Whether you’re on holiday and in need of a vehicle, planning a road trip in some far flung place, or just at home waiting for your car to be repaired, hire car companies can be a godsend. So many of us have come to depend on our vehicles so heavily to get us through our daily lives that when something goes wrong with our motor, or we are separated from it for any period of time, we find ourselves at a loss. This is where rent a car outlets come into their own.
My experiences with car rental companies while traveling have been almost entirely positive. Over the last 20 years in particular, rental companies have come to recognize the extent to which travelers often have to depend on having a reliable, affordable option available to them when looking for car hire and the vast majority of services are efficient, friendly and faultless.
However, before you take the plunge and part with your hard-earned dollar in exchange for a few days behind the wheel of some continental cruiser, take the following into consideration:
1. Could public transport be cheaper?
If you are planning to take a long drive across open country, renting a car might not be your cheapest or most efficient option. In sprawling countries like America, Russia and Australia, affordable services exist to take you from one side of the country to the other without setting foot on a plane. Greyhound buses and high speed train services are always worth checking out before you rent a car. These methods of travel can save you money and also save the earth a lot of fuel consumption and pollution.
2. Are you insured to drive abroad?
The rules about driving differ greatly from country to country, so always do some research online to find out if you’re going to be legally permitted to take out a hire car.
3. Do you need a permit?
Some countries require foreign drivers to obtain an International Driving Permit (IDP) before they can hit the road. This document basically translates your driving license into multiple languages, making you eligible to drive in various different countries.
4. Read the fine print
Beware of hidden costs when renting a car. While most rental services are very open and honest, some will try and sneak late penalties and hidden charges under your nose. Make sure you are clear about the terms of your hire, including date and time of return and stipulations about the condition of the car.
5. Keep your rental car safe
If you can’t guarantee the safety of your rental car, you might want to have a re-think. For example, if you’re staying in an area where car crime is rife, or if you’re planning a trip that could involve mixed terrain that could potentially damage the vehicle, you could be setting yourself up for a large damage charge from the car rental outlet. Off-road vehicle hire is available in many countries for more challenging trips.
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7 comments
Another good tip, especially for many people from America or Asia who are only used to driving an Automatic Transmission…this may be a very substantial add-on in Europe! Most rental car companies in Europe seem to stock a majority of manual transmission vehicles. If you cannot drive standard, you may have a very hefty mark-up to get an automatic vehicle…and you may show up to find there is no vehicle available!
That is a great tip! Thank you so much for sharing that. I drive standard & automatic so I never think of it but you are 100% right. That is something to take into consideration up front. Thanks 🙂 @Brett,
In regards to travelling long distances; I took a trip across Russia and onto Asia (amazing!). But I was tossing up between a car and train. I think you make a valid point about cost with fuel etc. I ended up going with the train option. I used these guys: http://www.trans-siberian.co.uk. I guess the upside with train over car in this case was I got to really relax and actually take it all in.
Oh yeah, that is a trip that I really want to take! As much as I love travel by car, I really love traveling by train and the Trans-Siberian has been at the top of my list for a really long time! 🙂@Lucy,
You should also shop around, Many rental agencies will offer lower rates, especially on weekends or week long rentals.
We rented a Ford Focus for 5 weeks in Sydney Australia and drove it to Darwin via Victoria, We could have done it cheaper by bus, but figured it would be hard to get to all the neat campsites and tourist attractions that is off the beaten track.
If you are planning on doing a one way trip in a rental you need to make sure there are no extra one way trip fees that you will get charged with… You can also negotiate with the rental agency to drive a vehicle back for them, so if they had a vehicle in Darwin and needed to get it back to Sydney you could score a great deal if you were willing to drive the other direction.
Another great tip! Thank you so much sharing that with us. 🙂@KobusLifeRemotely,
Insurance for driving is very important, both for car renters and for car rental companies. Perhaps this field of law is different in every country, but car rental companies traditionally would be willing to help their customers for it.
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