Did you know, the revenue from car rentals worldwide amounted to US$ 59,518M in 2019? Well, if you are planning to rent a car for a road trip with friends or family? These hacks will help you save money on your car rentals.
PS. These hacks really helped me. Car rental in Dubai was my favorite part of living there.
#1 Book Early
The smartest way to save money on a rental is by booking it as early as possible. The cheapest rental cars are occupied very early. To avoid having to pay for the costlier ones, try to make plans at least a few weeks ahead.
#2 Use a non-airport facility
If you plan to fly in, try to avoid renting a car outside the airport. Airport car rental kiosks usually charge a concession fee. Due to this, you will have to pay about 10-20 percent more than you actually should be paying. A better idea is to rent a car to the main town and proceed to get a rental from there.
#3 Look for Coupon Codes
Before finalizing your booking, make sure to browse the company’s site for a coupon code. Using a coupon code can often save you up to 20-30 percent on your total billing amount. You can also perform a Google search (‘company name’ coupon codes) for further digging.
#4 Avoid Unnecessary Insurance
Most car rental companies try to coax you into buying the insurance you don’t actually need. This swells up the overall price of the rental. To avoid paying extra, go through the insurance carefully. Eliminate those you don’t need. You can also take a look at your auto insurance. Most of them cover car rentals as well. If that’s the case with you, you might not need to purchase any insurance from the rental company at all.
#5 Fill the tank yourself
Car rentals often charge a hefty amount for prepaid fuel plans. It’s better to fill up the tank on your own while travelling. Make sure that you return the car with the tank completely filled. Most rental companies charge you heavily if you do not return a full tank.
#6 Comparison Shop
Don’t rely on just a single car rental company to rent a car. Look through different companies to get the best deal possible. Did you know that sometimes even a single company can offer different prices for the same cars? To make sure that you are getting the best deal, check the prices on different days of different weeks. You might be lucky to get the car at a cheaper rate if you have the patience to browse and compare.
#7 Choose the prepaying option
Most car rental companies offer two distinct prices for renting the same vehicle- one for customers who prepay and one for customers who reserve the car and pay on the day of receiving it. There is a significant difference between these two prices. If you prepay, you might have to pay a lot less than those paying on the day of travel. So, choose your option wisely.
#8 Get detailed information about the tax and fee
It is a common experience for many of us to see companies advertising a particular price and when we complete the booking, the prices rise significantly. When going for a car rental, make sure that you carefully check the details of the taxes they will be charging you. If you feel that the difference between the advertised price and the final price is huge, back out of the arrangement.
#9 Look for packages including a free ‘rental’ car
Very often, hotels provide you with packages that include a rental car. If you go for these packages, you can save a lot on your rental. However, sometimes, the cost of these ‘free’ rentals is more than when you book it independently. So, make sure that you go through the package carefully and then compare the price to booking a car independently. Only when you are fully informed you should make a decision.
#10 Skip the extras
Car rentals offer you services like GPS and satellite radio when you rent a car. The companies charge you extra for these services. There is no need for you to pay a hefty amount for these extras. All of us have a smartphone. We can avail these services easily via our smartphones.
Next time you are looking to rent a car, make sure you follow these tips to save up as much as you can!