Everything you need to know about car rentals

When traveling to a city you don’t know very well, getting from place to place may be a challenge, especially if the city is big. Public transport options may be confusing and simply walking to the places you want to go can be difficult or downright impossible given the long distances that there might be between places. Thankfully there is an option that lets you explore big cities without any of those difficulties: Car rentals. 

The concept is really simple, you’re just borrowing a car while you’re in another city, the same way in which taking a room in a hotel is just borrowing bed and a place to stay for a couple of days.  

With a rental car, the city is yours to explore as you can freely move without depending on the predetermined routes or schedules that come with public transport or tour groups. A rental car can become a great tool for urban exploration: Want to go to a small unassuming restaurant that the locals recommend? Sure! Want to go to a rather obscure point of interest in the city, well, of course, nothing can stop you now!  We loved exploring Florida with a car– some places and experiences are further enhanced on a road trip!

But as you might be guessing by now such an awesome tool has its kinks, and the lack of information can turn an otherwise good experience into a headache. So, pay attention as I tell you everything you need to know about car rentals!

1. Don’t let options overwhelm you

You can say everything about the car rental industry exempt that they lack options, as there are dozens of companies that offer various types of vehicles each. You can find everything from convertibles to vans to SUV and everything in between… but remember various companies have different managements, and since they’re completely different companies sometimes they may even have different prices for the same type of vehicle! It can get confusing really quickly, but luckily there are ways to sort through all this mess. Enter: the car rental comparing websites.

 

As a response to the difficulty of finding good prices in this sea of options, some companies have taken to comparing prices to give you the best. By using the services those companies provide you can come ahead in the car rental world so now I´ll give you an overview of the 5 best companies that will help you find your next rental car.  

 

 Viajemos.com 4.7 / 5

When it comes to prices this is one of the best ones, here you can usually find the best deals, it’s also known by its remarkable customer service which has been deemed by its users as fast, competent and able to sort out most problems. Plus, this company has so many locations in the USA, that picking up your car will be easy.  

 

Miles Car Rental 4.6 / 5

This one is another great option as it has an extensive car fleet, very competitive prices and partnerships with worldwide renown car rentals such as Dollar, Thrifty and Alamo among others. They have customer service though diverse media and in multiple languages. It also has permanent offers so to take advantage of that! 

Priceline 4.5 / 5    

Users report upgrades on their app, which allows customers to better access their services from via smartphone and other portable devices. They have a varied catalog of vehicles to choose from, and also offer other services for vacationing. Most users describe their services as overall helpful and easy enough to use. 

 

CarRentals 4.3 / 5

This company has a special appeal to international travelers as it has an ample presence in cities as far away as Sidney, Tell Aviv and Tokyo. Customers praise the clarity of their terms of use and describe them as functional and effective. Their page has useful advice to visit many international cities all around the world.   

Rentalcars 3.8 / 5

When it comes to accessibility this is one the best, as customers have the possibility of changing the language of their main page to many diverse languages from all over the world. They also have a newsletter system in which you can automatically receive information. They also allow you to see their prices in other currencies. 

Be aware of the requirements

Well, now that we know what sites to use for our car rental needs, is time to talk about the requirements needed for renting a car. There are some basic things you must have when renting cars, they’re nothing extraordinary but if you forget any of these little details, you’re in for a headache. In fact, not meeting those requirements when receiving your rental car, can make a nice experience into a nightmare! So, pay attention

1.   A valid driver’s license

Now this one is quite unsurprising. If you’ll be driving a car then it figures that you should have your license with you, but pay attention because there is a catch: when picking up the car at the counter they´ll check the main driver’s license, this means the license of the person that made the reservation. If you or your travel group fail to show this license they won’t even let you take the car, so be sure that everyone packs this essential document!  

 

2.   Full coverage insurance    

Driving around uninsured even if it’s your own car is a terrible idea! Even a minor accident can have terrible repercussions in your wallet and the least we talk about mayor accidents the better, and that’s on a vehicle you own. Just imagine how bad it would get when the vehicle involved in the accident isn’t even yours. For that reason, rental sites require you to have full coverage insurance. Now insurances can be a tricky thing when renting a car as they’re are recommendable, but if you’re not careful they may charge you twice for your insurances! 

You see, some websites offer insurances with third-party companies, but the car rental companies don’t always accept them so they make you buy insurances with them instead, making you pay twice! The best thing you can do is to take any insurance you want directly on the counter and reject any other.         

3.   An embossed credit card

Well, this one is just to prevent people from running off with the rental cars, nothing too interesting here. By providing the rental company with something valuable such as a credit card you’re ensuring that you’ll return the car. It’s just a way to ensure the car rental company that you’re not a crook, you have nothing to fear. However, you should know that any additional things you want to add to your car rental experience will often be paid automatically by this credit card. Be very VERY clear about any add-ons you’d like, and if you don’t want any add-on to your plan be clear about it so that they don’t charge you for things you don’t want. 

 

4.   Being over 25 

Well simple as that, you need to be over 25 to rent a car without any issue. People under 25 can rent a car, but there are costly fees related to it. In states, such as New York and Michigan people over 18 can legally rent but again it doesn’t come for free. 

 And that’s pretty much all that you need to know about car rentals, so what are you waiting for? Hit the road! Now nothing can stop you!