Guide to Renting a Car with Expedia

Once you’ve booked your holiday, you may need to think about transport. In many areas, you’ll get the most out of your break by hiring a car and doing some travelling independently. Expedia’s car hire service lets you settle all your travel needs before you even leave your house. All you have to do is arrive at the pre-arranged pick-up point and get going!

Choosing the Car

Expedia has hire cars in every destination, so wherever you go you’ll be able to pick-up your own transport. In many cases, you’ll be able to choose from a range of cars and car types (economy, luxury, standard etc). To search for and book a car, go to the main Cars page [screenshot#1] and select where you want to collect the vehicle from. You can either specify an airport or a place. If Expedia doesn’t recognise the name of the place/airport you have entered, the website will offer you some nearby alternatives, or ask you to check your spelling.

It’s worth noting that if you have any extra requirements, such as a toddler car seat or ski rack, you can click on Need any special equipment? towards the bottom of the form. If you do select any of these further options, be sure to confirm them with the actual hire company before you pick-up your car.

After completing the form and clicking on Search, Expedia will display your results on a new page. You can choose whether to view your results via hire company, car size or car price, and you can also view specifications on most vehicles. Simply choose the car that suits you best and click on Select.

Paying for your Car

All of Expedia’s online prices include insurance, taxes and surcharges, so amount you see on screen is the final price you will be charged. But before you complete the deal and pay for your hire car, you will be able to view the full details of the transaction and car once more. This includes information on air conditioning, mileage, theft protection, insurance, VAT and tax, as well as a brief vehicle description and pricing structure.

Towards the bottom of this page is a section entitled Review rules and restrictions. Here, you can read a basic contract that includes details of payment, advanced booking requirements and cancellations and charges. There is also a link to view a more detailed car rules and restrictions agreement here [screenshot#2 of rules and restrictions bit]. When you are satisfied with the price, payment details and car, tick the nearby box to say that you have read and accept the rules and restrictions, and click on Continue with booking.

The next page instructs you to enter some details about the car driver. Remember to enter the details as they appear on his/her driving license, as they will need to match completely when you come to pick-up the vehicle. Once this form has been completed you can Proceed to booking, where you will be asked to enter your payment details, review the deal one last time and finally complete your transaction.

Top tip

Remember, every time you see the blue ‘i’ button, or a tiny picture of an aeroplane, either click on it or hover your mouse over it. Both of these icons provide you with extra information without forcing you to navigate away from the main internet page you are reading. When you’ve finished, simply click on ‘Close window’, or move your mouse away.