Fined with a rental car: what to do?
It’s happened to us all: you are on holiday with your rental car, and then, unfortunately, you get a fine.
In the end, this is a common mishap, often not knowing a place well, it is easy to get distracted, especially as far as road offences are concerned. Have you ever wondered how to deal with fines when using rental cars? Hire luxury car Vroomerz!
What happens if you get a fine with a rental car
With the growing spread of rental cars, especially for holiday use, inadvertently getting a fine for a traffic violation is a common mishap. But what happens when you get a fine with a rental car? Who is going to pay for it?
Although the company that rented the car is not responsible for the offences or breaches committed, the fine will go to the rental company, because they are the registered owners of the vehicle.
Then, the rental company will contact you.
Once the fine has been notified
Once you have received the notification of the fine from the car rental company you will have a maximum of 90 days to compensate for the damages or to, if necessary, appeal.
So, if you have committed an offence, by driving inside a restricted traffic area, or you have gone through a crossing without respecting the roadsigns, the fine will reach the transgressor within 90 days of the violation.
Some car rental companies pay the fine directly without notifying the person or company that hired the car, and then subsequently re-invoice it to the customer. In this case, be sure to read the contract policies carefully.
The situation is different where you are stopped directly by law enforcement for an offence. In this case, the car rental company will not be notified, because law enforcement agencies have already taken note of your identification data.
If you make a direct payment, you will lose the opportunity to appeal, and if the offence committed foresees points on your licence, such will be applied to the car’s driver, not its owner, so not the car rental company.
Responsibility
If a person or company rents a car from a rental company, the sole responsible for any traffic offences committed is the lender.
We hope this article has been useful to clarify any doubts you might have had on this matter.