Advance reservations
Unless you intend to hire on the spur of the moment, it is advisable to make an advance reservation and essential if it forms part of your travel plans. You can reserve your car through your travel agent, tour operator,airline, hotel, car hire broker, or direct with the car hire company.Demand exceeds supply for many car groups in the high season and during public holidays. However, whilst other dates should not be problem it is still a very good idea to book and pay in advance to get the car group of your choice.If paid in advance there are no nasty surprises when you receive the final bill. If renting for more than one or two days it will probably be cheaper to book inclusive rates through a broker such as www.cheap-car-hire-ontheweb.com
One Way Rentals
With larger car hire companies It is very often possible to make one way rentals between their locations but they must be requested at the time of booking.There may be a fee for one way rentals and we recommend that you ask before booking.
Youths
You will need to check with your chosen car rental company their policy on this. Many car rental companies will not hire cars to persons under 25. Some like Cheap-Car-Rental are able to rent cars to persons between the ages of 21 and 25 but charge a supplement for this age group.
Sat Navs
Check with your car hire company if it is possible to arrange the hire of GPS or SatNav when collecting your rental car. The cost will be about US$10 a day.
Child/booster seats, ski racks, snow chains.
These will need to be requested at the same time you reserve your car. They will need to be paid for at the time the car is collected and are charged at local rates.
When collecting your car
You will need to complete a rental agreement and show:
- A clean driving licence
- Your car hire voucher (if pre-paid)
- A credit card This usually has to be a Visa, Mastercard or AMEX card. A debit card or cash is sometimes acceptable but not usually.
When you take delivery of your car
Before driving off check the cars condition minutely. Look for any defects to the bodywork eg dents or scratches.Check the tires have no cuts, scrapes and are in condition. Look as low down as possible, particulaly where the car could have hit a kerb. Also ensure that the interior is in a reasonable condition ie no tears or chewing gum. If you see any damage report it to the car hire company and see that they note the faults before you drive off, otherwise you might have to pay for the repair when you return the vehicle.
