Book, pick up, drop off: 13 tips for everything to do with your rental car



Whether it's a road trip with a rental car or just being flexible and mobile on vacation: so that you can find exactly the right rental car at the cheapest price, pick up in the holiday country without any problems and you will also be completely relaxed when you return, you will receive the 13 best tips for the perfect booking, collection and return of a rental car.

01 Better safe than sorry

Nobody expects it, and usually, nothing happens: However, you do not experience a nasty surprise if there is a crash abroad. It is advisable to ensure that you have adequate insurance cover. For property damage and personal injury, the liability insurance coverage should be at least one million US dollars. So that you don't have to worry about scratches, dents, or flat tires, we recommend booking a rental car with "Premium Protection" and no excess. These include fully comprehensive insurance that pays for all damage to your own vehicle without incurring additional costs, including the glass, roof, underbody, and tires. This saves you the time-consuming search for damage to the car not listed in the handover protocol because it will be covered by the insurance anyway.

02 Pay only for what has been done

The consumer-friendly variant "full-full" is preferred when it comes to fuel regulation, so most Pakistanis also book this option. Here you get the rental car with a full tank, and you have to return it in the same way. The advantage: There are only costs for the fuel required, while with other variants the vehicles often end up at the rental company with a half-full tank - and correspondingly a lot of petrol already paid for. So you can choose the cheapest gas station and don't have to pay an expensive service fee to the provider so that he can refuel the car.

03 Experience is worth its weight in gold

Do you want to book an offer from a landlord who focuses on the customer? Then set the filter "only good customer ratings" when searching. In this way, you use the experience of hundreds of satisfied rental car customers who have already booked with this provider and were satisfied with the service.

04 When it has to be done quickly

Since not every rental company has its fleet of vehicles, rental cars must be requested from the local provider first. The organizer or broker usually has a fixed quota in immediately available vehicles or can query live whether the vehicle is available. In these cases, the confirmation and the voucher required for collection will be sent directly after booking. However, in the case of particularly short-term orders - with less than six hours' lead time.

05 A few meters save money

Of course, it is most convenient to drop straight from the plane into the rental car. However, the providers almost always charge a certain surcharge for stations in the terminal. But don't worry, you don't have to take public transport across the city to save a few euros. Many providers have stations in the airport's immediate vicinity and take their customers directly from the terminal to the counter with free buses or shuttles. This saves a few euros without incurring much more effort.

06 Time buffer vs. giving away time

Pick-up and drop-off times:

So that you don't have to wait for hours after landing at the airport or the car is idle and costs money: Before booking, think carefully about how long the car will be used. It is always advisable to allow a small time buffer for collection and delivery, but new rental days should not be started. The providers calculate the prices for every 24 hours or part thereof. For example, if you want to book the car on Saturday from 3 p.m. for a week, it should be returned around the same time. On the other hand, if the car is only returned to the lessor at 5 p.m., the costs for an additional day are usually due.

07 Planning saves you money

extra cost

Make sure to think about the extras you need before booking. A sat nav is no longer necessary when on vacation in the most popular travel destinations, for example, since roaming fees were no longer applicable throughout the EU in 2017, and you can conveniently navigate using an app on your mobile phone. If you want a child seat from the landlord, do you also need your own, which can already be used on the plane? The providers often charge high surcharges for so-called one-way rentals.

08 Preparation is everything

Shorten waiting times

For professionals, picking up a rental car is a snap. You know exactly how things are going and can be on your way within a few minutes. There are no real secrets; have everything you need ready for the handover.

·         Rental car voucher

·         Driver's license and ID card

·         Credit card

09 Stand firm, book smart

Many customers enjoy the word "upgrade". But caution is advised here because sometimes the providers try to sell these to holidaymakers for a fee. If the vehicle class you have booked is no longer available, you have the right to get a bigger and better car for free. Supplementary insurance is never necessary, even if some car rental employees want you to believe

10 There are always black sheep

If you have decided on a provider with a good rating, nothing should go wrong when you take over the rental car, but as everywhere, there are black sheep here. Do not blindly sign the submitted contract, but check whether it matches the information on the voucher. If you are presented with a contract in the national language and only understand the train station, please first ask for documents in English and Urdu. This shouldn't be a problem for reputable companies. Otherwise, let the staff on-site explain everything to you in detail or contact our customer service.

11 So check who binds himself

Don't let every vehicle turn on blindly, and take a critical look at the vehicle beforehand. If it is heavily soiled or already has minor damage, you should ask for another car. If it is only a cosmetic flaw and an exchange is not possible, have all existing defects recorded in the handover protocol and photograph them as a precaution. However, if traffic safety is limited - for example, with worn and cracked tires or a cracked window - you should urgently refuse to accept the car.

12 Secure evidence

Unlikely, but not impossible: you returned the rental car with a full tank as contractually agreed, but the provider will still charge you something for fuel. There are many reasons for this, but the most likely is simply a problem with the computer. To clarify the matter as quickly as possible, you should keep the last fuel receipt after your vacation and photograph the fuel and mileage display of the rental car after you have parked the vehicle with the provider.

But there is also the possibility that you still owe the landlord money. Some countries have some rental cars equipped with measuring devices in the tank. While the employees usually only check whether the fuel gauge is really on "full", these vehicles determine the fuel level to the liter at pick-up and drop-off. So if the last gas station was a little further away from the drop-off point, the fuel reserves might have been emptier than when they were picked up. Then you have to pay the difference. If in doubt, refuel directly at the rental car station and fill in a little more than is necessary. If you have any questions, customer service will be happy to help, or you can contact the landlord directly.

13 Hold on to everything!

Don't arrive at the airport at the last minute with the rental car. On the one hand, you risk new scratches if you drive too hectically into the parking garage; on the other hand, you should have enough time to inspect the car one last time. Does the vehicle have any new damage that may have been caused unnoticed by third parties, or does it still look like it was when it was picked up? In any case, you should finally have the car's condition confirmed in a handover protocol and photograph the car from all sides. In this way, the landlord cannot later invoice you for any damage that was not there when the property was handed over. Then, again, you can be sure with an offer without a deductible because you don't have to pay anything in the event of damage to the vehicle.

Rental car service is an easy way to save your money and time. If you need to rent a car, you should have all the documents needed for a rental service. Carlay Car Rental provides you rent a car in Islamabad that saves your time and money.

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