Everything You Need to Know Before Renting a Car

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Renting a car is an excellent way to get to your destination quicker than waiting for hours to get on public transport. You may argue that taxi is also a good option for reaching your destination timely and safely, but it’s not much more affordable than renting your own car. In most cases, some hidden costs associated with the taxi ride can hit your wallet hard. That’s renting a car is always a preferable choice, especially when you’re abroad. But are you aware of the important things you need to know before renting a car? Well, if you don’t, you’re lucky to be here as this article is a guide to renting a car. The useful tips we’re going to discuss here will help you rent the best car at an affordable price.

Everything You Need to Know Before Renting a Car

Rental insurance

While renting a car, the car rental will offer you rental car insurance, which covers you against financial losses you sustain if your rental car gets damaged in an auto accident. In most cases, the rates of rental car insurance provided by car rental range from $10 to $25 per day. The rates of rental insurance depend on various factors, such as the car’s value, driving experience, location, and credit score. You should rent a car from a car rental that offers a rental insurance policy at minimum rates with all mandatory coverages. Many major credit cards offer rental insurance at no additional cost. You don’t need to get rental insurance from your car rental if your credit card offers this facility.

Check the car’s interior and exterior carefully

Before renting a car, carefully check the car’s interior and exterior for any damages or scratches. If daylight is unavailable, use your phone’s torch for this purpose. If you find any damage or scratch, ask the car rental agent to mention it on your paperwork before you leave the place. Taking pictures of the car is another good way to be confident about the car’s condition when you take it.

Check the fuel tank

Before leaving the rental station, check the car’s fuel tank and not its level. If the car is on petrol, the fuel tank might have “95” on it. If you face any difficulty in observing the level of the fuel tank, don’t hesitate to ask the agent for help.

Check the dashboard

In most cases, rental cars are provided on a “full to full” basis, which means you will start the car with a full tank and return it with a full tank. To ensure that the fuel tank level is “full,” you can look at the dashboard. Just turn the key to check the tank is full, and you’re good to go.

Do proper route planning for safety reasons

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Before renting a car, it’s highly recommended to sort out your route and have a proper travel plan. You must check the safety of your destination before hitting the road. Mark the locations on your travel plan you intend to visit. That will help you budget your time and fuel effectively. If you’re abroad, you may get help from the car rental agent to know the status of your potential destinations.

Bring your own extras to save more on car rent

Most car rental offers extras like a child seat or GPS system, but they’ll charge you more in that case. Therefore, equip yourself with extras to save big on your car’s rent. Even an ordinary extra thing can cost you high if you get it from the car rental. For example, a car rental could easily charge $3 per day for simple satellite radio. The fee for a GPS system could be even higher than radio. Therefore, you must pack your own traveling extras to save money on your car rental bill.

Always drive on the paved roads

Most car rental companies prohibit using their cars on unpaved, degraded roads. This policy will most likely be voided if you get a collision damage waiver in your rental insurance policy. However, if you don’t have a rental insurance policy, sticking to the paved roads is the best option to save on your rent. If you drive on unpaved roads without rental insurance, your company could charge you a heavy amount in terms of off-road fees.

Park your rental car at a safe place

Once you’ve undertaken the keys to your rental car, it will be your responsibility from that time. Besides taking care of it, you should also choose the parking site carefully. Parking illegally can cost you up to $200 in terms of challan. Parking in an unsafe place could result in theft or vandalism. Therefore, you must park your car at a safe site. It’s a good practice to ask your car rental agent about the parking regulations that you need to follow. The company representative can guide you about safe parking sites along your journey.

Return your car with a full fuel tank

Once you’ve completed your journey, it’s time to return the car. While returning your car, you must ensure that its fuel tank is full, or at least at the same level as it was when you had started it. If you fail to do this, your rental company could charge you for a proper fill-up, and the rental companies charge more fuel than local gas rates.

Are you looking for an affordable rental car in Tampa Airport, FL? You can count on Economy Bookings, which is one of the best and most cheap car rentals in Tampa, FL area. You can rent your desired car by just visiting our official website, where you need to enter the pickup location and set the pickup and return dates. Economy Bookings offer a lot of benefits, including a secured payment method, rental cars for almost all classes, and multi-language support. We’ve around 800 providers worldwide to serve you whenever you want.