How To Avoid Car Rental Rip Offs
Traditional car rental companies don’t always disclose all of the costs when you are booking a car online. There are often mandatory fees or extra charges for insurance which can double the price you expected to pay based.
The savvy car hirer needs to avoid the following traps:
Insurance
Read the terms and conditions very carefully; look closely at the excess or damage liability. This is the amount you will have to pay if you have an accident that is your fault. Some traditional car rental companies will leave you with the first $5000 to pay out of your own pocket. Buying additional insurance from the rental company to cover this gap can double your daily car hire fee. Look for a company that offers a low damage liability or a low daily fee to reduce it. It is often possible to extend your travel insurance to cover the damage liability.
Location fees
Where possible, take a taxi or public transport to the main pick up point for your car rental. Collecting your car from a premium location (usually somewhere convenient like the airport) can increase your fees substantially. If you are travelling in a group with a large amount of luggage, it might be practical to send one person out to get the car whilst the rest of the party waits with the luggage for collection. If you hope to drop off your car at a different location to the pickup, be prepared to pay an additional fee.
Extra hire costs
Non-luxuries like an e-tag, GPS system or a baby seat can often incur a hefty extra fee when hired from a traditional car rental business. If might be cheaper to hire from another source (look online) or even buy an item like a baby seat from a large retailer rather than paying the routinely high hire fees for these items. Read More…