Avoid These Hidden Fees When Renting a Car

Avoid These Hidden Fees When Renting a Car: Make Your Travel Cost-Efficient

Renting a car is one of the most convenient methods for traveling a long distance. Your car rental choice becomes more significant if you are travelling with a group of friends or family. However, the car rental companies can sometimes charge you for so many hidden fees that you are unaware of. On the one hand, they only tell you about the travel cost for renting your car, but at the end of the trip, many fees are included in your overall bill, making the travel cost hefty. If you don't want to pay that extra amount and avoid those hidden charges, you can delve into the article as provided below. With the help of the following article, you will become aware of different hidden fees included while renting your car, and how to avoid them to make your travel within your budget.

Know About Different Hidden Fees While Renting A Car and Ways to Avoid Them

Comprehend Fuel Policy

Fuel policy is one of the car rental companies' most common hidden fees. It may even lead you to pay a huge amount for fuel you haven't used. Usually, three types of fuel policies can be provided by any car rental, including:

• Full-to-Full Policy—Under this, your car picks you up with full fuel, and you return the car with the same amount. It is considered the most cost-effective option, as you pay only for the fuel you have used.
• Prepaid Fuel- Though it seems like it is more in favour of you, where you pay for the full tank fuel price, and don't have to pay or worry about the fuel before your return from your journey, it ends up costing you to pay even for the fuel that you haven't used. 
• Full-to-Empty Policy—Under this policy, you would be provided a car with full fuel, and you can return the vehicle with any fuel level you want. However, rental companies often charge you a higher fuel rate than usual, making this option more expensive for you. 

Tip—You can opt for a full-to-full fuel policy. This is the best way to avoid excessive costs. Moreover, you should refuel the car to prevent inflated refuelling charges from the rental companies.

Know About Upselling and Excess Insurance

Car rental companies frequently add various types of insurance coverage, which can raise your rental cost tremendously. Some of the additional costs added by them can be seen as follows:

• Theft protection and collision damage waiver (CDW) fees are also included in your base car rental rate. 
• Sometimes, additional insurance, such as personal accident insurance or super CDW charges, is also included and covered by you when you pay your final rental amount. 

Tip: Before you rent a car, check your credit card benefits and ensure that they cover travel insurance. If your credit card already covers it, extra insurance is redundant and an extra cost for you. 

Be Aware of Add-On Fees

There can be various fees that the rental companies add without clarifying beforehand. Some of the add-ons and ways to avoid them include:

• GPS Navigation- You can use your GPS map or device with your smartphone instead of their GPS navigation tool.
• Child Seats—You can bring your child seat for the car to avoid paying hefty rental fees daily. 
• Toll Passes- Though the toll passes are convenient, sometimes these toll passes also contain some administrative fees. Thus, you can check the daily toll pass fee before using it.

Tip- Before renting a car, always ask the rental company to break down the fees, including the additional services they charge. 

Make a Clear Inspection Of Your Car Before and After Rental

Sometimes the car rental companies may ask you to pay for damages you didn't cause. So, to ensure that the company doesn't charge you with an unnecessary bill, you can:

• Take a thorough look at the car you are renting before driving it off. 
• Take a photo or video of any dent, scratch, or other car issue. 
• Ensure the rental company has marked all the marks and dents on your rental agreement. 

Tip—When you return the car to the company, you can take a receipt from them that confirms that there is no additional or new damage to the car, avoiding any post-return charges.

Conclusion

Though sometimes the car rental's hidden fees don't affect an individual very much, others can lead to a hefty burden on travellers, as they incur considerable unexpected costs. Thus, getting your car from a reputable and trustworthy rental company is crucial while taking care of the things mentioned in the provided article. It will help you to make your travel without worrying that any unexpected cost for your rent will come your way anytime, and you can seamlessly end your journey.