Hiring a car from a car rental company has many benefits. However,
as many people as there are using rental cars, the process of hiring is not
very transparent. It is important to make sure that you do the following things
before hiring a car.
When you want to use van rental services, it is important to
check for the nearest petrol station to your rental agency, to avoid being stranded
when returning the car. It is best to check for the petrol station when you are
taking the car as opposed to when you are returning it. This may save you a lot
of time, especially when you are not quite familiar with the location of the
agency.
You are also supposed to check with your insurer if your
auto insurance is inclusive of rental cars. You must have insured full coverage
for your auto insurance to include rental cars. It may be worth noting that
most insurance companies cover accidents from rental cars at a higher rate,
regardless of the difference in quality of your own car and the rental.
It is also important to check if
the rental agency imposes loss of use charges, and if your insurance company
will cover it. Loss of use is a new trend in the car rental market where the
agencies impose charges on a client to cover losses incurred when the car is
under maintenance. Most insurance companies do not cover loss of use, but many credit
card companies do.
Some car rental companies offer
very affordable or sometimes free upgrades to larger class cars, especially in
busy times when most of the lower priced cars have been taken. You should
consider these offers before passing. Sometimes it only requires a few extra
bucks to get a much-improved car.
You may also want to check on such
discounts as those from AAA or AARP so that you do not miss out in case a
brilliant deal emerges. You can find the latest news about these offers in
their websites. Make a point to check them out before you book any car.
Before you pick your car, remember
to do a thorough search both inside and outside of the car to see if there are
any peculiarities. Make sure there are no scratches, loose parts, or scuffs
before you take it. This may save you a lot of trouble in case the car has
undetected problems and you are held accountable. If necessary, you can take
photos of the car before you leave to make a comparison when you return it.
It is also advisable to check if
the rental agency allows for driving out of the country. You may have to
purchase insurance for the car from the rental agency when you are hiring it
because most insurance companies do not cover for international travels. On the
other hand, you can turn to credit card companies as most of these offer insurance
on several international destinations.