Vehicles and Mobility

You rented a car abroad, the deposit was blocked in one currency, and the amount that came back on your statement is not quite the amount that left. Nobody made a mistake: one deposit crossed two conversions, at two different moments. This comparison starts where you noticed it, on the statement line, and works back … Read more

Are the excess and the deposit the same thing on a car rental? No, even when they show the same amount on the same line of the contract. The deposit always exists; the excess only comes to life if something gets damaged. Here are the two definitions, side by side, and what actually happens at … Read more

The agent walks around the car, points at a scratch, and announces a charge against your deposit. What happens next depends far less on the scratch than on the paper trail. A rental company can only defend a charge it can prove, and you can only push back with evidence of your own. Here is … Read more

What you need A vehicle condition report at pick-up and return, with dated photos: without it, it is your word against the rental company’s. Since 1 October 2023, an amicable resolution attempt is mandatory in France before any court action for disputes under 5,000 euros. The rental company must give you the contact details of … Read more

In short Most car rental deposits are not money that changes hands. They are a temporary hold, called a pre-authorization, placed on your payment card. A pre-authorization is released automatically after a set number of days once the car is returned with no issue, rather than refunded like a real payment. This is a different … Read more