You want HOW MUCH?!?!

Updated on February 26th, 2025

This week I have been in the Canary islands. Gran Canaria to be exact. Unfortunately, my first few days have been marred somewhat by my experiences with hiring a car, so I thought I’d share.

Over the last 10 years I have regularly used hire cars to enhance my experience of a place. I have driven alone for miles (check out my top tips for solo road trips HERE and all about my St Lucia experiences HERE). I regularly like to hire from local companies to keep the money in the local economy. But it also keeps the costs down significantly. In Gran Canaria, I chose OK Mobility. It was cheap. Very cheap and I should have realised then that there will always be a catch.

And there was.

Picture the scene:

I have arrived on my flight from the UK with my new partner (yes, I have a new man. It’s big news but maybe a story for another day…maybe not!). We head for all the international hire car desks at the airport. Mine is not there.

On reading the instructions, it says we must wait outside the Spar store and a representative will collect us every 10-15 minutes. 25 Minutes later our bus finally arrives and carries ten of us hopeful tourists to the office. Once there we join a queue.

A very long and slow moving queue.

The hire company next door had nobody waiting. We discussed whether they were either doing a bad job to not have customers, or a really good job as they were clearly much more efficient than ours.

So, instead of waiting Larry (my man) decided to ask whether we could book via them and circumvent the long wait, cancelling my original booking.

But first, he checked the reviews on Trust Pilot. They were terrible. 

Then he looked at the reviews for OK Mobility. They were worse! Lots of talk of scamming customers for the insurance.

I panicked slightly and went in search of the documents I have for excess car hire insurance. I read once that to buy an annual policy is way cheaper than having to pay the excess that they always try to sell you at pick up. So far, for £50 a year, it had served me well. Although of course, when I really needed it, I had forgotten to bring the print outs with all the details.

I went into a cold sweat but realised that if we cancelled, it could be a painful process if we wanted our money back.

So, having waited for almost an hour, we finally had our turn at the front of the queue.

We had paid for a Fiat 500 (apparently), fine as long as we could both squeeze in with our bags (both being tall, this could have been a challenge!).

Then came the punch.

We needed to pay €238 for insurance, along with an additional €100 which they would refund if we returned the car without any damage. If we went with my excess insurance, they take €1000 on a credit card which they refund after the return of the car without any damage.

What?!?

€1000?!?

This was ridiculous, but by the time we had waited for an hour we were kind of committed. Plus, she said if we cancel it would have to go through the original booking agent (Kayak.com) and not them.

So, with sweaty palms I handed over €1000 to stick to my guns on the excess insurance. 

It hurt.

And as we left, we had more determination than ever to fully inspect the car for damage.

I usually do a half-hearted attempt to spot anything obvious and photograph it. Last time, in Tasmania, I videoed my walk around the car.

This time, however, we both got on hands and knees to inspect every inch of the vehicle and photograph every minor dink and bit of dirt we saw. And when we had finished, we went back to the office, to report that we had found extras. They swore to us that if we have a timestamped photo, we would be fine.

Then a customer in the queue stopped us as we were leaving to reassure us. He said he had used the company loads and they were fine if we had a photo. He had always got his money back.

So, off we went. Discovering a Fiat which had the driver’s side opposite to the one I was used to, a manual gear box (a first for me as most rentals are automatic), on the opposite side, with opposite facing pedals, to drive on the opposite side of the road.

And very gingerly, we lurched our way off to find our apartment. 

I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t impacted my usual joy to hit the road, but fingers crossed we will be returning the car next week without incident.

As always, I like to make the mistakes, so you don’t have to. What have I learned?

• Pay more and book through a reputable international company for peace of mind.
• Getting an excess insurance policy is a good thing if you hire cars regularly but be prepared that some companies may penalise you for it.
• Put time and effort into photographing any issues with the car on pick up. Usual wear and tear are accepted but I am nervous about any with this company. By photographing on your phone everything is time and date stamped.
• Make sure you book a car you are comfortable to drive, especially driving alone. Being in an unfamiliar vehicle can be challenging enough, without the issues of changing gears, and everything being opposite from what you are used to. Book a car accordingly, even if it is a little more expensive.

I hope that helps you to avoid being in this same situation. I hope I can report next week that we brought the car back and gained a full refund. 

I hope. 

And I also hope that it doesn’t make me too nervous to enjoy this stunning island!

So, have you got any hire car horror stories to share? Or any additional tips that you would add to my list? Hit reply to this email to let me know or connect via your social method of choice (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Threads or LinkedIn) to give me all the details.

This week, over on YouTube, I share my latest food tour offering. I believe food tours are a fantastic way to get to know more about the culture of a destination, as well as sampling some of the best and most traditional food and finding places to return later in the trip. In Singapore, we focussed on Chinatown and the Hawker Centres which are the perfect place to eat like a local. Some of the businesses also have Michelin Star approval. Click HERE to see the full tour for yourself, and don’t miss taking the opportunity next time you are in Singapore…or anywhere for that matter.

Until next time, 

Safe Travels

Sue x

This newsletter may contain affiliate links. By using these, Sue Where Why What may receive a small commission for which I say thank you, but you will not pay any extra charges for this. My opinions remain my own. which I say thank you, but you will not pay any extra charges for this. My opinions remain my own.

​More of my Adventures…

Solo Road Trip Essentials – Top Tips for Hitting the Road Alone

Blog – Top Tips for Driving in St Lucia

Video – Sampling Local Singapore Food: A Fantastic Hawker Centre Tour in Chinatown

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