For some time, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) supported by the European Commission has been undertaking an enquiry on the practices of car hire firms operating within Europe with particular reference to their practices of pressured sales of insurance excess along with post hire damage charges.

Richard Lowden, the CEO and founder of Green Motion - the low CO2 car rental company - said, "I am very pleased with the outcome of the enquiry and the agreement by our counterparts including Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Sixt and Hertz to abide by this new set of regulations and protocols."

Lowden went on to say, "There is a lot of inconsistency within the industry with many customers expecting that the price they see published on price comparison sites (which can go as low as £4 per day) is the price that they will pay at the rental counter, in simple terms it is impossible for a rental company to make any money at these ridiculously low published rates and as such many of them have come up with different ways of pulling the revenue back at the counter including what I believe to be unfair policies and the sale of unnecessary insurances."

Lowden continued, "Green Motion is very keen to ensure that the customer receives value for money and is also very aware of what is expected in terms of the rental charges, our published prices always include standard insurance and honest and fair fuel pricing policies. All car rental companies, due to their insurance regulations, are able to charge an insurance excess covering an element of the charges if a vehicle suffers damage while out on hire. Customers have the opportunity to reduce this excess by taking out an excess waiver product at an additional amount per day." Lowden stressed that this is completely optional.

Lowden also said, "It is also important for customers to take responsibility for their hire vehicle and note that if the vehicle is damaged while in their custody they will be subject to paying the relevant excess agreed to cover the repair of the vehicle and its potential loss of use. It is important that customers fully inspect any hire vehicle before the commencement of the hire and ensure that if there is any damage present on the vehicle, this is recorded correctly on their car hire documentation to avoid any potential disputes when the vehicle is returned after the hire period is completed."

Green Motion are members of both the American Car Rental Association (ACRA) and the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) and abide by their respective code of conducts.

For further information on hiring with Green Motion, please visit greenmotion.com or call +44 333 888 4000.