Terms & conditions

1. About these terms

These terms and conditions ("Terms") are a legal agreement between you ("you", "the hirer", "the driver") and Waylaid Mobility Ltd, trading as "Waylaid" ("we", "us", "our"). Waylaid Mobility Ltd is a company registered in England & Wales under company number 12876543, with its registered office at 14 Kingsway, Holborn, London WC2B 6LH. Our VAT number is GB 384 7261 02 and we are a member of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) under member number 9912.

By making a booking, confirming a quote, or collecting a vehicle from us, you accept these Terms together with your booking confirmation and the rental agreement you sign at pickup. If any of those documents conflict, the rental agreement you sign at the desk takes priority, then your booking confirmation, then these Terms. We may update these Terms from time to time; the version that applies to your hire is the one in force on the date you booked.

2. Definitions

A few words are used throughout these Terms with a specific meaning:

• Booking — a confirmed reservation for a one-way hire, evidenced by a booking confirmation we send you by email.
• One-way hire — a hire where you collect the vehicle at a London pickup hub and return it to a different agreed location, namely one of the six London airports we serve.
• Pickup hub — one of our ten London collection points: Holborn (Head Office), King's Cross / St Pancras, Shoreditch, Canary Wharf, Victoria, Stratford, Hammersmith, Battersea, Croydon or Wembley.
• Airport / drop-off — one of Heathrow (LHR), Gatwick (LGW), Stansted (STN), Luton (LTN), London City (LCY) or Southend (SEN).
• Hire period — the time from the agreed collection time to the agreed drop-off time stated on your rental agreement.
• CDW — collision damage waiver, the cover included in your hire that limits your liability for accidental damage to the vehicle, subject to the excess.
• Excess — the maximum amount you may have to pay towards damage or theft, which you can reduce with an optional excess-reduction product.

3. Booking & confirmation

You can book a one-way hire on our website at booking.html, by phone on +44 20 3984 2200, or by email to bookings@Waylaidcarhire.co.uk. A quote is an indication of price; a booking only exists once we have sent you a booking confirmation. Please check your confirmation carefully and tell us straight away if anything is wrong.

When you book you must give accurate details, including the correct pickup hub, drop-off airport, collection date and time, the vehicle class and the name of the person who will drive. Vehicles are booked by class (for example "Hatchback — Ford Focus or similar"), not by exact make or model. We will always provide a vehicle of the class you booked or, if that is unavailable, one of an equivalent or higher class at no extra cost.

4. Pricing & the one-way model

Waylaid specialises in one direction of travel: from across London into London's airports, which is the direction our fleet already needs to move. Because the paying customer repositions the vehicle for us, we avoid the costly "deadhead" repositioning that conventional rental firms pay drivers to do — and we pass that saving back to you. In plain terms: you drive the route our fleet already needs to go, so we skip the cost rivals charge you for.

The practical result is simple and central to these Terms: we charge no one-way fee — ever. Where a conventional firm might add a £50–£150 one-way surcharge on top of the hire, with Waylaid that surcharge is £0. The "from" price quoted for your hire is the all-in price for a one-way journey and includes insurance (CDW + theft), unlimited mileage on the one-way leg, and the drop at the airport. Prices shown on our website are indicative "from" prices for the relevant class and route; your confirmed price is the one stated on your booking confirmation. All prices include VAT where applicable.

5. Payment & deposit

We accept major debit and credit cards. The card used to pay must normally be in the name of the main driver and that driver must be present at collection with the physical card. No payment is taken when you submit a booking request; the price is set out in your booking confirmation and is taken on confirmation or at collection as stated there. A refundable security deposit is held against that card at collection to cover the insurance excess and fuel, and released after the vehicle is returned. Business-account customers may instead be invoiced under agreed credit terms.

At collection we place a refundable security deposit as a pre-authorisation (hold) on your card. The deposit covers your insurance excess and any charges that may arise during the hire, such as fuel, tolls or fines. The amount depends on the vehicle class and is shown before you confirm. We release the deposit after the vehicle is returned and checked, typically within a few working days, less any sums properly owed under these Terms. Card-issuer processing times for releasing a hold are outside our control.

6. Cancellation & amendments

You can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before your scheduled pickup time for a full refund of what you paid. Cancellations made within 24 hours of pickup, and "no-shows" where you do not collect the vehicle, are non-refundable, because the car has been held and repositioned for your journey.

You can amend a booking — for example to change the pickup hub, airport, time or vehicle class — at any time up to pickup, subject to availability. If your new choice costs more, you pay the difference; if it costs less, we refund the difference. Manage your booking online via booking.html or contact us on +44 20 3984 2200 or bookings@Waylaidcarhire.co.uk. We may cancel a booking in the rare event of vehicle unavailability or for the reasons set out in clause 7; if we do, we will offer an equivalent vehicle or a full refund.

7. The vehicle & your responsibilities

We provide a clean, roadworthy, fully insured vehicle of the class you booked, taxed and with a valid MOT where required. When you take the car you should check it with our staff and note any existing damage on the rental agreement before you drive off.

During the hire you agree to:

• Drive the vehicle carefully, lawfully and within the Highway Code, and keep it locked and secure.
• Allow only the named insured driver(s) to drive it.
• Not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or use a handheld phone at the wheel.
• Not use the vehicle for hire or reward, racing, towing, off-road driving, or to carry more passengers than seatbelts.
• Not take the vehicle outside Great Britain without our prior written permission.
• Not smoke or vape in the vehicle (a cleaning charge applies otherwise).

If you breach these responsibilities, you may invalidate your insurance cover and become liable for the full cost of any damage, loss or third-party claim. We may end the hire and recover the vehicle if it is being used unlawfully or dangerously.

8. Driver requirements

Every person who will drive must be named on the booking and meet our minimum requirements. By default:

• You must be aged 21 or over to hire most classes.
• You must be aged 25 or over to hire our Premium and Van classes.
• You must hold a full, valid driving licence that has been held for at least 12 months.
• Your licence must be valid for the category of vehicle and broadly clean; serious endorsements or recent disqualifications may mean we cannot insure you.

You must present your licence at collection. For UK photocard licences, please bring a current DVLA check code so we can verify your driving record. For licences issued outside the UK, additional identification may be required. We are named-driver friendly — simply add any additional driver to the booking before pickup so they are covered by the insurance.

9. Pick-up & drop-off

You collect your vehicle at the London pickup hub you selected and return it to your chosen airport. Our airport desks are staffed from 5am to 11pm; please choose a collection and drop-off time within those hours. Allow enough time before your flight for the return — typically 30 minutes is plenty to drop the car, complete the check and walk to the terminal.

Return the vehicle on time, to the agreed airport, in the same condition as collected (fair wear and tear excepted), and with the agreed fuel or charge level. If you need to return the car late, contact us as early as you can; late returns may incur an additional day's hire. Returning the vehicle to a location other than the agreed airport without our agreement may incur a recovery charge.

10. Insurance, excess & damage

Every Waylaid hire includes collision damage waiver (CDW) and theft protection as standard. This limits the amount you would pay if the vehicle is damaged or stolen to the excess shown on your rental agreement, provided the loss is not caused by a breach of these Terms. You can reduce the excess by adding our optional excess-reduction product when you book or at the desk.

You remain responsible up to the excess for accidental damage, and for the full cost of any loss that the insurance does not cover — for example damage caused by using the wrong fuel, driving under the influence, an unauthorised driver, or driving outside the terms of cover. In the event of any accident, theft or damage you must not admit fault, must take the other party's details, and must report it to us as soon as possible and to the police where required. Our 24/7 roadside assistance is there to help — see contact.html for details, and our insurance & cover FAQs for what is and is not included.

11. Fuel & charging

Vehicles are supplied with a set level of fuel, or charge for electric vehicles, and should be returned at the same level. If you return a petrol or diesel vehicle with less fuel than at collection, we will charge for the missing fuel plus a reasonable refuelling service charge, which we tell you in advance. For electric vehicles, please return the car with a comparable state of charge; a recharging charge applies if it is returned significantly lower. Always use the correct fuel — mis-fuelling is not covered by your insurance and you will be responsible for the resulting costs.

12. Our liability

We will provide our services with reasonable care and skill. We are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of us breaking these Terms or failing to use reasonable care and skill, but we are not responsible for any loss or damage that is not foreseeable, or for indirect or consequential loss such as missed flights, missed connections, lost earnings or alternative travel costs, except where these arise directly from our negligence.

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for anything else that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded. Your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 are not affected. We are not liable for failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control (for example severe weather, industrial action, or airport disruption), though we will always try to offer a reasonable alternative or refund.

13. Fines, tolls & charges

You are responsible for all road-traffic and parking fines, penalty charge notices, congestion charges, clean-air or ultra-low-emission zone charges, toll charges and similar costs incurred during your hire period. Where an authority contacts us as the registered keeper, we will pay the charge if required and recover it from you, together with a reasonable administration fee that we disclose in advance, and we may pass your details to the relevant authority as the law requires. Please settle any congestion or toll charges yourself during the hire wherever possible to avoid an administration fee.

14. Complaints

We want every hire to go smoothly, but if something falls short we want to put it right. Please raise any complaint with us as soon as you can so we can investigate while everything is fresh. You can reach our customer-experience team through our complaints page, by emailing support@Waylaidcarhire.co.uk, or by calling +44 20 3984 2200. As a BVRLA member, if we cannot resolve your complaint to your satisfaction you may be able to refer it to the BVRLA's independent conciliation service.

15. Data protection

We handle your personal data in line with UK data-protection law, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. We use your information to take and manage your booking, provide the vehicle, meet our legal obligations, and keep you informed. Full details of what we collect, why, how long we keep it and your rights are set out in our Privacy & cookies notice.

16. Governing law

These Terms, your booking and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them (including non-contractual disputes) are governed by the law of England & Wales, and the courts of England & Wales will have non-exclusive jurisdiction. If you live in another part of the UK, you may also bring proceedings in your local courts.

These Terms are operated by Waylaid Mobility Ltd, registered in England & Wales no. 12876543, registered office 14 Kingsway, Holborn, London WC2B 6LH.