VAN HIRE IN BERKSHIRE

In the event of a breakdown or any requirement for roadside assistance please refer to the breakdown number located on the top right side of your rental agreement.

In the event that this is not to hand please use the following roadside assistance numbers as necessary.  
Please inform us of any breakdowns as soon as possible on 0118 986 1914 during office hours.
Updated 12/07/24

FORD  - 0800 111 234
MERCEDES – TRUCKS (incl. MITSUBISHI CANTER)  - 008 00577 77777 
MERCEDES – VANS  - 00800 3777 7777 
MERCEDES – CARS  - 00800 1777 7777
IVECO – TRUCKS - 0800 400626
RENAULT  - 0800 085 8005
VOLKSWAGEN  - 0800 777 172
MAN  - 0800 028 7728
TOYOTA  - 0800 246 824
CITROEN  - 0800 197 2046
MAXUS  - 0333 0702 637 (RAC)
PEUGEOT  - 0800 197 2045
VAUXHALL  - 0800 55 33 88
JAGUAR  - 0800 246 844
KIA  - 0333 202 1827
HYUNDAI - 0800 980 273

If you do not have your rental agreement to hand for the correct breakdown number and are unable to arrange a breakdown or callout (out of hours) with the above numbers, please try:

RUN YOUR FLEET  - 0800 107 5867

Every driver must present a valid driving licence that they have held for a minimum of TWO years. Expired or provisional licences will not be accepted. We also need to check whether you have any endorsements or penalty points on your licence. This will not necessarily affect your ability to rent a vehicle with us. If you have any points or have had any serious endorsements in the last five years then it is recommended that you call our office we may need to get a clearance on you your endorsement from our insurance company.

Additional drivers can be added at a cost of £8.00 per day + VAT per additional driver.

Your mileage allowance will be shown on the bottom right of your rental agreement or on your booking confirmation (if you booked online). Any excess miles over your allowance will be charged at 15p per mile + VAT. Mileage terms and conditions for account customers will differ.

As per our terms and conditions we do not offer refunds on pre paid bookings. However, where more than 48 hours notice has been given a full refund may be applied at our discretion.

Yes, depending on when you passed your driving test. If you passed your test before 01/01/1997 and have category C1, you can drive 7.5t vehicles. If you passed after 01/01/1997 then the largest you can drive is a 3.5t. Please note if you do not have previous experience driving a 7.5t vehicle then the hire will be declined even if you have entitlement to drive.

You must be minimum 25 years of age and under 80. Drivers aged between 70 and 79 must ring us to get clearance.

All truck rentals for business use MUST have a valid operator’s licence. For personal use there is no need for an operator’s license. r.

Prices quoted are inclusive of VAT, insurance, breakdown cover and between 100 to 300 miles allowance per day (depending on the length of hire).

Unfortunately, we do not have a key drop box and our premises is gated and locked after opening hours. Please return vehicles during opening hours only as the vehicle must also be checked in on return.

A typical hire day is a 24hr period from 8am Monday to Friday (subject to availability) or as agreed and noted on your rental agreement. The vehicle can be collected the evening before the rental subject to availability. On the weekends we do a two day minimum hire which starts either Friday 4:30pm or Saturday morning 8am and runs to Monday morning 8am (with option to return Sunday 3pm to 5pm).

Yes, we permit our vehicles to travel into most EU countries. Additional relevant charges will apply, please call our office for details and to confirm that the countries you will be travelling through and to will be covered.

No.

Yes, depending on availability- however there is a charge for this service. Please speak to our office for availability and charge. *** Please note this service is reserved for business account customers only. r.

We charge a security deposit on all our vehicles. This will be between £300 and £1500 depending on the circumstances. This will be refunded back to you when you return the vehicle subject to any damage that you may incur.

We accept telephone or online bookings made through our website. When calling please ensure you have your driving license and vehicle requirement details to hand. Please also note that we will need to take card details in order to take the rental payment to confirm your booking.

Driving License photocard, DVLA code and summary (for UK and Northern Ireland licence holders), TWO proofs of home address that match the licence address (in addition to the licence) which are also required to be dated within 3 months from the date of collection; and the same debit or credit card (not AMEX) in your own name that was used for the rental payment to pay for the deposit on collection. Non-UK licence holders must ring us to confirm additional requirements – usually non UK licence holders will be required to also bring their current valid passports but may also be required to have an international driving permit and additional proofs of address. Please note that your proofs of address MUST bein line with the Gov.UK Proof of identity checklist - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) – specifically under the “Proof of identity checklist for individuals: proof of address” – please note we require TWO in addition to your photocard licence and these must be dated in the last 3 months prior to date of hire. Please also note the proofs must be either paper originals (received through the post) or original PDF shown on your phone (i.e. banking statement/ utility bill etc). For customers hiring under a company name please refer to the section “Proof of identity checklist for companies and other legal structures” (again TWO proofs are required dated in the last 3 months before date of hire) and also ring us to confirm what else may be required.

Excess (the amount you will be liable to pay per claim if the vehicle is damaged during the hire) is a standard £750 for most cars and most vans. Our executive cars, pickups, extra-long wheel base panel vans, minibuses and 3.5 ton box vans and dropsides have a standard excess of £1000 and all our 7.5 ton trucks have a standard excess of £1500. The excess can be reduced dependent on your licence type, experience and any points and endorsements you have (subject to office approval). Please note the excess does not cover any overhead roof damage or windscreen damage and you will be fully liable for any damage to the roof or windscreen. For couriers, young/ less experienced drivers, drivers with more than 6 points and drivers with recent accident history the excess will differ and you will need to call our office to confirm that we can get clearance for you on our insurance. Please also note the excess for non-UK licence holders will also differ. You will need to ring us with your licence details (i.e. country of issue etc.) so that we can advise the excess for foreign licence holders.

No, we cannot offer zero excess but taking out collision damage waiver insurance to reduce the excess liability can reduce your insurance excess to £350 for most cars and most vans, £500 for 3.5-ton box vans and dropsides, pickups, minibuses and extra-long wheelbase vans and £750 for 7.5-ton trucks and executive cars. Collision damage waiver can only be offered to UK licence holders who are over 25 with no points or endorsements and no accident history in the last 3 years. Please ask the hire operator for more details.

We have limited parking availability on site. Any customers wishing to leave their vehicle on site must have this agreed in writing before collecting the vehicle. Please also note that we DO charge for parking on site. All vehicles are left on site at your own risk and we will accept NO liability for damage, loss or theft of your car and contents. As an alternative, there are many roads nearby our office where there are no parking restrictions.

Please note all vehicles are to be collected and returned to 587, Basingstoke Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 0TA. Collections and returns are strictly during our opening hours only.

Yes. Fuel must be returned at the same level at which it was given. We encourage our customers to re-fuel our rental vehicles to cover the fuel used before return. Hirers who return vehicles with less fuel will be charged accordingly. Please note we do offer refunds for excess fuel.

Vehicles should be returned at the same fuel level that it was collected at. The fuel level will be found on the check sheet given to you when you come and collect the vehicle

If the vehicle is returned with less fuel than when it was collected we will charge for the cost of the difference according to local fuel rates.

Unfortunately, we do not offer fuel refunds for vehicles returned with more fuel.

Yes, however we are unable to accept Amex cards.

Unfortunately, we no longer accept cash for rentals or deposits.

Yes you can, however they may have height and time restrictions in place which you will need to check yourself.

If you are involved in an accident, please notify us as soon as possible ideally by phone first (emails if out of hours). You must take photos at the time and on site at the accident location and you must take full details (policy number, name, address, number, vehicle reg etc) of any third parties involved.

If the vehicle is returned to us with damage, we will hold your deposit and any additional amounts necessary to make up the excess amount. We will then require you in most cases to fill out an accident claim report sheet. Where there is no third party involved, we will get an estimate as soon as possible for the repairs to our vehicle and if this is less than the excess amount, we will then refund you back the difference. If a third party is involved, we will need either the insurer to confirm that you are not liable or for the third party to confirm liability in writing before we release your excess. If the incident is deemed to be your fault or 50/50, then the excess applies. Please note roof and windscreen damage are not covered by the excess and the customer remains fully liable for this. Where damage is caused by negligence or dangerous driving or if false details are given on accident claim reports or if the customer fails to notify us in time then the excess will be invalidated and the full amount of the damage to our vehicle plus any claims from third parties will become due in full from the customer.

At Berkshire Van Hire our customer service is important to us.  If you would like to discuss anything regarding your hire experience with us please contact our Reading office directly on: 0118 986 1914 or alternatively you can email the hire department at sales@berkshirevanhire.co.uk or send a letter to our office at 587 Basingstoke Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 0TA.  We aim to resolve all complaints as quickly as possible.
If you are not satisfied with the final outcome of our complaints procedure you may contact the Financial Ombudsman at: http:www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/contact/https://berkshirevanhire.co.uk, or Trading Standards for non-financial complaints.
  Alternatively, you may wish to contact the BVRLA Conciliation Service which is an approved dispute resolution service.  Details can be found at https://www.bvrla.co.uk/  or you can contact the concillation service via email at complaint@bvrla.co.uk .