Hire Car & Dvla

[nailit]

Heard something recently along the lines of if you want to hire a car, you have to have some kind of code from the DVLA to show the car hire firm, which they can then check to see if you have any driving convictions (or something like this).
Can anyone shed any light on this for me please as I might be hiring a vehicle in a few weeks for a family day out. Dont want to leave it to the last minute and find that I cant get a car.
(also dont understand why you just cant produce your liscense with endorsments showing unless its to do with new lisenses been card only)
Thank you.

[Hopkirk]

From Monday the 8th June the paper counterpart becomes obselete.

Here is the link you need to view your licence entitlements and endorsments, which you can share with a hire car company.

https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence

[Buenchico]

The paper part of a photo licence (i.e. the bit showing convictions & penalty points) is scrapped as from Monday.

If a hire company (or, for example, a potential employer) wants to know how many points you've got on your licence you need to follow the steps shown in the video below. (However many hire companies don't check the points on your licence anyway, so you might not need to bother with the procedure anyway):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn2A8E2xo1I

[nailit]

Thank you Hopkirk and Buenchico, very helpful.

Buenchico //However many hire companies don't check the points on your licence anyway// Are you sure of that? I used to work in the car hire business (many moons ago) and the first thing checked was points. Also the last time I hired a car I was asked (over the phone before I turned up to collect the car) if I had any points?

[Hopkirk]

Hopefully it is all going to run smoothly, but...

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/apr/25/dvla-driving-licence-paperless-car-hire

[Buenchico]

When this issue has been discussed before on AB it's generally been in reference to overseas car hire companies. Those posting on the relevant threads have indicated that they've never been required to show the paper counterpart of their licence when hiring a car abroad.

Here in the UK some car hire firms are far stricter than others. In the days when I didn't drive myself, a friend hired a van to help me to move house. He couldn't find his own licence so he simply borrowed his wife's and used that instead. The hire company never even looked at it! Later, when I'd started driving, my car broke down and the AA drove me to a car hire firm to pick up a courtesy car. I didn't have my driving licence with me but they were still happy to let me take the car.

[ummmm]

Chris...I hired a car without showing a license. I just gave the bloke my details and he phoned the DVLA to make sure I didn't have points.

[nailit]

Getting more confused now (must be early dementia or something).
So you only need a 'code' to hire abroad?
And why do you need a code when any car hire firm can just put your details in to the first link provided by Hopkirk? (driving license number, NI number and postcode)?

Buenchico, your ease in aquiring hire car vehicles baffles me. Where I live in sunny Stoke on Trent, car hire requires several forms of I.D and a compete check of license for points etc.

[Buenchico]

>>>So you only need a 'code' to hire abroad?

No. All of the publicity about the matter (generated by bodies such as the AA and published across the media) seems to relate to hiring cars abroad but the information in the video (which is from the official Gov.uk website) applies whenever anyone has a legitimate interest in checking how many points you've got on your licence, irrespective of whether that's an an overseas hire company, a UK hire company or a prospective employer. If you have to prove how many points you've got (or not got) on your licence, you'll still need to get a code.

>>>why do you need a code when any car hire firm can just put your details in to the first link provided by Hopkirk?

Because the Data Protection Act makes it an offence for anyone, other than the licence-holder, to use that link to obtain information.

>>>Buenchico, your ease in aquiring hire car vehicles baffles me

Simply get a mate to hire it for you!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3101081/Pictured-Driver-18-boasting-hits-142mph-night-killed-innocent-motorist-drove-high-powered-Audi-red-light.html

[nailit]

Thank you Buen, very helpful.
Think I'll pass on getting a mate to hire it for me ;-)

[SpikeyBush]

I hired a car through Enterprise when my own was shackled on a recent visit to the UK. My non-UK license does not indicate how many points I have (I currently have two unspent speeding offences) these are only visible if I hire a car at home and they check the RSA database. Enterprise couldn't care less but if I'd have tried hiring a car at home they may have inflated the cost upon seeing I tend to enjoy driving like I have sat on a wasp