Holiday hire car – or take your own?

If you’re debating whether to take your own family car on your summer holiday or rent one to explore your destination, here are some handy tips from Matthew Tomlinson, head of the Foreign Claims division of personal injury specialist Russell Jones & Walker on what you should keep in mind.

- A hire car will have all the full quota of European driving essentials, such as a red warning triangle and a high visibility vest, whereas if you take your own car, you’ll have to buy all the kit and adapt your headlights. Factor that into the cost of the car hire and it might work out cheaper than you expect;

- You might know your own car best, but bear in mind if you’re in a country where they drive on the other side of the road, in a hire car the steering wheel will also be on the other side of the car, giving you the best view of the road. If you take your own car, your view could be limited on winding country roads;

- If you are unfortunate enough to have an accident abroad – don’t feel you need to file your claim in that country. “You can bring your claim back to the UK,” said Matt, “and you’d be well advised to do so, as in the UK, the insurers of the person liable for the accident will pay you damages and your legal costs.  If you bring your claim abroad, yes you get damages, which are assessed in accordance with local rules, but your costs may well be paid out of that sum.”

For more information, visit: rjw.co.uk