What was actually happening?

In Spain, it was common for companies to advertise a rent a car at a low cost but also within the terms and conditions it would state that the customer would be required to pay for a full tank of fuel on arrival and return it back empty or receive no refund for the fuel that was left.

This tactic was adopted by many other countries which saw headline prices drop considerably, however, the customer paying either the same amount overall or more if they were returning the car with a substantial amount of fuel in the car.

No more disgruntled customers

Enjoy Car Hire have made these changes due to the number of customers who felt disgruntled at seeing a car for £4 per day and not noticing that the tank of fuel was mandatory.

A customer planning on using a car to travel to and from the airport and some short journeys then the £28 weekly cost would be inflated by €90 (£75) for a tank of fuel meaning to total cost would have been £103.

What was the real story?

Fair fuel policy mathematics

Simple mathematics showed that the cost of a car hire is not £4 per day and that the local companies were making up the lack of rental price with the overinflated cost of a tank of fuel and the inevitable return of the fuel which would be topped up and sold to the next customer.

Enjoy Car Hire always compete on price with their competitors, however in some countries where the full to empty fuel policy is rife it may, at first, seem that they are higher priced.

However, by making some small calculations it is clear to see where the savings can be made when returning the car back with the same amount of fuel as the customer received it in.

Here is the tip:

When you are looking to book your car for your next well-earned holiday then take a look at what will be needed to be paid at the rental desk on arrival.

To be more exact:

Look at the fuel policy, unless you are renting with Enjoy Car Hire and there is no need because we only have one way.

The best way.

Best fuel policy for car hire

The Good

Full/Full policy

You are given the car with a full tank of fuel and you are asked to bring it back with a full tank of fuel.

Enjoy Car Hire's Tip: If you do not bring it back with a full tank then you may be charged a refueling charge plus an inflated cost for the missing fuel. Follow the simple rules and you only end up paying for the fuel you have used.

Return back the same policy

This one doesn't really need an explanation, on collection your rental car will have a certain amount of fuel which will be marked on your rental agreement, return it the with the same as collected it with.

Enjoy Car Hire's tip: Always check that the fuel level is the same on the agreement before you leave the rental station

The Bad

Full/Empty

You are given the car with a full tank of fuel and you are asked to bring it back with an empty tank.

Don't be fooled by the words "empty tank" what this really means is that you should bring it back with whatever you do not use which obviously results in some people returning a large amount of fuel that they have paid for.

Enjoy Car Hire's tip: If you have booked a car with this fuel policy you may as well use the car as much as you can, after all, you have paid for the fuel, you may as well use it.

The Ugly

Full/Empty (with inflated petrol prices)

Again just like the "bad" you are given the car with a full tank of fuel and you are asked to bring it back with an empty tank. The main issue that the price of this fuel is hugely inflated and you will pay nearly 50% more at the desk than at the pumps.

Enjoy Car Hire's tip: Take a little time to do a little research, it won't take you too long to find out the companies that provide this fuel policy, it is widely documented in the media and there has even been a dedicated BBC documentary naming and shaming certain companies with hidden camera footage.