Broker or rental company: who is responsible for your booking?

A rental company owns or leases the cars and hands you the keys. A broker — sometimes called a booking platform or intermediary — sells rentals supplied by other companies, often many of them. The distinction sounds academic until something goes wrong: a car is not available, a deposit is not released, or a damage charge arrives weeks later. Then it decides who is responsible.

How to tell which one you are booking with

• The same car from several companies. If a site shows a compact car from five different suppliers, it is a broker.
• A voucher rather than a rental agreement. Brokers issue a confirmation voucher; the rental agreement is signed at the desk. EconomyBookings says its voucher "is not the service agreement itself; it is your proof of reservation".^[1]
• A 'supplier' or 'provider' line on the offer. That is the company you will actually rent from.
• The terms say so. Hola's terms describe it as "solely a booking agent/intermediary"; DiscoverCars says it "does not operate a car vehicle fleet".^[2][3]

Who does what

Why brokers' legal models differ

Brokers do not all describe themselves the same way. Hola and EconomyBookings present themselves as intermediaries whose customers contract directly with the supplier.^[2][1] DiscoverCars says it sells a travel package "as a principal in its own name", even though the car comes from a supplier and you still sign that supplier's agreement at the desk.^[3]

The difference shows up in the details. DiscoverCars publishes a 90-day complaints window and a 28-day decision target for claims against it.^[3] Hola's terms say questions about vehicle condition or counter charges "should be addressed directly with the rental company" and generally limit Hola's liability to the fees paid to Hola.^[2]

One rule applies almost everywhere: cancel through whoever you booked with

If you booked through a broker, cancel through the broker. DiscoverCars says that if you cancel with the rental company instead, its refund policy does not apply; EconomyBookings says it "cannot guarantee any refund" in that case.^[3][1]

The same logic applies to changes made at the counter. Extensions, upgrades and extras you agree directly with the supplier fall outside the broker's booking. DiscoverCars and EconomyBookings both say such arrangements are the customer's own responsibility.^[3][1]

Where to go when something goes wrong

Is booking direct better?

Not automatically. Booking direct means one contract and one set of rules — the kind Sixt and Hertz publish for US rentals, covering age, cards, holds and, in Sixt's case, prepaid cancellation fees.^[4][5] Brokers can offer more choice, bundled cover and, in some cases, options such as deposit-free offers. The trade-off is an extra party between you and the car.

Whichever route you take, the useful comparison is the total cost of the rental you actually want — including the excess, the deposit, the fuel policy and what happens if you cancel — rather than the headline daily rate.

Frequently asked questions