Returned your rental car full but charged for fuel? What evidence to keep

Start with the fuel policy you actually booked

Open the signed rental agreement and find the fuel level recorded at collection, the required return level and any prepaid fuel or refuelling service you selected. For a full-to-full rental, check that the paperwork records a full tank at collection. If you bought a fuel option at the counter, check what it includes and how it appears on the invoice. The charge may relate to that option rather than a shortage at return.

At collection, compare the gauge with the paperwork while you are still at the branch. SIXT's guidance says a lower starting level should be recorded and an incorrect agreement corrected. Photograph any difference, ask the company to correct its record and keep the response. You want the agreed starting level in writing as well as in your own photo.

Keep the receipt and photograph the gauge at return

Save the final filling-station receipt with its date, time, location, fuel type and quantity visible. A bank transaction can help locate a purchase, but often lacks those details. Photograph a paper receipt before it fades, keeping the original too. Store this with your rental paperwork rather than relying on being able to retrieve it after travelling home.

Once safely parked at the return location, take a dashboard photograph with the fuel level readable. Include enough of the display to distinguish the gauge from the estimated driving range. Check for reflections or a steering wheel hiding the indicator. Take this photo at the branch even if you already took one at the petrol station, so you have a record of the level when you handed the car back.

• Signed agreement and any agreed fuel-level correction.
• Final fuel receipt with time, location and quantity.
• Readable fuel-gauge photograph at the return location.
• Return receipt and the invoice line you are querying.

Show the fuel purchase and the level at handover

Use the receipt and gauge photo together: one records the fuel purchase and the other shows the level displayed at handover. Neither gives an exact measurement of how many litres were in the tank when the company checked it. Note when you filled up, how far you drove afterwards and when you returned the car to help explain the sequence.

Make the fuel photo part of the same routine as your PickupLens condition check. Finish your return scan before handing over the keys, while you can still retake an unclear picture. PickupLens keeps collection and return evidence separate and preserves the original condition photos. Keep your dashboard photos and receipts too, even if you send cropped copies with your query.

Identify the fuel charge you want reviewed

Send the agreement number, invoice reference, disputed line and relevant files through the rental company's official support channel. Ask for the fuel readings used and an explanation of the amount, including any service fee. SIXT's fuel-dispute guidance specifically requests the last fuel receipt and, where available, a gauge photo and return inspection report.

A concise message is easier to assess: ‘I am querying the fuel charge on invoice [reference]. I refuelled at [location/time] and returned the car at [time]. Attached are the receipt, return gauge photo and return record. Please compare these with your recorded level and explain or correct the charge.’ Keep the reply with your evidence.

Keep the documents until the discrepancy is resolved

If the company corrects the bill, keep the amended invoice and check that the refund or adjustment reaches your account. If it stands by the charge, ask which recorded fuel level and agreement term support its decision. Keep that response with your documents if you need to take the query through the company's published complaints process.