Enterprise

Car & Van Hire Costs Explained

At Enterprise we are transparent about our prices to make sure you get no nasty surprises when it comes to paying for your rental car or van.

Here we break down the main costs involved in hiring a vehicle with us.

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What is a Rental Day

A rental day is defined as exactly 24 hours. So, if you pick up your vehicle at 10am and return it at 9:30 the following day, you will be charged for one day. However, if you return the car at 12:30 the next day, you will have gone into another 24-hour-period so you will be charged for two days.

We understand that things don't always go to plan so, if you are running a few minutes late we give you a grace period of up to 29 minutes to cover unforeseen delays. If you are a bit later, up to 2.5 hours past your return time, you will pay an additional hourly rate, but anything past that and you will be charged for a new rental day.

What is the Total Price

The 'Total Price' that you see when you book online includes all mandatory charges based on the information you have supplied. This is our drive-away price however, if you choose to add optional extras such as extra protection or special equipment, the Total Price will increase to include these charges and provide you with a new accurate drive-away price.

If you want to add another driver to your rental agreement, this will have to be done with them at the branch when you collect the car, so this will not be included in your online Total Price.

What is Included Free of Charge

Pick-up/Drop-off Service

We don't charge for this service. Call in advance to check availability and we will come and collect you from your nearest non-airport branch, free of charge. Some geographical restrictions may apply.

Early Return

There is no penalty fee if you want to cut your rental short, you will only be charged for the days you had the vehicle. However, your day rate will have to be recalculated and may increase.

Additional Mileage

In Ireland our cars and vans come with unlimited kilometres so you will not be charged anything extra for how many kilometres you cover. In countries where you pay for extra mileage, it is shown in the cost breakdown.

Damage Waiver

Damage Waiver is included in most bookings. If Damage Waiver is not shown as included in your booking then you can purchase it in branch.
The Damage Waiver reduces your liability for damage to and or theft of the vehicle subject to the terms and conditions of your rental agreement. It comes with an excess which you can reduce with an extra protection.

Breakdown Assistance

24-hour breakdown assistance is included in your car-hire fee. This covers you in the unlikely event of any mechanical faults happening during your rental. This is not the same as Roadside Assistance.

What You Pay For

Fuel Charges

We have three options for how you pay for fuel:

Like for like: whatever is in the tank when you pick up your car, is what you will need to return it with. It will never be less than a quarter of a tank, so you don’t have to go fill up immediately.

Pay for what you use: if it is more time-efficient for you, you can return the car to us without filling up and pay for it to be refuelled to the pick-up level. You will pay slightly more per litre as well as an extra fee of €15 to cover the downtime caused by us having to get the car refuelled.

Pre-pay: to make things as convenient as possible for customers arriving at our airport branches, you may have the option to pre-pay for a tank of fuel (you will be charged at local pump rate*). This means you don’t have to worry about filling up before you drop your hire car back to the airport, you can return it empty. You won't be refunded for any fuel left in the tank, so be sure this is the right option for you. Prepay is sometimes offered at non-airport branches, so ask at the branch if you are interested.

*The average of blended local petrol and diesel prices, updated every week and displayed in branch

Excess Protection

The Damage Waiver, usually included in your rental, reduces what you are liable to pay if the car is damaged or stolen during your hire period.

Damage Waivers come with an 'excess', which is the amount you will have to pay for damage repairs before the waiver kicks in. 

Excess Protection is an optional coverage that reduces the applicable Damage Waiver Excess to: €100 for economy and mini vehicles, €500 for premium, luxury vehicles and Luton vans, and €250 for all other vehicles.

Check in advance as your own insurance may be adequate to cover damage, theft, loss of revenue, administration fees, diminishment of value, and any towing, storage or impound fees.

Damage Costs

At Enterprise we have come up with a clear and simple way of measuring damage so you're not charged for every little scratch – our damage evaluator tool.

We don't believe you should have to pay for normal wear and tear so, as long as any damage is smaller than the corresponding circle on the tool, you won't be charged for it.

When you arrive at the branch, one of the team will take you to your vehicle and walk around it with you, so you can check there is no existing damage. If there is, this should be logged and you will be given a copy of the log as part of your contract. Don’t forget to do your own due diligence and check the car, including tyres and windscreen while you are at the branch to make sure you're happy with the condition of it, so there is no dispute later on when you return the car.

Optional Extras

You can also pay to add certain products to your rental contract.

Additional Driver

If you want to add another driver to your rental contract, you can do it in branch when you pick up the vehicle.  The price covers the cost of adding that person to the car's insurance.

Child Car Seat

Most people will bring their own child seat but, if you need to rent one at the airport, let the branch know in advance so they can arrange one that is the right size for your child's age.

Sat Nav

These are available to rent in branch if you want one, but most people will use their own phone and download one of the many wayfinding apps available online.

Cross-border Fees

Our vehicles can be taken across the border to Northern Ireland and over to Britain, but you cannot take them to mainland Europe. There is no fee for driving your rental vehicle into Northern Ireland, but you will pay an additional charge of €170.25 for travel to Britain (slightly more at airport branches). You must also let the branch know in advance.

One-way Charges

If you plan to drop the vehicle back to a different branch from the one where you picked it up, it will incur a charge. This is to cover the branch getting the car back to the original pick-up location.

Roadside Assistance

RAP is a 24-hour emergency service which includes  recovery and call out charges due to a driver fault such as tyre and glass repair. It doesn't cover using the wrong fuel or any breach of the rental agreement.