Car hire polices and conditions vary vastly from country to country and even state to state. It is very important to have a thorough understanding of all the relevant rules and regulations while hiring cars. These can be obtained from any good car hire agency or a travel agency.

Car hire in the UK is a highly professional field with several car-hire agencies vying with each other to provide competitive services to customers. There are Audis, Fiats, Mercedes, Peugeots, Renaults, Seats and Volkswagens available for rent. Some of the common categories are: mini, luxury, premium, standard, intermediate, minivans/MPVs, SUVs, compact and others. The prices, policies and conditions vary greatly according to these categories. Some agencies also provide professional chauffeurs.

While hiring cars in the UK, look for the contract agreement which would typically contain guidelines relating to the rental period, the renter's responsibilities, the agency's responsibilities, the insurance coverage in case of damage or accident, driver's insurance, vehicle breakdown, property damage or loss in the vehicle, conditions for using the vehicle, various supplementary charges, data protection, governing laws of the country, extending the hire agreement, returning the vehicle and ending the agreement.

There would be various fees charged apart from the rental fee. These may include: include additional driver's fees, advance booking requirements, airport concession recovery fees, drop off charges, tax, congestion charge, late charges/overtime, premium location fee, service fee, sales tax and other mandatory fees, value added tax, vehicle license fee, surcharges, weekend rates, weekly rates, time and mileage charges and so on. Many car hire agencies in the UK are offering discounts and concessions for regular customers or during special seasons.

There are many car rental agencies in the UK. Information can be obtained from yellow pages, classifieds or from advertisements. The internet is also a very good source for locating a good car hire agency and even applying for the hire online.