Expert warns: 15 car rental traps that could destroy your holiday budget

As summer travel season approaches, travellers planning to rent a car should be extra vigilant, hidden surcharges and fine-print pitfalls could unexpectedly drain holiday savings. According to the European Travel Commission's spring-summer 2026 survey, 82% of Europeans plan to travel between April and September this year. Experts recommend carrying out several additional checks before taking the vehicle.

Summer travel season is in full swing and millions of Europeans are planning holidays, many of them involving car rental. According to the European Travel Commission's spring-summer 2026 survey, 82% of Europeans plan to travel between April and September.

A simple transaction that isn't actually simple

On the surface, car rental seems like a straightforward deal: you select a suitable vehicle, pay the bill and collect the keys. Reality is more complex. Many of the costliest mistakes happen before you even get the car, in rental agreement terms signed inattentively, poorly chosen insurance packages or overlooked surcharges.

Experts stress that now, when travellers are more price-conscious than ever and monitoring their budgets carefully, it's worth making a few extra checks in the world of car rental. A little caution can save significant sums.

What to definitely check

Among the most common pitfalls are hidden insurance packages automatically added to your cart, fuel-related rules whose violation carries unexpected fees, and extra driver and age surcharges that can significantly inflate your final bill. It's also worth paying attention to mileage limits and the precise terms of vehicle pickup and return.

Travel experts recommend always reading through the entire contract carefully before signing, comparing terms from different rental companies and checking whether your home car or travel insurance already covers some rental-related risks, in which case you can skip duplicate coverage and save money.