How To Get Cheap Car Rental?
When it comes to travelling, we all want to bargain on every aspect of travel - whether it is on flight fares or hotel booking or on car rentals for that matter. Travelling includes flight fares and car rentals which cost a lot of money.
After this pandemic, it has become quite difficult to get cheap car rentals. For the last year and a half, travelling has come to a halt and the car rental agencies are facing a huge financial crisis. There has been an economic crunch worldwide which is leading several car rental agencies to sell their cars for hard cash.
But with the improvement in the situation, quite a few people have started travelling and making use of the car rental services. However, these car rentals are charging a hefty amount on their trips to make up for their losses. But there are some tips that you can follow to get a cheap car rental on your next trip.
Tips On Getting Cheap Car Rental
1. Search On Aggregator Sites: The first thing before getting a cheap car rental is to start searching on the aggregator sites according to your preferences. This gives you the freedom to see several rental car services and OTA options at once. Some of the OTAs give you the facility to drop the car off in a different country or from the one where you have rent it. If your age is below 25, you can filter the car rentals that allow young drivers to drive but they will take an underage driver fee from you.
2. Comparing Rate On Actual Rental Site: After getting an overall overview, going to an actual rental site to compare the rates with the aggregator site before booking a rental car for you is going to help you a lot. Sometimes these original rental car sites give you some special discounts and offer that you will not get anywhere.
3. Consider Non-Popular Options: Most people always tend to go for reputed rental car companies but there will be some good small car rental agencies in the local area you have travelled to or are planning to travel to. They too are capable of providing you with good servicing and well-maintained cars.
Nowadays a number of countries have new car dealerships that rent out their cars at a low rate and not at inflated rates like other rental car agencies.
5. Choosing Economy Cars: Almost all rental car companies will always attempt to deliver you fancy cars. But it is better to always choose economy cars as they are cheap and gives you good mileage.
6. Compare Rates: There is no time or duration to get a cheap car rental. Sometimes it is cheaper to get a car for the exact number of days that you need or sometimes renting a car for a week can also be cheaper even when you need the car just for a couple of days. But the most important thing before all these is to check whether the company will charge an extra fee from you if you return the car early.
Also, keep note of the fact that business travellers usually rent their cars on weekdays, therefore it is always better to go for weekend rentals for cheaper rates. So if it is possible for you, schedule your booking accordingly it can save you some money on your trip.
7. Stay Away From Renting Cars From Airports: It is obvious that booking a rental car before leaving the airport is quite convenient, but for that, you have to pay some extra money to enjoy this convenience. There are some exceptions, but most of the time it is seen that booking a car from a different location from the same rental company is quite cheaper than booking from the airport. So, it is advisable to avoid booking rental cars from the airport in case if you have an emergency.
8. Avoid Upgrades: These rental companies usually tend to offer you vehicle upgrades in the process of booking and also many special add ons, all of these will cost you money. So, it is better to avoid these upgrades while getting a cheap car rental for yourself.
9. Don’t Spend Money On Car Rental Insurance: Avoid opting for rental car companies insurance coverage because a number of times the credit cards that you are paying with, provide you with the required insurance coverage of your car rental so check the offers of your credit cards before taking insurance coverage. If you are travelling to your own country, your personal car insurance can also be extended to rental cars, so also check this facility as well before taking a final decision.
10. Go For Coupons And Membership Discounts: If you have a membership of a certain car rental company, they sometimes can provide you coupons or membership discounts. So check them before booking to save some money.
Additional Tips You Can Follow Before Booking A Cheap Car Rental
1. Stick To A Particular Driver: Booking a rental car includes one driver but you can hire another driver for who you would have to pay a daily fee. This is why it is better to go with a single driver as long as it is safe and sensible on leaving the entire driving responsibility on one person.
2. Prefer Manual Transmission (If You Can Drive): In many countries getting an automatic car for rent is quite rare and expensive. So it is better to go with a traditional manual car as it saves a lot of money and also gives good mileage than automatic cars. But if you don’t know how to drive don’t try to test your skills on a rental car.
3. Pay During Booking: Some rental car companies often offer discounts if you pay the entire amount during the booking process. It is always better to avail of this offer as it can save you a hefty sum of money.
These are the tips you can follow to get a cheap car rental for yourself on your next trip and always keep an eye out for the discounts or offers that are provided by the companies during booking.
