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Home » Tips » Why You Should ALWAYS Photograph Your Rental Car Before Pick-Up And Drop-Off
Tips

Why You Should ALWAYS Photograph Your Rental Car Before Pick-Up And Drop-Off

Matthew Klint Posted onNovember 7, 2018November 14, 2023 33 Comments

a green sign with white text

Always, I repeat always, take pictures of your rental car before driving it off and giving it back.

I was in Holland earlier this week and so happy that I took my own advice, something I have made a habit of doing after a bad experience many years ago. For this trip, I rented a car from National at Amsterdam’s central railway station and was asked to look it over and point out damage before departing.

My battered Suzuki was covered in damage. The agent accompanied me in my inspection, using an app to record every knick, dent, and scatch. There was damage on the front bumper, damage on the rear bumper, damage on the hood, the sides, and the roof. 

As I pointed out the damage, the agent made notes on his phone and took pictures. But I took pictures too.

Yesterday, when I returned the car to Schipol Airport, the airport agent very carefully scrutinized the car. While examining the rear wheel on the passenger side, she noted it was all scuffed up. Consulting her records, she indicated that this was not previously recorded and accused me of creating the damage.

She quickly called a colleague over who confirmed the damage was not in the system.

“Sir, we are going to have to charge you for this,” she said. 

I laughed.

Whipping out my phone, I said, “No, no. I took pictures too and that damage was there.”

Thankfully, I had taken a clear picture of the wheel and the damage was clearly there when I took procession of the car. The agent apologized, blaming the staff at the railway station.

Just think what would have happened if I had not taken those pictures. I generally waive liability (since my credit card offers extended protection) and would have found a hefty charge on my credit card for damage that I was not responsible for…

As I left, I took a fresh round of pictures of the car and the full gas tank before leaving. I would not put it past any rental car company to falsify data and still try to charge me for something I did not do or use. That’s what Sixt did in Frankfurt a few years back, charging me 99EUR for a full tank of gas when I brought it back full.

CONCLUSION

The lesson is simple: rental car companies cannot be trusted. Ignore my advice at your own peril. Make it a habit to always take pictures of your rental car when you pick it up and when you return it.

 

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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33 Comments

  1. JRG Reply
    November 7, 2018 at 9:46 am

    Agreed. I always take pictures. And I, too, was charged once by Hertz for an empty tank – but I had receipts to show I filled it right before I turned it over.

  2. Seat38A Reply
    November 7, 2018 at 9:48 am

    I take the still photos and even go a step further and video the whole car inside and out by doing a walk around.

  3. dragonfly Reply
    November 7, 2018 at 10:05 am

    Why car rental companies / employees have very unethical work ethics? Is it the culture which these companies cultivated? Or, is it the people who work there? We have had a few bad experiences in rental cars, so used them very rarely (will not rent from Hertz again). But, when we did, we did what you said – taking a lot of photos before and after.

    • Road Warrior Reply
      November 7, 2018 at 2:50 pm

      Budget got busted for scamming folks like this a few years back. Made the news.

  4. Doug Reply
    November 7, 2018 at 10:09 am

    Do I phone photos have easily accessible time and date stamps, so one can prove when the photos were taken?

    • Simon Reply
      November 7, 2018 at 10:26 am

      Not sure on iPhones, but in general phone photos will show all the details of the picture. Camera settings — aperture, exposure, etc — along with date/time, geo-location, what device took the picture etc. Within your photos app find the details option from menu when viewing (swipe up or down can sometimes bring the details up i.e. Google photos).

      • Matthew Reply
        November 7, 2018 at 12:15 pm

        iPhones have date and geolocation stamps on them.

        • Donald Reply
          November 8, 2018 at 4:47 am

          So do android.

        • George Guugan Reply
          November 14, 2018 at 11:05 am

          Matthew,
          Another travel tip I have started doing is taking a photo of the luggage we take. We stand a yard stick next to the tallest one. I learned to do this when we returned from the Czech Republic to London. We did not get all of out pieces. We were sent to make a claim and the first question was: What did your luggage look like?…WELL…it looked like luggage! If I had had a picture then, it would have SO much easier!
          Thank you,
          George

  5. kenny Reply
    November 7, 2018 at 10:12 am

    Every US rental agent has told me that taking pictures doesn’t matter, it has to be marked by the agent prior to leaving the site, but I still do it. I always get shots/video that include the facility, space where the car was parked, etc., just for added security.

    • W Johnson Reply
      November 18, 2018 at 11:07 am

      The rental agents are correct. It is the “four corners of the agreement” that could be ruled as valid but everyone needs to keep in mind that MOST rental companies do not want t9 alienate their customers and will try and resolve any issues in favor of the customer if they have enough EVIDENCE to do so.

  6. Jeff W Reply
    November 7, 2018 at 10:43 am

    Couldn’t agree more with this. Not only that, I save the photos for a year just in case. It’s such a simple thing to do and takes very little time.

  7. Dave Reply
    November 7, 2018 at 11:02 am

    I agree whole heartedly. This always happens to me at Frankfurt or Munich. I ALWAYS take pictures, especially on the wheels. They love to look for small scratches on the rims

    • W. Johnson Reply
      November 18, 2018 at 9:49 am

      If agents “always look for small scratches on the rims” then THESE THINGS SHOULD BE POINTED OUT AND WRITTEN DOWN BY THE AGENT. WHY do people renting cars think they can pass up their due diligence because they are in a hurry and, then, when it is pointed out upon return of the vehicle get pissed because the agent “always look for small scratches on the rims”? Photos are great but pointing it out to the agent BEFORE the vehicle is taken off the lot AND having them WRITE IT DOWN is the proper thing to do. I used to inspect vehicles for an inspection company and during the inspection we were required to take a MINIMUM of 27 photos + damage photos to support our findings. We inspected ALL vehicles for excess wear and tear AS DEFINED BY THE SELLING MANUFACTURER. This “excess wear and tear” was defined in the written agreement BEFORE the new car was delivered to the buyer. If a customer did not like the terms they could decline the vehicle. These rental agents are very anal when it comes to damage because they know that people often think that it is a rental car and they can just treat the vehicle anyway they want. I saw people constantly putting their luggage or other personal effects on the hood or trunk of the car and make a long scratch on them and then they wonder why they would get charged. As i stated earlier, photos are great evidence but HAVING THE AGENT WRITE IT DOWN ON THE RENTAL AGREEMENT is the best thing. And don’t be in such a hurry that you overlook damage, fail to have the agent write it on the rental agreement and then whine when you are charged for the damage. From my experience I can state that it can be true that UNLESS IT IS WRITTEN DOWN then you MAY be charged for it. Photos may get you money refunded but getting your money back AFTER it is taken is a process that MAY take time. I would just rather do my due diligence BEFORE the vehicle is taken and not have to arm wrestle with the rental company to get my money refunded.

  8. Mattt Reply
    November 7, 2018 at 11:18 am

    True as always.
    I’m currently fighting Sixt about $1k of damage to an Audi in Switzerland that I didn’t do.
    However, since I realized you get 3x points from the Reserve even after they pay your claim, I ]shifted my focus to fighting with e-claims instead of the rental company.

    I don’t go out of my way to damage cars but if they’re going to play the game, so am I.

    Ps. There’s some talk out there about totaling a car, and getting 30k reimbursed through the Reserve insurance… with the payout of 90k points. Not a bad deal.

  9. Dan Reply
    November 7, 2018 at 11:53 am

    You may have wanted “Consulting her records” instead of “Consorting her records” But a good tip to remember nevertheless.

    • Matthew Reply
      November 7, 2018 at 12:15 pm

      Fixed. Thanks Dan.

  10. WAE Reply
    November 7, 2018 at 1:34 pm

    In addition to taking pictures inside and out, including close-ups of any damage, I recommend using your phone to video as you walk around the car with an agent and agree on any existing damage. It takes only 1-2 minutes and offers significant protection and peace of mind.

    Do the same when you return the car. If the agent is busy, especially at smaller places, I wait for them to accompany me. If time is an issue, be sure to tell them that you are going to take photos and video to document the condition in which the car was returned and then do it.

    Definitely have the agent note any and all damages on the rental agreement. That said, in the event of any question (which has never happened since I started doing this), it would be hard for even an unethical agent or rental company to dispute video with their own agents agreeing on the condition of the car. No agent has ever refused my taking a video (and if they did, I would rent elsewhere).

    All photos and videos on my phone are automatically backed up to Google Drive for further protection.

    This might seem like overkill, but agents at more than one rental place have told me horror stories about people being charged hundreds or thousands of dollars when they could not prove they did not damage a vehicle. I would like to believe that most car rental places are honest, but there are, unfortunately, enough that are not to have earned an unsavory reputation around the world. Better safe than sorry.

  11. De3 Reply
    November 7, 2018 at 1:57 pm

    We always video around the car, and the inside also..

  12. Road Warrior Reply
    November 7, 2018 at 2:47 pm

    I take 20 pics and a walk around video every single time. Been doing it for 2 years now. Save everything to a file for 90 days then discard.

  13. RIC flyer Reply
    November 7, 2018 at 2:51 pm

    Great advice. I always do this. Enterprise Damage Recovery Unit once tried to get me to pay for damage to a vehicle that I didn’t cause. When I demanded they show proof, they presented me an estimate to repair it that was dated two months before I ever rented that car. After making it clear to the agent I wasn’t paying and their own evidence made no sense, they finally dropped the case.

  14. John Marks Reply
    November 7, 2018 at 8:38 pm

    Gotta love Thrifty. Not just for the damage that may or may not have been done by the customer, but last year they actually charged my credit card for driving on a toll highway that photographs the license plate as you enter/exit the highway. The trip on the toll highway took place 5 hours after I had logged the car back into Thrifty . . . Nice try though.

  15. Bill Truet Reply
    November 8, 2018 at 2:52 am

    Thank you for this useful article. I always take pictures of the car, but I never thought that I need to take pictures of the wheels and lower parts of the car.

    I rented a car in Madrid last month. The agent (at Budget) suggested that I pay extra €20/day for excess waiver. This almost doubled the price of the rent. I have Chase Sapphire Preferred (not Reserve) which specifically covers Spain, and a letter to show this, but he didn’t care to see it. He just wanted to put a €2000 hold on the card.

    Someone introduced me to https://www.carinsurent.com which covers the excess insurance at a low annual fee. Anyone needing to buy cover might contemplate this, but you need to understand the system, as this is not “complete” cover, just the last part of it.

    I now understand that there are many standalone insurance providers that can give you a piece of mind when you rent a car and this cost must less than the amount that the rental company charge at the desk.

    • W. Johnson Reply
      November 18, 2018 at 10:04 am

      You never thought that you need to take pictures of the wheels and lower parts of the car? WHY? Have you ever heard of curb rash? Wheels are damaged all of the time because people park their rental cars carelessly and scrape them up against the curb. After all it is only a rental unit. Everybody thinks that if it is a rental unit they can operate the vehicle in any manner they want to without repercussions. WRONG. Make sure the agent WRITES DOWN ANY DAMAGE ON THE RENTAL AGREEMENT BEFORE YOU TAKE THE VEHICLE. Rim/hubcap damage CAN be expensive if it causes enough damage.

  16. Daniel Reply
    November 8, 2018 at 3:05 am

    Got a toll charge from Budget for a bridge I did not cross and fought with them for weeks. Finally got them to call the toll company who said there is no record of my vehicle crossing the bridge, and they finally refunded the amount. Another story is when I got charged a tank of gas when I returned it full for Dollar. The agent on the phone made me send her a scan of the receipt before she would refund the tank. Now I insist on the agent checking in mark gas full and no additional damage before I leave.

  17. Mrlasssen Reply
    November 8, 2018 at 9:51 am

    This is good advice and I sometimes do all the same. The problem I find in a lot of rental garages is the lighting is so poor, even durning the day, that pictures are not so clear, this is worse at night when cars are outside. Does anyone have a solution to this?

    • W. Johnson Reply
      November 18, 2018 at 10:12 am

      BEFORE I inspected ANY vehicle at night I put it in the best available light before I took any pictures. The best option is to inspect the car THOROUGHLY and make sure the rental agent WRITES DOWN ANY DAMAGE BEFORE YOU TAKE THE CAR. Do not be an impatient person. Do your COMPLETE due diligence. If it is written down on the rental agreement there is almost no chance that they will try and come back to you for damage charges. Dealing with foreign rental car companies makes it IMPERATIVE that you write down ALL damage.

  18. Brook Maese Reply
    November 14, 2018 at 11:42 am

    I know that insurance on rental cars is crazy expensive but to me it is worth the peace of mind particularly in the UK. It’s stressful enough to drive over there (wrong side of car, wrong side of road) and to me it is worth the money (yes, even doubling the cost of the rental) to take all of the insurance offered. Also, when driving in a foreign country, it can be confusing navigating the different types of roads, reading the signage, etc. It is also very important to familiarize yourself with the vehicle and the location of all the knobs e.g., fuel tank release button, trunk release, etc.

    I completely agree with taking photos and videos of the vehicle both before leaving the rental lot and upon returning.

  19. Edgar Numrich Reply
    November 14, 2018 at 2:59 pm

    Avoid Europcar. No exceptions.

  20. SusanO Reply
    November 14, 2018 at 5:06 pm

    Sometimes it’s not enough to have photos of what you picked up….rental companies will insist the photo’s timestamp could have been doctored. Email the photos to yourself as you get into the car. Your email timestamp acts as a back-up.

    • W. Johnson Reply
      November 18, 2018 at 10:21 am

      Do not fail to realize that “the four corners of the written agreement” is what COULD be used. Not your photos. Make sure that the rental agent WRITES DOWN ALL DAMAGE on the rental agreement and you are normally covered. If they should ever try and charge you for any damage that is written on the rental agreement then it is is usually an easy fix.

  21. teri Reply
    November 14, 2018 at 6:41 pm

    Thanks for the reminder but I also do this due to some iffy interactions. Last time was 3am at Stanfield in Halifax. Paperwork said the car had no damage but it, in fact, had some significant damage. The agent wasn’t going to come out (poor kid was supposed to be out of there but our flight was late and a couple of passengers got to him before he could clock out so he felt obligated to also get me a car since I did have a reservation AND I called from Newark to let them know we were going to be late and was promised someone would be there). Anyway, my companion ran back in to tell him about the damage and told him I had taken photos so he noted it on the rental agreement. I am sure he never saw the car and there was no hanky panky on his part but, as much as I want to trust people, I have long since learned to verify, verify and DOCUMENT.

  22. Winston C. Reply
    November 18, 2018 at 10:56 am

    Rented from National one time and did not notice a hood dent. Upon returned was charged the damage which I protested. They examined their video cam upon exit and saw the dent. I was lucky.

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