Rental cars are cleaned and inspected regularly but, occasionally, still breakdown. Would you know what to do if you were on continental Europe?

If you’re planning on hiring a rental car this summer make sure you know what to do in an emergency. It’ll help keep the stress levels down!

Here, Ed Sharp, Head of Car Hire at TravelSupermarket, shares his expert advice and top tips on what to do if you find your engine steaming or your tyres flatter than they should be.

Pull over and park somewhere safe
Try and pull over somewhere quiet away from traffic. If you’re on a motorway, the hard shoulder or a layby. Once you have pulled over, make sure that you exit the vehicle and stand well back from any traffic if it is unsafe to remain in the car.

If you are travelling in a European country make sure that you put down a warning trial and ensure that both you and your passengers, put on high-vis jackets before leaving the vehicle.

Assess the situation
Remain calm. Assess if there is any damage to your vehicle, or look for any immediate safety hazards (e.g., smoke and fuel leaks). Then, consider whether you’ll need roadside assistance and what your next step is.

Contact your car rental company
Report the breakdown to your car rental company. Make sure you have their phone number with you at the outset, along with and local emergency services you may need, such as the police or fire service.

Most car rental providers offer roadside assistance as part of their services or as an add-on package. You’ll need to provide the roadside assistance team with details of your location, the cause of the breakdown, and any other information they may require.

Wait for breakdown service and repair
It is important that while you wait for the breakdown service and repair to arrive, you follow any instructions they give you.

This could include keeping your hazard lights on, using reflective equipment if it’s dark so that you are more visible to other road users, and ensuring that you and your passengers remain out of harm's way.

Know What’s Covered By Your Policy
Know the score so that you are not faced with any unnecessary charges or expenses for repairs!
Keep a summary of your policy to hand before you set off on your trip: on your phone or even a hard copy in the glovebox.

You can find lots of great deals and packages when hiring a rental car. But make sure that if you want things such as roadside assistance, mechanical faults and repairs, towing services, replacement vehicles, or lost key replacement, that you look into additional breakdown cover and/or more general car hire excess cover. Shop around!

Document the incident and any conversations
Always document exactly what happened when your rental car broke down. This includes any conversations you have with roadside repair, the rental company, or anyone else, including the time, date, and names of the people you spoke to, so you have evidence of anything that occurred. It’s also important that you take pictures of any visible damage that may help with potential insurance claims.

Arrange alternative transport
Finally, if a replacement vehicle is not included as part of your car rental package and your breakdown significantly impacts your travel plans, ensure that you arrange onwards transportation. You can speak to your car rental company, who may be able to provide you with alternative transport or assist you with any compensation claims.

Information courtesy of TravelSupermarket https://www.travelsupermarket.com/en-gb/car-hire/