Consumer rights explained: I think my holiday car hire firm is trying to rip me off. What are my rights?

Q: I hired a car to travel along the northern coast of Spain in early May after finding a good rate online. But when I returned the car to the hire company, the assistant said one of the wing mirrors was damaged and quoted me €300 to fix it. 

I didn’t see any damage and felt the charge was a rip off because I hadn’t taken out insurance with the rental company. However, the company still took the charge from my deposit. They said I had to pay it but could dispute it later. What are my rights in this situation? 

Fiacra, Louth

You mention that you arranged your car hire online. If you booked through a car hire platform, you may have two contracts – one with the booking engine and the rental agreement with the car hire company. 

The car hire company’s rental agreement covers things like mileage limits, charges, fuel policy and liability for damage. The company can only charge you for repairs where there is clear evidence that the damage occurred during your rental. 

When you collected the car at the start of your trip, the car hire company should have given you written information or a diagram to show the condition of the vehicle. If you still have this, check if it mentions any issue with the wing mirror. 

If you feel the charge for repairs is not justified, you can dispute it by complaining to the rental company in writing. Outline your issue, request the company’s car inspection reports and a breakdown of the repair costs and state how you would like the matter to be resolved. 

If you have already complained to the car rental company and are unhappy with its response, you can lodge a complaint with the European Car Rental Conciliation Service (ECRCS) if the car hire company has signed up to its code of practice. To lodge a complaint and check if your car hire company is a member, visit ecrcs.com. Decisions by the ECRCS are binding and cannot be appealed. But if you disagree with its final decision, you can still use the small claims procedure to claim for the cost of the disputed damage.  

You don’t mention how closely you inspected the car when you collected it. It's always wise to examine the inside and outside of a rental car and take photos and video on your phone when you pick it up. You can get more car hire tips from ccpc.ie/carrental. 

Originally published in the Sunday Independent on 14 June 2026: Your questions answered on Irish consumer rights | Irish Independent