The Common Conundrums Of Driving A Rental Car

Most of the questions about how to be a savvier driver all tend to revolve around buying a car and managing the car that you buy.

However, there are plenty of circumstances in which renting a car can be the more sensible option, such as if you need to keep your own car otherwise available or you’re temporarily in a new area.

That said, rental cars can come with some pretty steep costs if you make a mistake or two. Here are some of the mistakes you should ensure that you don’t make.

Renting from the first place that you see

You should take the time to scan the market and look at different rental car providers in your area.

First of all, you should avoid any airport rental companies, as these providers tend to take advantage of the fact that people are stranded and their high demand allows them to drive up the prices.

You’re always connected to the net, so it should never take you too long to find a decently priced rental.

Buying prepaid gas

There is certainly some convenience to having a full tank waiting for you when you get into a car. However, the truth is that prepaid gas is always going to come with a markup.

What’s more, in some cases you might not necessarily need a full tank, so you could be paying for fuel that you’re not going to use. Simply use an app that finds the cheapest fuel prices near you and takes your car there for a top-up instead.

Not having the coverage that you need

In most cases, your rental agency is likely to offer the insurance that covers you against any damage that happens to your rental car, and your own insurance policy might extend to cover it as well.

However, these policies might not cover reimbursement, as insurance cover rental cars would. To that end, you should make sure that you are covered if you end up in an accident that makes the rental car undrivable.

If you find yourself involved in a car accident then you may benefit from the help of an auto accident lawyer. If the accident wasn’t your fault and you sustained some injuries when the accident occurred then you could be entitled to some form of compensation.

It can be horrible and stressful to go through this process but what if you were unable to work due to your injuries. Car accidents are becoming increasingly common, especially among people with high-tech cars.

Be careful and stay alert while you are behind the wheel of your rental car.

Hav discounts and coupon codes at the ready

Much like any other service, you are very likely to be able to find and use discounts when renting a car.

There are discount booking tools that you can use to make sure that you’re always taking advantage of the best deals available while booking online.

There’s a good chance that your credit card provider or bank might also have some perks, such as discount codes with certain rental stores that you should use if you have.

Getting those unnecessary extras

Car rental companies are going to try and upsell you on features that you’re rarely going to need.

This can include GPS that any modern smartphone can easily rival, as well as things like a child car seat (which you could bring yourself.) Avoid these extras unless you really, truly need them.

Rental cars can be a costly business if handled wrong. Keep these tips in mind to ensure you don’t get stung too hard.