There’s an increasing number of travellers, business men and families that opt for renting a car instead of having a car of their own. Whether they often travel long distances and prefer saving time flying there while having a car to explore the area at their ease, or their car is not good or big enough for a road trip or it is more expensive to drive their cars than hiring one, there are multiple reasons why visiting a car rental agency has become something more frequent.
Unless you are interested in hiring a limo or a vehicle with a chauffeur, car rental agencies generally offer very affordable fees, promotions and discounts to make it really tempting for anybody to go through the door and _ at least _ ask for more information. However, agents are expert salesmen that have been trained in talking customers into spending more money than what they’d initially planned.
However, this doesn’t mean that visiting a rental agency will cost you a fortune. If you know where the hidden costs are, it will be much easier for you to avoid them!
Do Your Research
As with any other important purchase, it is a great idea to do some market research to make sure that you rent a vehicle from the agency that offers the best rates at the moment. Look for special discounts on rentals for the kind of vehicle you are interested in or for longer periods. Perhaps they have a special fee for frequent clients or for first-time renters. Trying to get the best possible fee before you even say hello to the agent is a positive step forward.
Bring your Own Insurance to the Table
One of the aspects that can really blow up your budget is the car rental damage insurance policy. In some cases, the daily fee is much higher than the overall cost of the rental.
Savvy travelers know that they can’t have safe travel in a rental car without an insurance policy that specifically covers them against any damage or accident that they may suffer while driving. However, there are many options currently available in the market that are more affordable and that offer at least as much coverage as the collision waiver issued by rental agencies.
It’s an excellent idea to look into independent third parties that allow you to purchase primary and supplemental liability insurance (SLI) at competitive daily fees.
Bigger Is Not Always Better
You probably know what kind of car you want to hire. Its size and comfort will depend on how many passengers will be travelling, where you’re going, for how long and the kind of trip you’ll be doing.
However, don’t be surprised if the man or woman behind the desk tries to convince you into hiring a larger car, an automatic vehicle or to rent it for a longer period of time. Remember that they are experts in sweet talking to clients and they simply know what words to use to lead you into thinking that they are right and that they know better than you what you need.
If this happens, listen to them and ponder whether what they are offering is useful for you or not. For instance, for a long family road trip, spending more money on an RV rental may be a good idea instead of a large SUV. On the contrary, renting a vehicle for a fortnight when you’ll be only needing it for a week is really a silly idea.