Which? and Spanish consumer group, OCU, call on car hire companies to end all unexpected extra charges and play fair with their fuel policies, as Which? research finds that many tourists are getting a raw deal when hiring a car in Spain.

Confusing fuel policies mean many holidaymakers are often hit with additional, non refundable charges for fuel that aren’t always clear when booking their hire car or are buried away in the small print. We found some car hire companies use a full-empty policy where people must pay for a full tank of petrol on arrival but are not offered refunds for returning the car with unused fuel.

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of our members who did this thought they had been ripped off by being forced to pay a fuel price that was higher than local garages. Six in 10 Which? members who booked a car with a full-empty policy said it was the only option available to them.  Overall, a fifth of our members’ car rentals came with a full-empty policy.

With full-empty policies, consumers can find there is little chance of using a full tank, especially on small Spanish islands. We estimate that someone hiring a Fiat 500 would need to drive 550 miles to empty the tank – in Mallorca this would be enough to make the 80 mile round trip from Palma airport to Port de Pollenca on the other side of the island nearly seven times.

Spain is the most popular foreign destination for British holidaymakers, and a fifth of Which? members (22%) who hired a car on holiday did so in Spain, making it the second most popular car hire destination behind only the UK.

Our investigation found that a number of companies do offer a fair fuel policy such as Which? Recommended Providers Alamo, Enterprise and Autoreisen. All three offer a full-full fuel policy, where people return the car with a full tank as standard, so don’t pay for fuel they don’t use.

We are calling on car hire companies to:

-  be up-front about all extra charges, such as for fuel or insurance, so people aren’t forced to pay more before they can drive away, and can more easily compare deals.
-  only charge consumers for the fuel they use and offer a full-full policy as default.
-  ensure they offer fair fuel prices, which are in line with the local price.

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd, said:
“There can be few things guaranteed to ruin your holiday quicker than finding surprise charges and fuel costs unfairly added to your car hire bill.

“We want an end to this holiday rip-off with car hire companies totally up-front about all charges, so people know exactly what they will pay when they book.”

Ileana Izverniceanu, OCU spokesperson said:
“We hope that Spanish authorities investigate and punish all rental car companies which engage in unlawful practices. This behaviour damages consumers’ rights and the image of Spain as a holiday destination.”