Choose a car: online or in place?
If you want to save, it’s definitely worth booking a car via the Internet. And the sooner the better, especially in high season. Otherwise, there is a great risk that you have to choose from the remaining options (usually not the most budget ones).
Do not limit yourself to the sites of rental companies, also look at aggregators (Carrentals, Rentalcars and others), which usually offer more favorable prices. An important nuance - among such services there are unscrupulous ones, with vouchers of which customers are refused rental, therefore it is important to read reviews in advance.
It happens that, having ordered a car in advance, the client does not receive it upon arrival (accident, organizational issues, failure in the reservation system - there are a lot of possible reasons). In this case, the dealer must provide a car of the same or higher class with the same type of transmission at a predetermined price.
Is there a difference between network and local distributors?
Local agencies have three advantages over networkers:
- lower prices;
- the deposit is small, and sometimes completely absent;
- less stringent requirements for a driver can turn a blind eye to a young age or a driver’s license received the other day.
There are also disadvantages:
- a limited number of points where you can get and rent a car;
- Clients more often than at the offices of international companies are faced with a "money divorce";
- few cars, the regularity and quality of maintenance is in question.
A big name is also not a guarantee that everything will go smoothly. Many international companies are expanding according to the franchise system, so points of the same network in different parts of the world can vary greatly in terms of service. In any conflict situation, complain directly to the head office - well-known brands usually value their reputation and defend the client. Find more cars to rent at the https://solorentacar.com/location/car-rental-in-madrid
What determines the cost of car rental?
The attractive figure that you see on the site usually includes only basic insurance and a certain (rarely - unlimited) mileage. There are many additional options for which you have to pay:
- full insurance that removes liability from the tenant, regardless of the amount of damage;
- supplement if the driver is younger than a certain age or has a short experience (insurance for such clients is more expensive);
- “second driver” service - the ability to control the machine in turn. In this case, insurance applies to both;
- car rental (up to 10 euros per day), navigator, etc .;
- departure to another country;
- receiving and returning a car at different points (the so-called one-way rental);
- exceeding the maximum mileage (an average of 20-50 cents for each additional kilometer).
If you were initially offered one price, but another is called at the office, ask the manager why it happened. Almost any service can be refused if it is not needed, or the cost did not suit you.
Do not forget that you can withdraw an additional amount from your card after returning the car (say, for mileage over the norm or crossing state borders). All these nuances should be spelled out in the contract, which must be carefully read so that later you do not complain about greedy distributors on the Internet!
What insurance options are there?
- TLP (Third Liability Protection) or TPL (Third Party Liability) - third party liability insurance.
- CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) - car insurance against damage (except for theft). Such insurance implies a deductible - the amount (from several hundred to several thousand dollars or euros), which in case of damage to the car you will have to pay (the rest will be covered by the rental agent). If the repair cost is less than the deductible, then the tenant fully pays for it.
- TW (Theft Waiver) or TP (Theft Protection) - insurance against theft, also with a deductible.
- WWI (Wheels and Windscreen Insurance) - applies to damage to the windshield, wheels, wheels and headlights that are not covered by the base policy.
- PAI and SPAI (Personal Accident Insurance and Super Personal Accident Insurance) - driver and passenger health insurance. If you have a policy for traveling abroad, insurance of this type will be superfluous.