It could not hold a car for you in case your driving licence never arrived. National says, as a gesture of goodwill, you can have an upgrade voucher entitling you to a higher group car next time you rent. The DVLA says some hire firms abroad will accept copies of licences faxed from Britain, which the agency is prepared to do in an emergency. Then you must decide exactly how long you want to borrow for. If you are not sure, arrange a 12-month loan that has no penalties for repaying early.
Most banks charge one or two months' extra interest for early repayment.
NatWest appears to have the most flexible loan, its Tailored loan, which you can choose to repay weekly, monthly, quarterly, half-yearly or annually. So you need pay nothing until the end of six months or you can opt to pay interest each month and the capital at the end. You must specify the length of the loan but there are no penalties for early repayment. The interest depends on how NatWest rates your risk, starting at 10 per cent with loadings between 1 per cent and 6 per cent. There is a 2 per cent arrangement fee.