Great Escape Classic Car Hire Terms & Conditions

We use the Terms & Conditions created by the British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association (BVRLA), which have been awarded the Crystal Mark for clarity (from the Plain English Campaign).

1. Your contract with us

When you click ‘agree terms & conditions’ in our booking process you accept the conditions set out in this rental agreement. Please read this agreement carefully. If there is anything you do not understand or do not agree with, please contact us by email or phone.

2. Rental period

You will have the vehicle for the rental period shown in the agreement. We may agree to extend this rental period but the rental period may never be more than 30 days.

If you do not bring the vehicle back on time you are breaking the conditions of this agreement. We can charge you for every day or part-day you have the vehicle after you should have returned it to us. Until we get the vehicle back we will charge you the daily rate published at the place you have rented the vehicle from.

3. Your responsibilities

a. You must look after the vehicle and the keys to the vehicle. You must always lock the vehicle when you are not using it, and use any security devices fitted to it or supplied with the vehicle. You must always protect the vehicle against bad weather which can cause damage. You must make sure that you use the correct fuel.
b. You are responsible for any damage to the vehicle caused by hitting low-level objects, such as bridges, low branches, speed humps or kerbs.
c. You must not sell, rent or dispose of the vehicle or any of its parts. You must not give anyone any legal rights over the vehicle.
d. You must not let anyone work on the vehicle without our permission. If we do give you permission, we will only give you a refund if you have a receipt for the work.
e. You must let us know as soon as you become aware of a fault in the vehicle.
f. You must bring the vehicle back to the place we agreed, during the opening hours displayed at that place. One of our staff must see the vehicle to check that it is in good condition. If we have agreed that you may return the vehicle outside business hours, you will remain responsible for the vehicle and its condition until it is reinspected by a member of staff
g. You will have to pay for reasonable costs of repair if:
- a. We have to pay extra costs to return the vehicle to it’s condition when the pre-rental inspection was carried out (for example, if extra valeting time or special material or equipment is needed to restore the vehicle to its pre-rental condition); or
- b. you have damaged the inside of the vehicle
h. Before you bring back the vehicle you must check that you have not left any personal belongings in the vehicle.
i. You must abide by any specific instructions relating to each car as explained during the familiarisation process

4. Our responsibilities

We have maintained the vehicle to at least the manufacturer’s recommended standard. We assure you that the vehicle is roadworthy and suitable for renting at the start of the rental period. Also, if you are not renting the vehicle for business purposes, we are responsible for loss caused by:

the vehicle not matching our description of it;
the vehicle not being of the quality that you would be entitled to expect from a rental vehicle;
the vehicle not being fit to drive; or
us not having the legal right to rent out the vehicle

We are responsible if someone is injured or dies as a result of our negligence, act or failure to act. We are also responsible for losses you suffer as a result of us breaking this agreement the losses are a foreseeable consequence of us breaking the agreement. Losses are foreseeable where they could have been contemplated by you and us at the time the vehicle is rented. We are not responsible for indirect losses which happen as a side effect of the main loss or damage and which are not foreseeable by you and us (such as loss of profits or loss of opportunity).

5. Property

We are only responsible for loss or damage to property left in the vehicle if the loss or damage results from our negligence or a breach of the contract.

6. Conditions for using the vehicle

The vehicle must only be driven by you and any other named driver, or by anyone else we authorise in writing. Anyone driving the vehicle must have a full UK or international valid driving licence and meet the following criteria:

be aged between 25 and 70 on the final day of hire
has not been convicted of a motoring offence or had their licence suspended or had their licence endorsed with more than 6 fixed penalty points within the last five years
has not been refused motor insurance
does not have a mental or physical defect or infirmity that affects their ability to drive an unadapted vehicle (if in doubt, please contact us)

The hirer will not:

use the vehicle for hire or reward;
use the vehicle for any illegal purposes;
use the vehicle for racing, pacemaking, testing the vehicle’s reliability and speed or teaching someone to drive;
use the vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
drive the vehicle outside England, Scotland, Wales, unless we have given you written permission;
load the vehicle beyond the manufacturer’s maximum weight recommendations and make sure that the load is secured safely;
if the vehicle is a commercial vehicle, use it for a purpose for which you need an operator’s licence if you do not have one.

7. Towing

You or any other authorised driver must not use the vehicle for towing unless we have given you written permission.

8. Charges

We work out our charges using our current published price list. You will pay the following charges:

a. The rental and any other charge we work out according to this agreement;
b. Any charge for lossor damage resulting from you not keeping to condition 3.
c. A refuelling service charge if you have used, and not replaced, the quantity of fuel that we supplied at the start of the original rental. The charge will be based on the rates printed on this rental agreement or at the place where you rented the vehicle from.
d. All fines and court costs for parking, traffic or other offences (including any costs which arise if the vehicle is clamped). You must pay the appropriate authority any fines and costs if and when the authority demands this payment. If you do not, you will be responsible to pay our reasonable administration chares which arise when we deal with these matters.
e. The reasonable cost of repairing any extra damage which was not noted on our damage control diagram over the page at the start of the agreement, whether you were at fault or not (depending on 4). And the reasonable cost of replacing this vehicle if it is stolen, depending on any insurance you have (as set out in 9), if any when we demand this payment.
f. In exceptional circumstances we reserve the right to apply a loss-of-income charge if due to customer negligence we cannot rent out the vehicle because it needs to be repaired, it is a write-off (can’t be repaired) or it has been stolen and we are waiting to receive full payment of the vehicle’s value. The charge will be calculated by an independent assessor based on the likely lost revenue using historical data at the published daily rate. This clause specifically refers to instances of exceptional abuse, carelessness or negligence where the customer is at fault.
g. Any costs or charges arising from the use of incorrect fuel
h. Any charges arising from Customs and Excise seizing the vehicle, together with a loss-of-income charge while we cannot rent out the vehicle, if and when we demand this payment.
i. Any published rates for delivering and collecting the vehicle.
j. Interest which we will add every day to an amount you do not pay us on time, at the rate of 4% a year above the base lending rate of Barclays Bank from time to time.
k. Valued added tax and all other taxes on any of the charges listed above, as appropriate.

You are responsible for all charges, even if you have asked someone else to be responsible for them.

9. Insurance

Our vehicles are supplied with fully comprehensive insurance and AA breakdown cover. There is not Damage Waiver option available. A refundable deposit will be taken before hire commences to cover the insurance excess.

10. Choice of car

In the event of the chosen vehicle being unavailable for any reason, the hirer will offer an alternative vehicle if available. In the event of an alternative vehicle being unavailable the hirer’s responsibility is limited to return of all payments made by the hirer to date.

11. Gift Vouchers

Gift vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date on the voucher or from the date of the recipient’s birthday or anniversary, which must be given at the time of purchase. Vouchers may be transferred to an alternative driver – subject to meeting these terms and conditions – but no refund is available on unused/expired vouchers.

12. Vehicle contents

The vehicle will be supplied with various contents including information pack, maps, guide books, spares, tools and other materials. These remain the property of the hirer and must be returned at the end of the hire period. Failure to do so will result in a charge for replacements.

13. No Smoking and Pets

Please do not smoke or allow pets into our vehicles. Failure to comply will result in hire being cancelled and a charge being levied.

14. What to do if you have an accident

If you have an accident you must not admit responsibility. You should get the names and addresses of everyone involved, including witnesses. You should also:

make the vehicle secure;
tell the police straight away if anyone is injured or there is a disagreement over who is responsible; and
call our office straight away. You must then fill in our accident report form and send it to us immediately.

15. Data Protection

You agree that we may use any information you have given us to carry out our own market research. If you break the agreement we can give this information to credit reference agencies, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), debt collectors and any other relevant organisations. We can also give this information to the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), who can pass it on to any of its members for any purpose shown in the Data Protection Act 1998.

16. Ending the agreement

a. If you are a consumer we will end this agreement straight away if we find out that your belongings have been taken away from you to pay off your debts, or a receiving order has been made against you. We may end this agreement if you do not meet the main requirements of this agreement.

b. If you are a company, we will end this agreement straight away if:

you go into liquidation;
you call a meeting of creditors;
we find out that your goods have been taken away from you until you pay off your debts; or
you do not meet any of the conditions of this agreement

c. If we end this agreement it will not affect our right to receive any money we are owed under the conditions of this agreement. We can also claim reasonable costs from you if you do not meet the main requirements of this agreement. We can repossess the vehicle (and charge you a reasonable amount) without using unreasonable force or causing damage.

17. Cancellation policy

In the event of cancellation by the hirer up to 7 days before the hire period commences we will refund the full payment subject to an administration fee of £35. For cancellations between 7 days and 48 hours before hire we will refund 50% of the full payment. Cancellations of less than 48 hours before the hire period commences will forfeit the full payment. If for any reason we have to cancel the hire we will make a full repayment.

We reserve the right to cancel the hire agreement if you do not meet insurance requirements or any of the information supplied by you is incorrect - for example address details - or cannot be verified. In such instances we will refund the hire cost in full subject to a discretionary deduction of £50 for administration.

18. Governing Law

This agreement is governed by the laws of the country in which it is signed. Any dispute may be settled in the courts of that country.