For beginners, renting a car is not easy. Aside from the expenses, you need to take into account a lot of details before signing the rental agreement. For instance, you have to think about rental fees, gas charges, insurance, and rules and restrictions. Let’s talk about the common do’s and don’ts of renting a car.
Compare Rates
Travel/rental agencies have websites that allow you to compare rates. However, make sure you know that a “deal” is truly the best deal. At times, total expenses quickly go up if you add all the fees and taxes.
If you ask for a discount, you may save up to 20{27e8b423779a20fcbf3b0e5b78622daa9462ccff634cf59ab338bb6c41129d17}. Apart from this, avoiding extras and booking compacts can also help you save plenty of money. To avoid these fees, it’s better that you collect your vehicle at any location but the airport. Also, you should be aware of the gas fill-up packages. If you do some math, you can decide whether you should fill up yourself or not.
Book Early
If you book early, you can enjoy some flexibility in terms of pricing. For instance, if you have a long lead time, you can choose from a variety of cars and enjoy better rates. Also, when you get back from your tour to return the car, don’t be late. If you get even a few hours late, you may have pay for a full day.
Although it may sound obvious, you need to decide if you really need to book a car. If your plan is to explore the city streets or spend your vacation on a beach, you may not want to book a rental car. Instead, you should rent just for a day and use public cabs for the rest of time.
Don’t buy Additional Insurance
Chances are that your existing insurance policy also provides coverage for a rental car. However, you should contact your insurance agency for confirmation. If needed, you can purchase supplemental insurance. Make sure you have at least the collision-and-damage waiver policy. Also, some credit cards provide CDW provided they are used to pay to car rentals.
Beware of Restrictions
You need to consider the restrictions as well. Most US agencies have no problem if you choose to drive around or cross into Canada, for instance. However, you may have to face some insurance issues or other restrictions. Therefore, you need to do your research before you drive into restricted areas.
Check the Car for Damage
You must check the car from all angles to make sure it doesn’t have any dents, scrapes or dings. It’s a great idea to take pictures of the vehicle from all angles. If you notice any dent or dings, show it to the rental agent.
If you notice extensive damage, request another vehicle. It’s not a good idea to take a car without checking it. After all, you don’t want to end up paying for dents you didn’t cause.
In short, these are some do’s and don’ts that you need to take into account before renting a car. Hope this will help.
