Rental Guide

Terms of Hire

Normal terms and conditions of rental apply at all times. All rates include VAT and insurance and are subject to availability. Despite the inclusion of insurance, an excess will be charged for any vehicle damage. Insurance cover is for UK mainland only unless clearance is granted prior to rental. Rate reductions are available for renters providing their own insurance cover (please ask for details). Rates include breakdown recovery.

Drivers

Drivers of all rental vehicles must have a clear insurance record and the acceptance or otherwise of certain licence endorsements will be at the sole discretion of the manager at the rental location involved.

There is no upper age limit for renting, however, certain group restrictions may apply. Please contact 0141 237 4374.

Your rental:

  • Vehicles can only be returned to our branches during opening hours.
  • Airport out of hours returns are only permitted with prior consent.
  • You are responsible for the vehicle until the keys are returned to an Arnold Clark Car & Van Rental staff member.
  • If a vehicle is returned to an airport without prior consent you will be liable for all retrieval charges.

Young drivers

There are additional conditions for drivers under 25 years of age:

  • Drivers must hold a valid and full driving licence for a minimum period of four years. This reduces to one year if the driver is over 23 years of age.
  • Drivers between 23 and 24 years of age may hire vehicles up to and including SUV category vehicles, as well as automatics, estates and vans.
  • All drivers under the age of 25 will incur a surcharge of £25 per day.

UK driving licence and identification

UK drivers should bring their valid driving licence (original copies only) and one proof of address. Acceptable documents include utility bills and bank or credit card statements issued within the last three months. All UK drivers should also bring their access code from the DVLA, which you can acquire from the DVLA’s online Share Driving Licence system.

Customers with an original paper licence will also need to bring photographic ID, as well as one proof of address and their DVLA access code.

Northern Ireland licence holders will not be able to generate a DVLA code and must produce both the paper and card parts of their driving licence upon collection.

Drivers must hold a valid and full driving licence for a minimum period of four years, or, one year if the driver is over 23 years of age. Drivers must have a clear insurance record. Certain endorsed licences may or may not be accepted at the discretion of the rental location. All drivers must physically show a credit or debit card in their own name when collecting their rental vehicle.

EU and International Drivers

EU licence holders not residing in the UK must bring a domestic driving licence and either a passport or ID card. Please note we are unable to accept digital driving licences, you must present either a physical copy or an International Driving Permit (IDP) along with your passport.

EU licence holders who are residents in the UK must bring with them a domestic licence, passport or ID card and proof of UK address. This can be two bills or one bill and another form of photographic identification, preferably a passport. We also accept utility bills and bank or credit card statements that have been issued in the last three months.

Drivers from outside the EU must possess a valid domestic driving licence with an English translation. If the English translation is not available, an international driving permit is required in addition to a domestic driving licence. All drivers must physically show a credit or debit card in their own name when collecting their rental vehicle.

To comply with the UK government driving licence rules drivers must present an electronic or hard copy of their boarding pass, flight ticket or stamped passport. Our advisors must check this to confirm the correct driving licence is being used to collect your vehicle, as driving licences issued outside of the EU are only valid in the UK for 12 months from your date of entry.

A passport must also accompany a domestic driving licence.

Terms of hire for vehicle

Car hire

  • Minimum rental period is one hour.
  • Hourly car rentals have zero excess and include VAT, insurance and fuel.
  • Please note, hourly rentals can only take place within office opening hours.
  • For rentals up to three days, 250 miles per day are included free of charge, with additional mileage charged at 10p per mile.
  • Mileage is unlimited for hires of four days or more.
  • For longer term hires, typically 28 days or more, 2,500 miles are included free of charge, with additional mileage charged at 10p per mile.

Van hire

  • Minimum rental period is one hour.
  • Hourly van rentals have zero excess and include VAT, insurance and fuel.
  • Please note, hourly rentals can only take place within office opening hours. Hourly rentals are not available for one-way hire.
  • For rentals that are 24 hours or longer, 250 miles per day are included free of charge, with additional mileage charged at 10p per mile.
  • *Mileage is unlimited for hires of four days or more. However, this is capped at 2,500 miles in any 28-day period.

Dual Control hire

Renter of vehicles must be 17 years or over, possess a clean, current UK provisional licence and be accompanied at all times by a qualified driver, 23 years or over, who has held a clean, current and valid UK or EU driving licence for a minimum of three years. Certain endorsed licences may be accepted for both provisional and full licence holder - please contact us for details.

Additional passengers should not be carried while the learner driver is under tuition. Minimum period of rental is one hour and maximum is four hours. Tuition car rentals include mileage and fuel. If you’re planning to sit your practical test with a dual control car, we recommend that you hire a dual control car for at least one hour on a previous day to check licence details and to familiarise yourself with the vehicle. Please let us know that you require the car for your test at the time of booking with us. For more information visit our dual control page, which gives you more detailed information.

We offer a full refund for all cancellations or booking changes with 24 hours’ notice of cancellation. If you do not provide at least a 24 hours’ notice, we will be unable to offer any refund for money already paid. To cancel your reservation, just email us at rental.reservations@arnoldclark.com or call us on 0141 849 7170.

View full terms and conditions

Driving outside the UK

Customers can only take a rental car to Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland. Travel is not permitted to any other European country. Cars (including 9-seaters) can only be taken with prior arrangement. Customers must give at least one week’s notice to allow the branch to arrange the correct paperwork (additional charges will apply).

When travelling to The Republic of Ireland, customers are responsible for travel insurance costs of their passengers and must arrange their own European breakdown cover (including repatriation) for the vehicle – which must be presented to the branch before the start of the hire.

Vans are not permitted to be taken beyond the UK mainland.

The rules are always changing when it comes to the regulations of driving a vehicle abroad. As a UK driver you may not be fully aware of what is expected of you in other EU countries and what you need to cover off before you travel, such as mandatory EU travel kits and breathalyser kits. The AA have some great information on driving abroad and what you have to do depending on the EU country you are travelling to. For more information on driving in other EU countries, visit the AA website.

Payment

We can’t guarantee a vehicle until we receive payment in full. You may be liable for an administration fee if you extend your vehicle hire and don’t pay on time. We accept most major debit and credit cards - we do not accept pre-paid credit cards. We also accept payments via PayPal, and online payments by Apple Pay and Google Pay. Please note that you can’t pay by cash at any of our branches.

Cancellation

It’s free to cancel your booking as long as you give us more than 48 hours’ notice.

If you cancel your booking less than 48 hours before your specified pick-up time, you will incur a £40 cancellation fee, or no refund when the rental cost is less than £40.

You will not receive a refund if you haven’t cancelled your booking and you fail to collect your vehicle.

To cancel your reservation, just email us at rental.reservations@arnoldclark.com or call us on 0141 849 7170.

Refund guarantee

If you choose to pay the refund guarantee charge, you can cancel your booking at any time, even up to the start of your hire and you’ll still receive a full refund, including the £5 fee originally paid.

You will not receive a refund if you haven’t cancelled your booking and you fail to collect your vehicle.

To cancel your reservation, just email us at rental.reservations@arnoldclark.com or call us on 0141 849 7170.

Deposits

Selected branches may ask for a £100 security deposit. If you’d like to hire an executive car, we ask for a £500 deposit via credit or debit card, payable in-branch.

Excess waiver

An excess will be charged for any vehicle accident damage. However, an optional excess waiver can be purchased - subject to qualification. Find out more or contact us.

Airport security charge

Due to increased security measures at airports, a charge of £15 for all branches will be required for all reservations using the airport shuttle bus. This can be added during the booking process or can be paid in branch upon arrival.

Fuel

All our rental vehicles run on either unleaded or diesel fuel. All vehicles will be supplied with a full tank of fuel. It is the customer's responsibility to refill the vehicle at the end of the rental period. Fuel charges or fuel shortage will be charged at current pump prices plus a refilling surcharge of £10. Alternatively you can pre-purchase a full tank of fuel before you set off, return the car empty and we'll do the refilling for you. Any fuel left in the vehicle won't be refunded. If your keyring has an Adblue tag on it, please refer to your handbook or rental branch for further information.

Transporting items

Precautions should be taken to protect vehicle upholstery and interior from damage and soiling. If pets are transported, please ensure all traces of animal hair are removed and odours neutralised before returning the vehicle. There will be charges for any valeting/repairs needed, including the treatment of odours and loss of rental revenue if vehicles are returned in a state not fit to be re-hired. You are not permitted to carry hazardous chemicals in any of our vehicles.

One-way car and van rental

One-way car and van rental is available but this will incur an additional charge. This one-way car or van rental charge will be added to your total cost at time of booking.

Vehicle availability

To avoid disappointment vehicles should be booked in advance. Models shown and all descriptions are for general guidance only and while every effort is made to comply with requirements we cannot guarantee a specific model.

Arnold Clark Car & Van Rental reserves the right to refuse rental and to amend terms and conditions without notice.

Offers and promotions

Our car rental offers and promotions are only available for stipulated periods of time and are not available all year round. Each promotion will specify the dates the promotion is valid for and which vehicles are available within the promotion. These promotions are subject to terms and conditions and availability. Where requested, proof of eligibility for discount codes must be shown when you collect your vehicle, failure to provide proof may result in your discount being removed at collection. Arnold Clark Car & Van Rental reserves the right to amend these terms at any time. Car rentals dates which over run or exceed the valid dates of a promotion, will not be eligible to the stated promotional prices or offers.

Read terms and conditions in larger text.