It’s very convenient when at the airport, in any part of the world, your personal car is waiting for you, isn’t it? To make it real, you just need to rent a car in another country. This article will show how to do it quickly, safely and without any problems.
Why do people rent a car when travelling?
Car rental services are very popular for tourists because it’s great when you are independent of the group or the public transport schedule and visit only those places that are interesting for you.
While travelling, people can often try something that is difficult and even impossible to own in real life. For example, live in a luxury hotel, ride a buggy or rent a Rolls Royce Dawn. For someone, this is a good opportunity to test drive their dream car before buying.
In addition, it’s difficult to imagine a successful businessman who comes to a business meeting in another country by public transport or by a dirty taxi.
Where to begin?
First, it’s better to choose a company that provides such services. Car hire desks can be found at the airport – this option is the most convenient, but also the most expensive. If you want to save money, book your car online in advance. This will give you the opportunity to get the car you want at a better price.
It’s quite easy to book any car online. Here is a step by step instruction:
- Find offers from car rental companies;
- Compare the conditions of different companies;
- Carefully study the reviews about the company on the Internet;
- Fill out an online application for car rental on the website of the selected company.
The cost of renting at the airport and the city office is different. To make the rental cost even cheaper, try picking up your rental car out of town location or city centre location. Car rental companies often charge less for those who choose this option.
Generally, the cost of car rental depends on:
- Class and model of a car;
- Car equipment;
- Lease term;
- Driving in a city, country or abroad;
- Insurance policy type.
It’s also worth considering where you will return the car at the end of the trip – for this, companies offer a list of drop off locations. You need to decide in advance and choose one of them.
What else can affect the price of car rental abroad?
The renter’s age is less than 25 years, and his driving experience doesn’t exceed 5 years. In this case, the company manager may ask for an additional fee.
Car equipment. Moreover, the presence of a GPS navigator, air conditioner or other obvious equipment is indicated in the contract, but, for example, a trunk on the car’s roof may become a reason to demand additional payment from the client.
The mileage limit has been exceeded, the geography of trips has been independently changed, the body is dirty or scratched, and so on – all this allows the car rental company to take an additional fee.
Tips on how to avoid problems when you’re renting a car
It”s necessary to pay close attention to the peculiarities of insurance of your own civil liability and deductible, which is a significant disadvantage for customers. The fact is that the insurance company is ready to pay all expenses, except for the above pledge amount upon the occurrence of an insured event.
It’s necessary to write down all the problematic aspects of the body and equipment (scratches and chips, bruises and cracks on the glass parts of the car, the absence of wheel caps and car mats in the cabin) in the appropriate blank.
The level of fuel in the tank should be recorded since the rental options provide for the return of the car with the same fuel level or pay a surcharge for it according to the price list of the car rental company. Usually, the cost of gasoline in the company’s price list is much higher than the cost of fuel at filling stations.
Most companies can block a deposit for car rental on the customer’s bank card. The client of the company can specify when the company can use this money, as well as the conditions and term for unblocking.
In most countries, owners of insured cars in case of minor accidents can record it without the police. But this law will not apply to rented cars. It’s necessary to photograph the consequences of the accident with a camera or a cell phone camera and be sure to report an emergency to the car rental office.
When the lease term ends, the customer has the right to demand a signature from the company’s employee on the documentation, which can confirm that the car was handed over without damage.
It’s imperative to save the documentation that was issued during the registration of the car rental, approximately 30 days after the end of the rental.
Some requirements vary from country to country, so please check this in advance, but the above rules apply when renting a car in any country in the world.
