Frequently Asked Questions
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Get all your answers in one place
ELIGIBILITY
Q: What age do I need to be to hire a vehicle?
A: Drivers must be aged 25-75 years of age.
Q: What are the driving license requirements for hiring a vehicle?
- To hire a vehicle you must hold a full driving license and have been driving for more than 2 years.
- Driving licenses from the UK, EU, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa are acceptable and a supplementary international driving permit is not required. For licences issued from other countries, please contact us to confirm eligibility.
- For UK licence-holders, the DVLA has abolished paper counterparts for licences, so customers can provide their national insurance number to enable us to check online if you have any endorsements on the licence.
- UK licenses with up to 2x 3-point fixed penalty endorsements are acceptable (i.e. 6 points in total, from 2 separate 3-point penalties). Please contact us if your license has more than two 3-point penalties or if you received an endorsement that incurred anything other than a 3-point fixed penalty notice.
Q: Do I need a special license to drive any of your hire vehicles?
All vehicles on the Traffic Self Drive fleet can be driven with a standard UK car driving license (category B1), including Luton tail-lift vans and 9-seater people carriers.
HIRE VEHICLES
Q: What age are hire vehicles?
Cars on our fleet are typically less than 2 years old. Commercial vans (LGVs) are usually less than 3 years old, with a small minority run slightly older.
Q: Can I specify the make/model/colour of the vehicle I hire?
Vehicles on our fleet are placed in hire groups with similar vehicles and the vehicles mentioned on this website are strictly intended as examples of the type of vehicle in each group. Whilst we make every effort to fulfill requests, we cannot guarantee the make, model or colour of the vehicle.
Q: What mileage allowance can I have?
Hires of 2 days or more have an unlimited mileage allowance. Hires of only 1 day have a limit of 250 miles, and a charge of 20p per mile thereafter.
INSURANCE
Q: What is covered by the insurance?
Full insurance is provided by Traffic Self Drive with hire vehicles, including third party cover, CDW (Collision Damage Waiver), accidental damage and theft insurance. Wheels, tyres, windscreens and overhead damage are not covered by the insurer (which is normal for vehicle hire policies).
Q: What is the insurance excess?
The insurance excess is the amount that the hirer is liable for in case of damage to the vehicle while on hire (unless a third party with insurance admits responsibility). Traffic Self Drive continues to offer an excess level that is one of the lowest on the market, and we aim to be transparent about the excess (where most hire companies are reluctant to publish about their excess level). The excess level is £300 for small/midsize vehicles, £500 for large cars, vans and MPVs, and £750 for Luton vans, Prestige cars and 9-seater vehicles.
Q: Reducing the insurance excess.
See Optional Extras page for details.
Q: Do you charge the insurance excess in advance?
No. The insurance excess amount is only payable if the hire vehicle is damaged.
Q: Can I insure the hire vehicle myself?
Companies with fleet insurance policies can insure hire vehicles on their own policy, which has the advantage that companies can insure any person they wish to drive the vehicle, allowing multiple drivers without needing to provide license details for each driver.
Q: How many people are insured to drive a hire vehicle?
Insurance for one driver is included by Traffic Self Drive in the hire cost. For details on insurance for multiple drives see Optional Extras
BREAKDOWN / ACCIDENT / LOST KEYS
Q: What can I do if I have a breakdown in a hire vehicle?
- All vehicles have roadside assistance cover. The appropriate telephone number for each vehicle is printed on the customer’s rental agreement and there is a number on the tax disc holder on the windscreen of the rental vehicle.
- During office hours (Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm; or Sat 8am-5pm) you can telephone Traffic Self Drive (01727 875047) for advice/assistance.
Q: What should I do if I am involved in an accident in a hire vehicle?
An accident pack is supplied in the glovebox of each vehicle. From the scene of the incident, call 07500 007769. You will need to record details of the other vehicle involved (most importantly the registration number) and take photographs of both vehicles, as explained in the accident pack.
Q: What should I do if I lose the key to a hire vehicle?
Telephone the Traffic Self Drive office (01727 875047). Please be aware that keys are chip-coded and the process of obtaining a replacement can be slow and expensive. You would be responsible for the full cost of replacing a key and will probably experience some inconvenience while we attempt to supply a spare key.
PICK-UP / RETURN POINTS
Q: Can the hire vehicle be delivered to me?
We deliver cars to home and work addresses within a range of approximately 10 miles from our base in St Albans. See Delivery Page for details.
Q: Can I pick-up/return a vehicle at the airport?
We offer an airport delivery service at London Heathrow airport and Luton airport.
Q: Can I pick-up the car at one location and return somewhere different?
We are a regional company and we offer 5 pick-up/return points:
- St Albans depot
- London Heathrow airport
- Luton airport
- Radlett train station (for London/Eurostar)
- Delivery to your home/work address in Hertfordshire
You can begin your hire at any of these points and finish at any other, but we cannot offer delivery/collection elsewhere.
WEEKEND HIRE PERIODS
Q: What are the timings for a weekend hire?
The weekend hire begins at 7.30am on Saturday morning and finishes at 7.30am on Monday morning.
