# Which evidence do you need to dispute a rental car damage claim?

> Your strongest evidence is dated photos and video from pick-up and return, the signed pick-up and return forms, your contract and your payment records. Put them in date order and refer to them in a short written objection. Then ask the company for its own evidence: inspection photos, the inspection time, the repair invoice and a breakdown of fees.

Updated: 2026-10-22 · Source: https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/dispute/evidence-to-dispute-damage-claim

An objection is only as strong as the file behind it. A two-paragraph letter with the right three photos often works better than a long story. ==The goal is simple: show what the car looked like when you took it and when you gave it back, and ask the company to show the rest.==

## Two sides of the evidence

| Your evidence | The company's evidence |
|---|---|
| Your photos and video from pick-up and return | Its inspection photos at return |
| The pick-up report you signed | The inspection report and the time it was made |
| The return form, if signed | Whether the car was rented again before inspection |
| Your contract and booking | The repair invoice or estimate |
| Fuel and toll receipts | The basis for each fee |
| Card statements and emails | Its correspondence with you |

You collect the left column. You ask for the right column. ECC-Net advises asking the company for an explanation and evidence of any damage, such as a repair certificate or invoice. Konsumentverket says you can request photos, records and receipts for the repair costs.

## 1. Your photos and video

This is usually the strongest piece. The Czech ECC advises photographing the car from all sides, including details, the interior and the fuel or battery level, and keeping the photos with their metadata, such as time and place. It described a consumer who disputed a claim with five dated, geotagged photos from pick-up that showed the same scratches the company later claimed.

What makes a photo strong:

- the original file with date, time and location;
- a clear view of the panel in the claim;
- a wide shot that places the car at the rental location.

Our articles on [photos at pick-up](https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/pick-up/photos-at-pick-up) and [photos at return](https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/return/photos-when-returning-rental-car) give a fixed shot list. The [evidence mode](https://scratchfair.com/en/evidence-mode) keeps them in one place.

## 2. The forms you signed

The pick-up report shows which damage was already recorded. The return form, if a staff member signed it, shows the condition at hand-back. ECC-Net advises keeping the signed acceptance form whether or not damage was found. If the damage in the claim is on the pick-up report, that alone can settle the dispute. Read [what to check on the vehicle condition report](https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/pick-up/check-vehicle-condition-report).

## 3. Contract, booking and payments

The ECC Nederland template letter lists the attachments: a copy of the rental contract, proof of return or the invoice, and earlier correspondence. Add:

- your booking confirmation and the voucher from a booking site, if you used one;
- the rental terms that were valid when you booked;
- card or bank statements showing the deposit and any charges;
- fuel and toll receipts with times close to your return.

## 4. A short timeline

Write a timeline of five to ten lines: pick-up date and time, anything that happened during the trip, return date and time, when you received the claim, when you objected. The [deadline calculator](https://scratchfair.com/en/tools/deadlines) helps you add the dates that matter for chargebacks.

> [!TIP]
> Name your files by date and content, for example "2026-07-14 return rear left.jpg". Whoever reads your file, the company, the ECC or your bank, finds the key image in seconds.

## 5. What to ask the company for

The German ECC advises complaining promptly in writing, for example to the company's head office, and asking for evidence of the damage and a breakdown of the costs. In practice, ask for:

- photos of the damage at return, with date and time;
- the inspection report, who made it and when;
- whether the car was rented to someone else before the inspection;
- the repair invoice, or the estimate and who prepared it;
- a breakdown of every fee and the clause that allows it.

You can also make a data access request under the GDPR. Read [how to request your data from a rental company](https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/dispute/gdpr-access-request-rental-company).

> [!WARNING]
> Do not send original documents by post. Send copies or scans, and keep the originals until the dispute is closed.

## 6. Put it together in your objection

Your letter refers to the evidence, it does not repeat it. For example: "My photo of 14 July at 09:12 (attached, file 3) shows the rear left door without damage." Our guide on [how to dispute a damage claim](https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/dispute/how-to-dispute-a-damage-claim) gives the structure, and the [letter templates](https://scratchfair.com/en/tools/letter-templates) give you a starting text.

## Who has to prove what

The company claims, so it has to show that the damage happened during your rental and what it costs. Konsumentverket states that the burden of proof rests with the hire company. Read [who has to prove rental car damage](https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/rules/who-has-to-prove-rental-car-damage) for how that works in practice.

## Keep the file

Keep everything until the dispute is closed and your card statements are clear. If you go to the European Consumer Centre, your bank or the ECRCS, they will ask for the same file. See [how an ECC complaint works](https://scratchfair.com/en/knowledge/ecc-and-disputes/ecc-complaint-car-rental).

## FAQ

**I have no photos at all. Is there any point in objecting?**

Yes. You can still ask the company for its evidence, and a claim without photos, an inspection time or an invoice is weak. Your contract, the return form and your card statement also count. Object in writing and ask for the documents.

**Should I send all my photos?**

Send the ones that matter: the panel in the claim at pick-up and at return, the dashboard and a wide shot that shows place and time. Keep the full set in reserve. Too many files can bury the key image.

**Can witness statements help?**

A short signed statement from a travel companion can support your account, for example about when and where you returned the car. It is weaker than photos, but it can fill a gap.

## Sources

- [ECC Czech Republic: Holiday with a rental car, get ready before you turn the key](https://evropskyspotrebitel.gov.cz/articles/holiday-with-a-rental-car-get-ready-before-you-turn-the-key/)
- [ECC Nederland: Template letter, unjustified invoice from a car rental company](https://www.eccnederland.nl/en/template-letters/unjustified-invoice-car-rental-company)
- [ECC-Net: Car rental, your rights](https://www.eccnet.eu/consumer-rights/what-are-my-consumer-rights/travel-and-passenger-rights/road-travel-rights/car)
- [Konsumentverket: Problems with your rental car](https://www.konsumentverket.se/en/articles/problems-with-your-rental-car/)
- [ECC Germany: Rental cars on holiday, press release (German)](https://www.evz.de/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/mietwagen-urlaub/)