Hiring a car can truly give you mobility and freedom while traveling and quite often it's the best way to move around. But it can be extremely annoying - from choosing best deal, working out which options you'll need and reading through small print regarding all hidden charges.
Decide on a car
You have to be careful when picking a car. Based on if you're traveling with kids or with lots of luggage, you'll want to hire a SUV or a big sedane. If you're looking for the best rate, you should hire smallest model available. Additionally , there are other factors like environmental friendliness, manual or automatic transmission and optional accessories for example GPS device or child seat.
Book your vehicle
If you're renting for under a week, you'll usually be better with big hire companies like Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Budget,... If you're renting for more than a week, it usually is better to book with local companies or auto dealers.
It is usually a smart idea to perform a thorough research. You can begin on the net by checking travel search engines (for example Expedia) to get an overall feeling about the rates you'll be considering. After that check out car rental companies' web sites and compare these to those found by travel search engines. Often it will be cheaper because companies usually offer exclusive discounts and offers right at their websites. You will also want to do a fast search on discount coupons and promotional codes to even lower rental price.
True cost
Finding true, final cost can often be very difficult or even impossible. That is because rental companies or search engines don't wish to reveal or simply don't have information about state and local taxes, insurance, extra driver fees, airport taxes, drop off charges,... The price you were shown during your search and the one you have to pay can therefore be completely different! The best option is to make a booking with a company/website that has "No Hidden Fees / Final Price" policy. Also be careful when booking because prices can change from minute to minute. If you do not book right away, you'll never be sure you'll get the same price when you come back later for booking.
Returing the car
Unless stated otherwise, car hire companies expect that you return the car in condition it was when you picked it up at arrival. That means full tank and no damage at all. Always load the tank your self prior to returing. In case they do it for you, you will usually pay far more for same amount of gas compared to at gas station.
Return car on time. If you are late, several companies will charge you extra. In some cases you might have to pay more if you return the car ahead of time (yes, it sounds ridiculous but early return fee is often charged)!
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