Self-drive hire quotes two figures. The day rate becomes the hire fee: day rate × nights, charged before keys. The deposit is a pre-authorisation on the card — a hold — equal to that car’s deposit. It is not a second payment, and it is not a separate insurance product at the counter.

The hold is the security for damage, fuel shortfall, PCNs, and late return. After the return inspection a founder either releases it or captures part or all of it with an itemised reason. Tracker alerts (speeding, geofence) go to the desk; they are not an automatic charge in themselves.

Fuel left short, parking or speeding tickets, coming back late, or a scratch that was not on the handover record. Those are settled against the hold after photos, not added quietly at collection. Motiv never stores a full card number.