Brits unable to change hire car Sat Navs to English

Almost 200,000 Brits have driven in Europe without being able to turn the language of their hire car Sat Nav to English.

That is thousands of people that have driven around potentially very confused, trying to understand François telling them to “Tournez à droite” (turn right), Maria asking them to “Si gira a sinistra” (turn left) or Enrique saying “Siga recto” (go straight ahead.

It can cost up to £100 to hire a Sat Nav for a week, so for drivers with a detachable Sat Nav at home, it is normally cheaper to upgrade to European mapping and take it with them, or with Sat Navs starting at £69.99, it can actually still be better value to buy one.

The research carried out by YouGov on behalf of iCarhireinsurance.com found that it is not just the Sat Nav that drivers find confusing. 2.8 million British hire car drivers (12%) have found car hire excess cover confusing, which is concerning as without it drivers are liable for up to £2,000 if their hire car is damaged or stolen. Rental desks charge on average £15 a day for this cover compared with the £2.99 charged by iCarhireinsurance.com.

Ernesto Suarez, founder and chief executive of iCarhireinsurance.com said, “It seems that foreign Sat Nav directions can send you round the bend, as can expensive rental desk excess cover. Our message is simple, when hiring a car, whether you are purchasing excess cover or hiring a Sat Nav, it is often cheaper, and less confusing, to buy before you fly.”