hire.

• Vehicle Weight: The minibus must not exceed 3.5 tonnes (4.25 tonnes including safety/disability equipment).

• “Hire or Reward” Restriction: You cannot charge passengers a fare or use the bus for profit-making or commercial services. The minibus will be used by a non-commercial body or by private individuals, for social purposes only.

• Voluntary Basis: Driving must be on a voluntary basis, not as part of your primary job. You will receive no payment other than the recovery of your out of pocket expenses (e.g. fuel and parking costs).

• Restrictions: You must drive within the mainland UK only.

8. Can I take the vehicle abroad?

No. We currently do not allow our vehicles to travel abroad or outside of mainland UK.

9. How can I make a booking?

Use our Online Booking Portal www.newburyvehiclehire.com to generate your vehicle hire quote and place your booking.  This will allow you to book your exact hire specifications easily and quickly and keep your payment safe and secure.  If you have any queries about our hire vehicles, hire process or particular requirements please do call a member of our Rental Team on 01635 44519 and we are happy to assist you.

10. What does my hire quote include?

Your initial quote will include VAT, insurance for one driver and UK Breakdown Cover.  You can add additional options to your quote prior to booking if such services are of interest to you.

11. When do I need to make payment?

Full payment for your hire period is taken at the point of booking. Deposit payments are taken on the day of booking.

12. Can I extend my hire period?

Yes.  Subject to availability. Should you wish to extend your original booking you must contact us in advance of your scheduled return time and pay the additional hire charges in advance of the extension of hire commencing.

13. What payment methods are acceptable?

We accept credit/debit cards with the exception of AMEX. We also accept BACS payments for the hire, but all deposit payments must be made by credit or debit card.

14. Is there are deposit? How much is the deposit?

A security deposit is required for all rentals. All deposit payments must be made with a credit or debit card (not AMEX). Deposits will be refunded upon the safe and undamaged return of the vehicle. If applicable, any ancillary charges due may be deducted from the original deposit amount paid. Please see the deposit amount required for each vehicle category type below:
• Our deposit is £200.00 for Category 1 & 2 cars.
• Our deposit is £300.00 for Light, SWB & MWB Vans.
• Our deposit is £350.00 for Category 3 cars, LWB Transit Vans & LWB 4M Transit Vans
• Our deposit is £500.00 for executive cars, 7 and 9 seater cars & tipper trucks.
• Our deposit is £750.00 for minibuses & 3.5T Lutons.
• Our deposit is £1000.00 for Range Rover Cars.

15. How quickly will my deposit be returned?

On-Line Booking
If you book via our online booking system, and the vehicle is returned in a satisfactory condition, your deposit will be returned during the next available day our offices are open.
The deposit should take no longer than 2 working days to credit to your account.
Please note if your vehicle hire is under 7 days we will NOT transact your deposit but only pre-authorise the payment. This means we instruct your bank to hold the deposit amount in ‘pending’ to prevent the funds being spent. When we instruct the bank to release the pre-auth and the funds will be released from pending. You WILL NOT see a credit/refund hit your bank account.

Counter Terminal Transaction
If you pay your deposit via our counter terminal this may take 5-7 days to show as a refund on your account.
If we pre-authorise the deposit amount the release is automatic after 7 days. We do not have the functionality to release is earlier. As per the on-line booking pre-auth you WILL NOT see a credit/refund hit your bank account as the payment was never transacted but only transferred to ‘pending’.

16. Is my hire covered by your insurance policy?

Yes. Your original quote will include insurance cover for one driver.

17. Is your insurance cover fully inclusive?

No.  This cover will not cover overhead damage, windscreen damage or tyre damage.  Such damages would be at the hirers cost.

18. Does your insurance cover include personal injury to me?

No. If an accident was not deemed to be your liability and you wish to claim for personal injury for yourself you would need to make your own claim direct to the third party insurer.

19. Does your insurance cover include damage to my personal items left in the vehicle?

No.  All personal items are at your own risk.  We strongly advise you do not leave any personal items in the vehicle when left unattended.

20. Can I hire a vehicle under my own insurance cover?

Yes.  You can hire a vehicle using your own insurance cover.

21. What do you need in order to use my own insurance cover?

  • We need to know in advance of your booking, if you wish to use COI (Customer Own Insurance).
  • We need confirmation from your insurers they will insure a hire vehicle, in writing.
  • We need your insurance policy documents confirming cover dates and the registration number of the vehicle we are supplying you.
  • We require written confirmation from your insurers that any payouts relating to our vehicle are made directly to us.

22. How much is the insurance excess?

  • Our excess is £500.00 for Category 1 & 2 cars.
  • Our excess is £600.00 for Light, SWB & MWB Vans.
  • Our excess is £750.00 for Category 3 cars, LWB Transit Vans & 4×4 pick up trucks.
  • Our excess is £950.00 for executive cars, 7 and 9 seater cars & tipper trucks.
  • Our excess is £1,100.00 for minibuses & 3.5T Lutons.
  • Our excess is £1600.00 for Range Rover Cars.

23. Can I take out CDW to reduce my excess?

Yes. We offer CDW as follows:

  • Reduce the excess from £500.00 to £200.00 for Category 1 & 2 cars from £10.00 per day or £70.00 per week.
  • Reduce the excess from £600.00 to £300.00 for Light, SWB and MWB vans from £11.50 per day or £80.50 per week.
  • Reduce the excess from £750.00 to £350.00 for Category 3 cars, LWB Transit Vans from £13.00 per day or £91.00 per week
  • Reduce the excess from £950.00 to £500.00 for executive cars, 7 and 9 seater cars and tippers from £16.00 per day or £112.00 per week.
  • Reduce the excess from £1100.00 to £750.00 for minibuses & 3.5T Lutons from £20.00 per day or £140.00 per week.
  • Reduce the excess from £1600 to £1000 for Range Rover cars from £20.00 per day or £140.00 per week.

24. Can I add another driver to my Hire Agreement?

Yes. You can add an additional driver to any rental. The additional driver will need to provide the same information/documentation as the main hirer to drive the vehicle and meet our driver criteria.

25. Is there an additional charge for adding Additional Drivers?

One additional driver will be charged as below:

  • £8.50 per day.
  • £59.50 per week.
  • £178.50 per month.

26. Is mileage unlimited?

No. Your quote will include a mileage allowance of 200 miles per 24-hour hire period or 3,000 miles per month (or monthly increments). Additional miles are charged as follows:

  • Standard vehicles: £0.12 per mile
  • CAT 4 Executive cars: £0.15 per mile
  • Range Rovers, Minibuses, and Lutons: £0.20 per mile

27. Where do I collect my vehicle from?

When you rent a van or any other vehicle, please collect it from our offices located at Unit 17 Riverpark Industrial Estate,  Ampere Road, Newbury, RG14 2DQ. See the attached Google Maps link (LINK).

28. Can I leave my car at your premises?

There may be spaces available around our premises where you can park free of charge.  However, many spaces are allocated to other businesses which you cannot utilise.  Our spaces are positioned where you may end up being blocked in. Please be aware that parking is entirely at your own risk.

29. Do you deliver and collect to my location?

Yes. We offer a delivery and collection service, subject to availability, within a 10 mile radius of our location.

30. What is the charge for delivery and/or collection?

A charge of £20.00 is payable for either collection or delivery.

31. Do you offer delivery and collection services at the weekend?

Delivery and collection services are only available on weekdays.  We cannot facilitate delivery or collection services at the weekend.

32. What is the earliest delivery time I can book?

This will be dependent on availability and the delivery location but usually the earliest delivery time is around 10.00.

33. Can I drop my vehicle back out of hours?

Yes. There is a facility for dropping the vehicle back after office hours but please note you will remain responsible for the vehicle until it is booked in by a member of our team when our offices re-open.

34. Can I return my hire vehicle early if my plans change?

Yes. Please notify us in writing via email if you wish to return your hire vehicle early. Please note an early return of your vehicle will not result in a refund of unused hire time, unless we have received adequate notice to resell the vehicle hire, and this has been agreed by us in writing. Please also note depending on the original hire period booked and actual hire period used, any refund that may be paid could be calculated at a different daily rate to the original booking, due to daily rate discounts for longer term hire periods.

35. What is your cancellation policy?

All cancellations must be in writing via email (using the email address provided within your online booking) to sales@newburyvehiclehire.com. Verbal cancellations are not accepted.

If you cancel your booking with a minimum of two weeks’ notice you will receive a refund of your hire charges less the banking transaction fee charged at the time of booking as well as a £30.00 administration fee.

Bookings cancelled within 14 days of hire will not be subject to a refund if your hire period is less than a two week period.  If your hire booking was more than of 14 days you will be refunded the charges less 14 days hire, banking transaction charge and a £30 administration fee.

We would recommend you take out adequate travel insurance to cover unforeseen circumstances.

36. Can I postpone or change my hire dates?

You may postpone or change your hire dates once without penalty, subject to availability. Further changes will incur a £30.00 administration fee.  Should you postpone and then subsequently cancel your hire booking no refund will be due.

37. What should I do if I have an accident or damage the hire vehicle?

Any accident or damage to the vehicle must be reported to us immediately.

You will need to ensure you gather the third party’s details, including name, address, telephone number, make and model of the third party vehicle and registration number.

We will also require photographs of the damage to our vehicle and the third-party vehicle. Please include the date, time and location of the incident. Please take as many photographs as possible including scene of the accident and driver of the third party vehicle (if safe to do so) as multiple photographs submitted is likely to help determine liability.

38. What is the quickest and easiest way for me to report an accident or damage to my hire vehicle?

For ease of reporting any damage or an accident you should use the Yellow QR Code located in the top area of the windscreen.

This will guide you through the information we require and will allow you to upload photos, regardless of whether the incident takes place outside our normal office hours.

The information will be notified to our out of hours emergency contact and they may contact you immediately depending on the information you have provided and the severity of the incident.

You are required to notify us of all and any damage immediately it occurs regardless of whether there are third parties involved or not.

39. Can I use one of your hire vehicles to tow?

No. Our insurance only covers our vehicle and will not cover anything being towed. Very few of our vehicles have a tow bar and even if they do it is not permitted for you to use it under our terms and conditions and our insurance cover/policy.

40. What do I do if I breakdown?

Initially, please call our office number and report your breakdown.  If you are calling out of office hours please select Option 2 to reach our emergency Out Of Hours service.  They will assist you further.

41. Are there any reasons why I would receive a charge following a breakdown?

Yes.  If a breakdown call out is received due to driver error i.e. incorrect refuelling, running out of fuel or not maintaining fluid levels during a long term hire, any charges we incur will be re-laid to yourself.

42. What do I do if I get a Parking Ticket?

As part of your Hire Agreement and our terms and conditions you are responsible for all parking tickets.  If you receive a parking ticket on your windscreen you will need to make payment direct to the parking council that have issued it.

If we receive any PCN’s relating to our vehicle as the registered owner these will be represented onto you at your contact address for you to pay or appeal.  You will be charged a £20.00 administration fee for each and every PCN we represent.

43. What about Congestion Charges or ULEZ?

Please research your journey.  Many of our major towns and cities now have Congestion Charge Zones or Low Emission Zones. These zones will have different rules relating to type of vehicle, days and times they are active.  It is your responsibility as the hirer to ensure these are paid as per their individual requirements.

The majority of our vehicles are ULEZ London compliant.  To check please ask a member of our team for the registration number of the vehicle you have been allocated so you can check in advance of your journey.

44. Do you allow dogs in your vehicles?

We do permit dogs to travel in our vehicles.  However, they must not be permitted to sit on the seats. They must be adequately restrained as per current legislation.

If there is any internal damage to seats, seatbelt or interior plastics you will be liable for all charges.

If there is any external damage i.e. paintwork scratches to the rear boot area where a dog has climbed in and out the repairs would also be at your full cost.

If additional cleaning is required, over and above our standard valet processes, due to dog hair or dog smells additional valet charges will be applicable.

45. Do you supply Child Seats?

Yes. We can supply child seats/booster seats. We take no responsibility for the seat supplied being suitable for the age or weight of the child using it neither do we fit the seat for you. It is your responsibility as the driver to ensure children are adequately restrained in the vehicle as per the current legislation.

46. Am I liable for charges if I lose my vehicle keys?

Yes.  The safe keeping of keys is the responsibility of the hirer(s).  Replacement keys can be expensive as can locksmith call outs.  These costs would be considered driver error and chargeable to the hirer/driver.

Please ensure keys are kept in a secure location when not in use to prevent theft or unauthorised use of the vehicle.  Any issues relating to theft or poor use of the vehicle whilst driven by an individual not detailed on the hire agreement, with missing keys, will result in the hirer/driver being held liable for any associated costs/charges.

47. Why do you want to know where I am travelling during my hire period?

A note of your destination is required at the time of booking.  We use this information to ensure there is adequate insurance and breakdown cover throughout your hire period. We aim to provide a vehicle that suits your distance.

48. What happens if my destination changes?

If during your hire period, your destination significantly changes i.e. you notified us of a destination of London but your plans change to include a trip to North Wales please email our offices immediately to ensure we are aware.

49. What are the consequences if I do not notify you accurately of my destination?

You may be liable for additional charges on return of the vehicle.  These charges will be deducted from your deposit.

50. Will my vehicle be fitted with a tracker?

Yes.  Our vehicles are fitted with trackers.

51. What information will the trackers relay?

The tracker will record your location(s) and journey(s) should we wish to review this data.

Any vehicles recorded doing excessive speeds over the speed limits or noted as behaving in a high-risk way will be flagged for our information and action.

52. Can I hire a vehicle on a long-term basis?

Yes.  If you wish to hire a vehicle on a long-term basis please call a member of our Rental Team to discuss your requirements.

53. What are my responsibilities during a long-term hire period?

It will be your responsibility to ensure all fluid levels are checked and topped up as per the manufacturer’s guidelines.  This will also include Adblue levels.

To check tyre pressures every two weeks.

To return the vehicle for servicing, MOT, manufacturer recalls, etc.  We will do our best to supply you with a like for like vehicle during the period we require it for maintenance.

To email in current mileage of the vehicle on a monthly basis.

If using your own insurance to ensure we receive up to date and current insurance documentation.

54. What types of vehicles do you rent?

We hire a variety of cars, vans, 7 & 9 Seater MPV’s, tippers and 14,15 & 17 Seater Minibuses for self-drive hire.

55. What size vans do you hire?

We hire Light Vans, SWB Vans, MWB Vans, LWB Hi-Top Vans, LWB 4M Hi-Top Vans, 3.5T Luton Box Vans with Tail Lift and 3.5T Box Low Loader Vans.

56. What are the dimensions of each van?

All external and internal dimensions are detailed on the individual van type page on our website.  From our Home Page select VAN HIRE.  This will show a drop down list of all the van models we supply.  Select the model you are interested in and scroll down the page to view all dimensions for the model you have selected.

57. Can I open an Account with Newbury Vehicle Hire Ltd?

Yes. We can offer business customers an account facility. You would need to apply for an account and receive approval prior to receiving Account Customer benefits. Please contact a member of our rental team for more information or alternatively complete an Account Application Form and email to sales@newburyvehiclehire.com.

58. Once approved could my account credit status be revoked?

Yes. If you fail to adhere to our payment terms or we are notified of an adverse change to your businesses credit status we may revoke your credit terms or reduce your credit limit.

59. Can I set up an On-Line Account?

Yes. Setting up an on-line account with us just couldn’t be any simpler. When you book on-line follow these simple steps so following bookings are even quicker and easier!

  • Access our website at www.newburyvehiclehire.com
  • Enter your booking requirements into the on-line portal ‘QUOTE & BOOK’.
  • Select vehicle and press ‘BOOK’.
  • Enter details as requested to complete your booking.
  • On completion of the booking you will receive an email confirming your booking request. At the bottom of this email is a red ‘CREATE ACCOUNT’ button.
  • Click ‘CREATE ACCOUNT’ and follow the instructions.
  • When you begin your next booking and enter your email address you will be prompted to log into your account. Your previous details will have been stored for your ease and convenience.

60. Who is responsible for payment liabilities?

Regardless of who arranged the hire booking or who is making payment(s) all individuals and businesses detailed on the Hire Agreement are liable for all charges that relate to the Hire Agreement.

If any payments are not paid in line with our Terms and Conditions we reserve the right to approach all individuals and/or businesses to recover any outstanding charges/costs in full.

If payment is not made, we reserve the right to notify debt collection teams and any other routes, potentially including making applications to the courts to recover monies owed from all or any of those individuals or businesses detailed within the Hire Agreement.

61. What are your Terms & Conditions?

Please find our T&Cs.  LINK

Please read our terms and conditions to ensure you are fully aware of the contents.  By signing the Hire Agreement, you agree to our current terms and conditions.

If there are any other individuals or company names detailed within the Hire Agreement whoever signs the Hire Agreement effectively is agreeing to the terms for all those detailed within the agreement.

Our online Instant Quote/Booking portal makes selecting the right vehicle, at the right price as easy as ABC.