Frequently Asked Questions

Hiring your car or van

Collecting and driving your car or van

Returning the vehicle

What documents do I need when I hire a vehicle?

Before you hire a car from us you’ll need to make sure you have a valid photocard licence. If you have the old paper licence, then you’ll also need a valid photo ID (i.e. a passport or other photo ID) and a valid credit or debit card.

You’ll also need at least one proof of address, dated within the last three months.

New customers need to bring their driving licence and two recent proof of address which are dated and no older than three months. Acceptable documents include: bank/credit card statement, utility/phone bill.

Returning customers who haven't hired for more than three months and still reside at the same address need to bring 1 proof of address, as well as their driving licence. If you have moved house since you last hired, you will need to bring two proofs of address.

Can I rent a car with only cash?

In a word, no. We require payment on a card in the driver’s name for at least the deposit, preferably for the deposit and the hire charges.

Can I rent a car without a credit card?

It’s generally more difficult, but not necessarily impossible. Many car rental companies now accept debit cards, including Intack Self Drive.

Do I need insurance to rent a car?

All rental cars come with some level of insurance - they have to, in order to be legally drivable! This insurance usually takes the form of third party cover at the very least, and you’ll also have the option to purchase a Collision Damage Waiver, which lowers your deposit. However, companies usually offer extra incentives if you use your own insurance so make sure you mention it when you speak to the rental desk.

Can I use my own insurance?

Yes, the vehicle can be covered by your own fully compre­­hen­­sive insurance, however most personal policies will not cover hire vehicles. For all vehicles taken on customers’ own insurance, a discount is offered. Please email a copy of your insurance prior to collecting the vehicle.

What is car hire excess insurance?

Insurance excess is exactly what it sounds like - it’s designed to cover a certain amount of excess if the vehicle you hire is damaged or stolen.

Here at Intack Self Drive, we offer a Loss Damage Waiver, which reduces your excess to just £95 – down from the standard price of £750 for cars, and £1000 for vans and minibuses with the exception of Luton Box Vans which have an insurance excess of £1,500 reduced to £250 if you purchase the waiver - all so that you can have extra peace of mind when you’re out on the roads.

Can I reduce the Insurance Excess?

We offer a Loss Damage Waiver which reduces the Insurance excess, please see the table below for reductions and prices for your specific vehicle.

Vehicle Type Standard Excess  Excess with LDW Cost of LDW 1-3 Days Cost of LDW 4-6 Days Cost of LDW 7 Days Plus
All Cars £750 £95 £9.90 P/D £8.90 P/D £59.90 P/W
Vans & Minibuses (Except Luton Box Van) £1,000 £95 £14.90 P/D £12.90 P/D £79.90 P/W
Luton Box Van £1,500 £250 £19.90 4 Days - £18.72
5 Days - £16.98
6 Days - £15.48		 £99.90
*Loss Damage Waiver does not apply to Electrically operated steps on Minibuses or overhead damage to any vehicle, the renter remains responsible for all costs at all times.

Do I need to leave a security deposit?

A deposit of £500 is required on credit/debit card, reduced to £100 if the Loss Damage Waiver is purchased except with Luton Box vans where the deposit is £750 reduced to £250 if the waiver is taken.

Does the deposit have to be paid on my credit/debit card?

The deposit has to be paid on a credit or debit card in the driver’s name, deposits are normally taken via a pre-autho­­risa­­tion. However, if the hire is over 6 days, the deposit will be banked. Pre-Autho­­risa­­tions typically take between 5-7 working days to drop off, whereas banked deposits will be refunded when the vehicle is returned and can typically take up to 3 days to show.

How long does it take for the deposit to clear back on to my card?

Deposits are normally taken via a pre-autho­­risa­­tion. However, if the hire is over 6 days the deposit will be banked. Pre-Autho­­risa­­tions typically take between 5-7 working days to drop off, while banked deposits will be refunded when the vehicle is returned and can typically take up to 3 days to show.

What are your age restrictions for hiring vehicles?

For cars and vans, all drivers need to be 25 yrs old or over with at least 12 months driving experience. The exception is large cars, where the driver has to be over 30 years of age, our upper age limit is 75 however if you are over 75 please call and speak to the reservations team as we can approach our insurers for clearance in certain circumstances.

For minibuses, drivers have to be over 25yrs old with 2 years of driving experience. For 12 and 17 seater minibuses, all drivers need to have passed their driving test before Jan 1997 or have the D1 entitlement on their licence.

How old do I need to be to hire a car or van?

You’ll need to be at least 25 years old to hire a car or van from us here at Intack. (For large cars, we require drivers to be over 30 years of age.) Generally you need to be at least 23 years old to hire a car anywhere in the UK, and you need to have held your driving licence for at least a year. However, if you’re hiring a car abroad, it’s worth bearing in mind that the age restrictions vary from country to country.

How old do I need to be to hire a minibus?

You’ll need to be over 25 years old with 2 years of driving experience if you want to hire a minibus with 9 seats. If you wish to hire a 12 or 17-seater minibus, you’ll need to have passed your test before January 1997, or have the D1 category on your licence. 

Do I need a special Driving Licence to drive a minibus?

For minibuses, all drivers need to be over 25yrs old with over 2 years of driving experience. For 12 and 17 seater minibuses, drivers must have passed their driving test before Jan 1997 or have the D1 entitlement on their licence.

Do you provide one-way hires?

No. All vehicles do need to be returned to our depot in Blackburn. Collection can be pre-arranged from your home/work address if you are local and the collection will be during weekday office hours.

Do I need to bring extra car seats for young children?

We don’t provide extra car seats here at Intack Self Drive, so you’ll need to bring your own if you’re hiring a vehicle from us. If you ever hire from other companies, we’d still generally advise bringing your own if you can - partially because it’s often simply cheaper and easier for you. For starters, you can be certain that your child already comfortably fits in it, and it saves you the price of having to hire one for the duration of your car rental. The cost can be pretty high, too! 

Can I hire a sat nav?

We don’t provide separate satellite navigation here at Intack Self Drive (partially because many cars come with their own integrated sat navs these days anyway). We’re not alone in that - sat navs are not typically included in hire agreements, so car rental companies may or may not provide one. If they do, like car seats, they’re likely to be provided with reasonably high rental rates. It’s also worth bearing in mind that many European countries have laws against sat navs which detect radar speed traps, so if you’re going abroad you’ll need to keep that in mind. (In Portugal, for example, it’s illegal to own a sat nav at all, regardless of whether or not you’re using it!)

I have penalty points on my licence, can I still hire a vehicle?

We can accept up to 6 points for certain offences, if you have any points please confirm with the rental operator when booking your vehicle.
*For insurance purposes penalty points stay on your licence for 4 Years

Can I change my reservation online?

Unfortunately due to limitations of our rental software you are unable to change your reservation online, please contact our res team on Phone: 01254 57811 to make your required changes or email your request to reservations@intack.co.uk please remember to quote your booking reference in any communication.

Collecting and driving your car or van

Where do I collect the vehicle from?

We are based in Blackburn, close to the Railway Station and the ice arena. All vehicles need to be collected from and returned to our depot.

Can I leave my car when I hire a vehicle?

Yes, we have a car park were vehicles can be left at the owner’s risk.

Can you deliver the vehicle to me?

We do offer a local pick up service where we will collect you from your home or work address and bring you into the office to complete your reservation. Please note that we only offer this service during weekday office hours and Saturday mornings.

How much fuel is in a vehicle when I take it and what is the fuel policy?

The vehicle will be full of fuel on collection and we do ask that the vehicle is returned full, we can fill the vehicle at our premisses on return but please be aware that our fuel prices are above that of the petrol station.

Are there any mileage limits?

There is a 250 mile allowance for 1 day hires on cars and minibuses, except the 8 & 9 str Mercedes Vito MPV's which have a 200 mile per day allowance for 2 days, all other vehicles and hires of 2 or more days have unlimited miles.

  • The unlimited mileage offer may be withdrawn were hirers persistently do excessive miles, this will be communicated before the hire starts.

How much do I have to pay if I go over my 250 mile allowance?

Excess mileage for Cars & Minibuses is charged at 20p per mile plus VAT with the exception of the 8 & 9str Mercedes Vito MPV’s which are charged at 50p per mile plus VAT.

What happens if I damage a rental vehicle?

That depends on what part of the vehicle has been damaged and how severely.

You may find that you have to pay up to the standard excess to repair certain types of damage, although with Intack Self Drive, you can lower this excess from £1000 for most vans and minibuses or £750 for cars down to just £95 if you purchase a Loss Damage Waiver, see table above for LDW prices and reductions.

However, the LDW does not cover all types of damage, so overhead damaged is the responsibility of the hirer in all circumstances. 

Can I take a vehicle overseas?

We do allow cars, vans (up to Luton size) and 9 seater minibuses overseas - please call or email with your trip details including date and vehicle requirements for a quote.

Can I return a vehicle after the offices close?

Yes. The gates are open until 8pm* for vehicles to be returned. A member of staff will be on site Monday – Friday to hand the keys to. However, if vehicle is returned Saturday or Sunday please drive vehicle into the bottom yard, lock it and post the keys into the secure key chute on the left hand side of the reception front door.

*Bank Holidays may differ, see operating hours here
** Customers remain responsible for the vehicle until it is checked by a member of staff the following morning.

Returning the vehicle

What happens when I bring a rental car back early?

If you return your vehicle early you will receive a refund on any full days that you haven't used, similarly if you’re using our Flexi Hire service after the first 28 days you can return the vehicle at any point it is totally FLEXIble,­ feel free to ask for more details when you talk to one of our repre­sen­ta­tives.

Can I drop off my car in another city?

Some rental companies will let you drop off your car in another city, but as a local business here at Intack Self Drive, we do ask that you drop it off here at our Blackburn depot.