Frequently asked questions

What can I drive?

Everything except the 7.5 Ton vehicles can be driven on a normal car licence. However if you passed your driving test before January 1997 you can also drive the 7.5 Ton vehicles providing that no restrictions have been imposed by the DVLA. The easiest way to check this is on the back of your photo card licene that you have the C1 entitlement. Unfortunately for all of you that passed your test after January 1997 you will need to have passed your HGV driving examination to be able to drive the 7.5 Ton vehicles.

How old do I need to be to rent a vehicle?

The minimum age to rent a vehicle is 21, the maximum is 75. You must have also held a Full UK or EU Driving Licence for a minimum of 1 year or 2 years if you are aged between 21 & 24 at the time of collection.

The 7.5 Ton vehicles are only available to those who are of the age 25-69.

Those aged from 21-24 are subject to an increased insurance excess and stricter requirements in terms of points and accidents, if you are aged 21-24 please contact us for further information.

Points, accidents and thefts.

Please contact our offices if any of the below apply to you:-

• If you have had more than 8 penalty points in the last three years.
• If you have had more than 3 points in the last 3 years and are aged 23-24
• If you have had any points in the last 3 years and are aged 21-22.
• If you have had an endorsement carrying the code AC, BA, DD, DG, DR, CD, LC, MS or IN.
• If you have been involved in two or more at fault accidents in the last three years.
• If you have been involved in more than 1 at fault accident in the last 3 years and are aged 23-24.
• If you have been involved in any at fault accident in the last 3 years and are aged 21-22.
• If you have been disqualified from driving in the past five years (from date of conviction).
• If you are below 21 or are over 75 years of age.

Technically if any of these apply to you we are unable to insure you. However if you contact our office we can contact our insurance company who may be able to offer insurance with an increased excess and/or premium.

I have a long journey and wish for others to drive the vehicle, is this possible?

Yes, this is not a problem at all. You can have up to three named drivers on the vehicle included in the price. However all persons driving the vehicle must be present at our office with their driving license and identification to fill out an insurance form and sign any agreements. This is also handy should you be using a hire van for a house removal, as it allows you to take turns when running between the new and old property.

What do I need to bring with me?

Those hiring and driving
The hirer of the vehicle (person making payment for the hire) must bring with them their driving licence, 2 forms of identification which can be two of either a passport, bank statement or utility bill and their National Insurance Card or a payslip detailing their National Insurance Number.

Those driving only
Additional drivers (those not hiring/paying for the vehicle) must bring their driving licence, and 2 forms of identification which can be two of either a passport, bank statement or utility bill and their National Insurance Card or payslip detailing their National Insurance Number.

Those hiring/driving with old paper style licence
If you still have the old paper driving licence then in addition to your driving licence you must also bring a passport and bank statement or utility bill. National insurance number information will not be required.

Those hiring but not driving
If the hirer (person making payment for the hire) does not possess a driving licence and someone else will be driving for them, they must bring a passport and 2 bank statement or utility bills.

We are only able to accept FULL UK & EU Driving Licence’s which have been held for a minimum of 1 years (2 years if aged between 21 & 24).

Photocard driving licences must be in date and valid.

With regard to bank statement & utility bills, these must be dated no earlier than 3 months preceding the date of the hire. Emailed/online printed versions are acceptable.

Passports must be in date and valid.

How do I book a vehicle?

Simply either call our offices or complete an online booking request.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept Visa and Mastercard.

Unfortunately we are unable to accept cash payments

How much is the deposit and is this taken from my account?

We do not take a deposit from you.

How much is the insurance excess?

The insurance excess is £1,000.00. (£1,500.00 if aged between 21 & 24)

This can however be reduced to £500 (£1,000.00 if aged between 21 & 24) by way of paying a collision damage waiver.

The collision damage waiver cost is from £10.00 to £5.00 depending on the length of hire.

Can I take the vehicle abroad?

Yes, this is not a problem at all, our Norwich Van Hire can include overseas cover. If you would like to take your hire van or truck abroad, please contact our offices for a quotation.

What happens if the vehicle breaks down?

Unfortunately all vehicles, no matter how new, are prone to breaking down from time to time. If your vehicle does break down please contact our offices as soon as possible and we shall arrange for repair or recovery to be carried out as soon as possible wherever you are in the United Kingdom. If our dedicated service centre is closed there are contact numbers on the answer machine for 24 hour assistance of which the main out of hours contact number can be found on the key tag of the vehicle. All vans up to 3.5 Ton are covered by RAC or manufacturer breakdown assistance. Vehicles above 3.5 Ton are covered by the manufacturers breakdown assistance.

What is your fuel policy?

Our policy with fuel is that the vehicle leaves our premises full and is expected to be returned full of fuel. This is the easiest way for both parties, meaning that you will only pay for the fuel that you use.

If a vehicle is not returned full and we are required to refill it, the charge for fuel will be in excess of the price at the fuel station. This price changes regularly and we will be able to advise you of the current cost at the time of hire.

Can I return a vehicle out of hours?

Yes, if your booked period crosses over our offices being closed this is not a problem at all. Simply park the vehicle on our forecourt and put the keys in the drop box. However we must make you aware that the hire vehicle remains your responsibility until our offices re open and the vehicle is checked in.