FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. How old do I have to be to hire a vehicle?

Drivers must be at least 25 years old to rent a van or any of our vehicles, except for the Range Rover and Executive car ranges, which require a minimum age of 30. If you are over 70, we may need additional information and approval from our insurance provider before processing your hire.

2. What documents will you need to see when I hire a vehicle?

You will need to provide your full UK driving licence for any of our cars or vans for hire. This should be either a photo card or an old paper-style licence. If you only have the old paper-style licence, we will also need to see another form of photo ID. We will need your National Insurance in order to complete a DVLA check online, along with one other form of ID, such as a utility bill.

3. I have a foreign licence. Can I still hire from you?

Yes, but it depends on where your licence was issued. We accept licences from the EU, USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand if all other criteria are met. For licences from other countries, we must verify and get insurer approval before confirming your booking. This can only be done during office hours (Monday–Friday), so please allow plenty of notice.

Regardless of the country, you must present your licence, passport, and another ID. We also require your home address and UK stay address if you are visiting. If you live in the UK, you can use a foreign licence for up to 12 months before needing to apply for a UK licence.

4. I have points on my licence. Can I still hire from you?

Whether you can rent a van or a car depends on the date and nature of any offences. Please contact our rental team for advice. If you fail to disclose any current or expired convictions or penalties that our insurers prohibit, we will refuse hire at vehicle collection and no refund or compensation will be given.

5. Can I hire a minibus on my licence?

You can hire a 14-seater minibus on a standard licence as long as you are not using it for hire or reward. If you wish to hire a 17-seater minibus, you will require a D1 on your licence and again cannot be used for hire or reward.

6. Can I take the vehicle abroad?

No. We currently do not allow our vehicles to travel abroad.

7. How can I make a booking?

Use our Online Booking Portal www.cavershamvehiclehire.com to generate your vehicle hire quote and place your booking.  This will allow you to book your exact hire specifications easily and quickly and keep your payment safe and secure.  If you have any queries about our hire vehicles, hire process or particular requirements please do call a member of our Rental Team on 0118 9476 500 and we are happy to assist you.

8. When do I need to make payment?

Full payment for your hire period is taken at the point of booking. Should you wish to extend your original booking you must contact us in advance of your scheduled return time and pay the additional hire charges in advance of the extension of hire commencing.

9. What payment methods are acceptable?

We accept credit/debit cards with the exception of AMEX. We also accept BACS payments for the hire but all deposit payments must be made by credit or debit card.

10. How much is the deposit?

A security deposit is required for all rentals. All deposit payments must be made with a credit or debit card (not AMEX). Deposits will be refunded upon the safe and undamaged return of the vehicle. If applicable, any ancillary charges due may be deducted from the original deposit amount paid. Please see the deposit amount required for each vehicle category type below:

• Our deposit is £200.00 for Category 1 & 2 cars.
• Our deposit is £300.00 for Light, SWB & MWB Vans.
• Our deposit is £350.00 for Category 3 cars, LWB Transit Vans & 4×4 pick up trucks.
• Our deposit is £500.00 for executive cars, 7 and 9 seater cars & tipper trucks.
• Our deposit is £750.00 for minibuses & 3.5T Lutons.
• Our deposit is £1000.00 for Range Rover Cars.

11. How much is the insurance excess?

• Our excess is £500.00 for Category 1 & 2 cars.
• Our excess is £600.00 for Light, SWB & MWB Vans.
• Our excess is £750.00 for Category 3 cars, LWB Transit Vans & 4×4 pick up trucks.
• Our excess is £950.00 for executive cars, 7 and 9 seater cars & tipper trucks.
• Our excess is £1,100.00 for minibuses & 3.5T Lutons.
• Our excess is £1600.00 for Range Rover Cars.

12. Can I take out CDW to reduce my excess?

Yes. We offer CDW as follows:

• Reduce the excess from £500.00 to £200.00 for Category 1 & 2 cars from £10.00 per day or £70.00 per week.
• Reduce the excess from £600.00 to £300.00 for Light, SWB and MWB vans from £11.50 per day or £80.50 per week.
• Reduce the excess from £750.00 to £350.00 for Category 3 cars, LWB Transit Vans & 4×4 pick up trucks from £13.00 per day or £91.00 per week
• Reduce the excess from £950.00 to £500.00 for executive cars, 7 and 9 seater cars and tippers from £16.00 per day or £112.00 per week.
• Reduce the excess from £1100.00 to £750.00 for minibuses & 3.5T Lutons from £20.00 per day or £140.00 per week.
• Reduce the excess from £1600 to £1000 for Range Rover cars from £20.00 per day or £140.00 per week.

13. Can I add another driver to my Hire Agreement?

Yes. You can add an additional driver for any car or van hire. The additional driver will need to provide the same information/documentation as the main hirer to hire the vehicle and meet our driver criteria. Charges will apply. Please contact a member of our rental team for further information.

14. What is included in my price?

Unless you’ve requested extras, your basic quote includes VAT, insurance for one driver, UK breakdown cover and a mileage allowance of 200 miles per 24-hour hire or 3,000 miles per month (or monthly increments). Additional miles are charged as follows:

– Standard vehicles: £0.12 per mile

– CAT 4 Executive cars: £0.15 per mile

– Range Rovers, minibuses, and Lutons: £0.20 per mile

15. Can I drop my vehicle back out of hours?

Yes. There is a facility for dropping the vehicle back after office hours but please note you will remain responsible for the vehicle until it is booked in by a member of our team when our offices re-open.

16. Do you deliver and collect to my location?

Yes. We offer a delivery and collection service subject to availability within a 10 mile radius of our location. A charge of £20.00 is payable for either collection or delivery. Alternatively, if you are arriving by train at Reading Main Station you can book a Meet & Greet service from the North Side of the station for a £10.00 additional charge.

17. Where do I collect my vehicle from?

When you rent a van or any other vehicle, please collect it from our offices located at 19 Ardler Road, Caversham, Reading, Berks, RG4 5AE. See the attached Google Maps link (LINK).

18. Can I leave my car at your premises?

You may not leave your vehicle on our premises. Limited on-street parking is available on Ardler Road, but weekday parking restrictions apply. Unrestricted parking may be available in nearby areas. Please be aware that parking is entirely at your own risk.

19. Can I open an Account with Caversham Vehicle Hire Ltd?

Yes. We do offer business customers an account facility. You would need to apply for an account and receive approval prior to receiving Account Customer benefits. Please contact a member of our rental team for more information or alternatively complete an Account Customer Application Form and email to info@cavershamvehiclehire.com

20. What are your Terms & Conditions?

Please find our T&Cs here.

21. Can I use one of your hire vehicles to tow?

No. Our insurance only covers our vehicle and will not cover anything being towed. Very few of our vehicles have a tow bar and even if they do it is not permitted for you to use it under our terms and conditions.

22. What should I do if I have an accident or damage the hire vehicle?

Any accident or damage to the vehicle must be reported to us immediately. You will need to ensure you gather the third party’s details, including name, address, telephone number, make and model of the third party vehicle and registration number. We will also require photographs of the damage to our vehicle and the third-party vehicle. Please include the date, time and location of the incident.

23. What is your cancellation policy?

All cancellations must be in writing via email (using the email address provided within your online booking) to info@cavershamvehiclehire.com – verbal cancellations are not accepted.

If you cancel your booking with a minimum of two weeks’ notice you will receive a refund of your hire charges less the banking transaction fee charged at the time of booking as well as a £30.00 administration fee. 

Bookings cancelled within 14 days of hire will not be subject to a refund if your hire period is less than a two week period.  If your hire booking was more than of 14 days you will be refunded the charges less 14 days hire, banking transaction charge and a £30 administration fee.

We would recommend you take out adequate travel insurance to cover unforeseen circumstances.

24. Can I postpone or change my hire dates?

You may postpone or change your hire dates once without penalty, subject to availability. Further changes will incur a £30.00 administration fee.  Should you postpone and then subsequently cancel your hire booking no refund will be due.

25. Can I return my hire vehicle early if my plans change?

Yes. Please notify us in writing via email if you wish to return your hire vehicle early. Please note an early return of your vehicle will not result in a refund of unused hire time, unless we have received adequate notice to resell the vehicle hire, and this has been agreed by us in writing. Please also note depending on the original hire period booked and actual hire period used, any refund that may be paid may be calculated at a different daily rate to the original booking, due to daily rate discounts for longer term hire periods.