Car rental is a great way of having convenient transportation that will help you get from place to place especially during travels far from home. If you are at another state or country, car rental always comes through for you. However, car rental can be a costly affair too. When you think of fuelling costs and other charges such as parking tickets and rental services comp-any, you feel overwhelmed. Here are some ways that will help you save money on car rental.
1. Familiarize yourself with your area of visit
Knowing where you are going is the best thing to start with especially if you are going to a new area. First of all, know about the driving rules. This will enable you in the final step as you look for the most suitable car for your visit. If the rules are favorable with your driving skills and knowledge, enquire about charges to the motorist in the area and prepare yourself diligently.
2. Research and Get Quotes
This whole piece is based on research because the more you know, the better equipped you are. For maximum savings, it would be wise to research and get rental quotes from several car rental companies. In this time and age, help is very easy to find and sites such as Expedia and Orbitz help you score the best deals and offers online.
Doing this will enable you to have a broad list of companies and a wide range of prices that you can choose from to get the one you fell is best for you. It is also clever to make reservations early in time watching out for seasons since prices soar or minimize relative with demand. This helps you save money on car rental.
3. Insurance
Insurance is very important. Remember, this article is helping you to save to the maximum while at the same time being comfortable. You cannot risk not having insurance, so you’ll have to enquire about it from the rental company.
If their vehicles are covered well and good but if they offer insurance separately for a fee, do not be too quick to rush into it. If you are a credit card user, give them a call and ask if they have any free offers for insurance on rental cars. This might help you save instead of outrightly going in with the rental company who are out for your money.
4. Selecting the Vehicle
You can save a fortune on the free insurance and by renting a car from the cheapest rental company but end up spending more than what you had budgeted and digging into your savings if you choose a vehicle blindly. Rental cars are classified into economy class, compact class, and executive class. With the economy class, features are limited. It is meant for people who are looking for a means from point A to B without caring for any other luxuries.
The compact class is the least expensive class just after the economy class. It is rather comfortable with a few more features than the economy class. The executive class is for those who don’t care on the prices or save money on car rental but only luxury, and style.
When you set your mind on the class that you will have a vehicle from, the first thing to consider should be the nature of the place you are visiting. If the terrain is rough, then most definitely you’ll need a truck. Assuming we are renting out a truck, the second thing you’ll consider is the vehicle’s engine specifications and fuel consumption.
These are the keys to saving on fuel consumption while having power, speed and comfort at your disposal if that is what you want. Big engine vehicles consume a lot and sports cars guzzle with the fury so keep off if you want to keep your money in. Otherwise, for a small town car, you will have to focus on the engine specifications, fuel consumption, and comfort. Lastly on this segment, don’t rent out a broken car in the name of saving. Go for a well maintained and a clean vehicle.
5. Know your route
Your route is key to saving fuel. Use the phone GPS or the car’s GPS if it is fitted with one. This will give you the most convenient routes to use to get to your destination safely and savingly. Also, remember a car with a GPS is in probably the compact class where you spend a little bit more than the economy class. You can use your phone, though, while with an economy class vehicle. It is absolutely free.With these key points in mind, you can be sure to save money on car rental.
Sourced from: Alot
Photo by Thomas Lillis IV / CC by