| Where
should I start?
- Check a number of companies for the best price.
Car Hire cost vary a great deal between car rental companies. It pays
to check out a number of car hire companies to get the best deal.
- Get the vehicle from an operator not located at the airport.
Generally, the prices from car rental companies located
at airports is higher. This is due to the fees incurred
by them due to their airport location. Many car
rental companies situated near the airport will
offer a free pickup (or a small fee) from airports.
|
What to look for in a car rental deal.
- What is the excess in the case of an accident - (damage liability)?
This varies depending on the car rental company
- obviously, the lower the liability the better. Take
into consideration the normal damage liability and the amout
you have to pay to reduce thisliability to an acceptable level.
- How many kilometres a day can I do free in the rental vehicle.
Once again this does vary a great deal - usually from
50kms a day to unlimited. Make sure you have enough kilometres
at the commencement of the car hire because it will cost you
considerably more if you do excess kilometres during your
hire.
- Cheap advertised deals
Be wary of cheap deals advertised
in the press and online. The cheap deal advetised may not include
all kinds of ad-ons, such as registration fee, airport location
fee etc. Some registration fees can be as much as 15% of the
hire. Make sure you obtain the "total cost" of the
hire to avoid any doubt. Companies such as
Seega
Car Rentals always
quote total cost in their email and online quotes.
|
Other Tips
- Fuel level
Always check the fuel level when you hire
the car and ensure that it is recorded on the hire agreement.
Make sure that you fill it to the same level on return. It works
both ways - nobody likes to be short changed on fuel - customer
or car rental owner! A lot of car hirers try to get away with
a few dollars of fuel by refuelling just below the original
level - you cant be too harsh on the rental company if they
charge you extra in this case.
- Check the vehicle for damage.
Always check the vehicle
for damage prior to driving the vehicle away. That
way you know exactly what damage, if any, is existing
and not your responsibility.
- You will generally need a credit card to hire a vehicle.
The credit card is another form of identification
and most car rental companies will require that
an imprint of your card is included on the contract.
Whilst this may seem a little restrictive you must
remember that they are handing over a vehicle worth
quite a lot of money to a complete stranger.
|
