A leading consumer group has revealed that complaints from UK motorists, hiring vehicles in Europe has risen dramatically this year.

The UK European Consumer Centre (UKECC) who conducted the research believe that British holidaymakers need to be vigilant when hiring a car outside of the UK so as to not leave themselves open to potential extra charges which could be added on without their knowledge.

In the first 5 months of this year, the UKECC found a 30% increase in the number of complaints lodged from UK car hire customers in Europe compared to the same period in 2009. The countries where the most complaints were made included Italy, Spain, France and Ireland.

One of the biggest pitfalls is often in the wording of car hire contracts in the EU which can differ greatly from those in the UK. The consumer group is advising car hire customers to thoroughly read, and understand their contracts prior to signing up.

Other areas where car rental customers get stung with extra charges, which in turn causes complaints, arise as a result of not signing off their hire agreement properly, or not running through the hire return checklist thoroughly. By failing to do this, the customer is leaving themselves open to extra fees which the car hire company can add on after the customer has left.

In order to prevent more car hire customers getting caught out, the UKECC has created a leaflet where they can find plenty of advice and tips to ensure a problem free car hire experience in the EU this summer.