How to choose a rental car
How to choose a rental car: The type of rental car
Very often not renting a car is a problem but the return itself. Right here emerge the real trouble for many customers. Here are some tips on how to avoid them.
Often due to differences in brands and models, and also the level of equipment, it is also necessary to introduce them into sub-categories. You have to be extremely careful about this, because even a very small car can be quite expensive because of the too many extras with which it is equipped and its high market price.
Always consider the fact that you do not buy the car but use it only temporarily for a few days and its task is to take you from point A to point B without any problems. If you insist to have many additional extras and you cannot do without them, and you can afford it, then you can also look at the more expensive options in the category.
The rental car categories are usually sorted by the size of the car and the size of the luggage compartment. If you travel only two people with few luggage, you can use the economy options, which also have a lower fuel consumption.
If you care about comfort regardless the number of passengers and the amount of luggage, you can also look at the high segment of vehicles.
How to choose a rental car: The price for a rental car
When you have already defined the category of the rental car, it is good to look at the prices offered by different companies. Companies are also divided into several different segments. The most reputable but also the most expensive companies are usually franchise companies. They place big requirements on the subcontractors with which they work in the respective country, they introduce their quality criteria and often serve companies and private clients in different countries. This is quite good but it significantly increases the rental price of the car rental.
Everywhere in the world there are local companies and they usually also offer a good quality service. They can afford to offer more favorable conditions due to the fact that no one defines their rules apart from the market. They can also be more flexible in many other ways concerning the service and customer service in accordance with local conditions and requirements.
The next group of companies are those, that operate only in one place - a particular city - these are very small local companies that only serve local searches and relatively short-term rentals whether the purpose is tourism or a business trip.
The last companies are those that appear only for a very short period of time related mainly to tourism and work only during the tourist season, whether it is winter tourism or summer tourism. It is good to avoid to hire a car from these so-called companies if possible, because they have little experience in the sector, they do not have the necessary structure to be able to help and react in crisis situations, and the car fleet is just one that can be used for the relevant tourism.
Once you have determined the price range of the service you intend to use, you should carefully examine the supplier who offers you a rental car in order to be sure of his reputation and real potential. Never choose the cheapest rental car.
If you choose a very low and unrealistic price for your car, you need to be aware of the risks that this can bring: either you will fall into a fraud or the car will not meet the requirements or the year of production, or you will have to pay a lot for extra hidden charges, which are not announced in advance. In our practice, we have met customers who suffered quite a lot of this.
How to choose a rental car: Additional charges and service when hiring a car
You have determined your rental car, you have chosen the supplier and you trust him. Now you should carefully check several additional details like:
- Is there a limit on the daily mileage. If yes, how many are they?
You need to know at least the approximate traveling distance and whether it fits in the conditions of the chosen rental company. It often happens that everything is ok but we have missed the mileage limit. At the end of the rental agreement the price jumps to the ceiling, because of this small omission. There are companies that advertise that they don't apply limit of kilometers. Most serious companies have a limit of kilometers about 100-150 kilometers a day, but there are companies that allow car hire at a very low price, but you pay for every kilometer passed, no matter how short the distance is. Be very careful about this.
- What are the conditions for any delay or extension of the rental contract?
This issue is also very important because the different companies have their own conditions depending on the policy they follow, the number of cars they work with, the way and the method they use for bookings. Often happens the delay fee to be quite high and the extension of the rental contract to be rather complicated or impossible and to involve large fines. Do not underestimate the policy of returning, delaying and extending car rental.
How to choose a rental car: Car rental insurance
One of the most important issues in car hire is insurance. Different countries have a different insurance policy and for this reason you need to get familiar with the matter before hiring a car.
Each company has its own insurance policy and it is good to look carefully at what insurances are available for your rent. Insurances are usually two types - mandatory and additional. Usually all mandatory insurances are included in the price, but there is an exception from time to time.
To offer an extremely low rental price, this price often includes only rent and does not include anything else. Everything is paid extra and the rental price becomes same as with other car rental companies.
This is not a very common practice, but it still exists. Additional insurances are a variety of types, most often for theft and damage - the so-called casco. Some companies offer it included in the price, others do not. Many companies offer, for example, an additional car insurance such as tire and wheel insurance, windscreen insurance, reservation cancellation insurance, as separate elements of the insurance.
You should check your car rental policy carefully, so you will avoid being surprised from the fact that one or the other insurance is not included in the price you paid. You should not underestimate your insurance on your credit card if you have one, because it can get you out of a difficult situation.
Here the necessary condition is the service to be paid exactly with this card and not with another card. This insurance covers the cost of damage to the vehicle and often assistance for you and the vehicle. In this case you pay to the car rental company and they will provide documents and invoices for the incident so that your insurance company on your credit card can cover these costs within the specified deadlines.
How to choose a rental car: Car rental with driver
If you are worried about driving, you can rent a car with a driver. For this purpose, you need to see the terms and conditions of the car rental company, such as the daily charge for the use of a driver, the travel expenses of the driver, if any, if overnights are necessary, who's paying for it.
Once you are convinced that your conditions are satisfying, you can request the use of a driver from the company. In addition, you can rent a car with a driver if you need to travel one way from point A to point B. In this case, it may be better for you to rent the car in one city and return it to another city.
That is how we think is the best way to rent a car when it is needed, for whatever reason - tourism, business trip or other.