A rental car on vacation is almost a flying carpet: it gives you a turbo degree of freedom. We tell you what to look for when renting a car so that it turns out inexpensively and without unexpected surcharges.
Compare online car rental prices from different car rental companies and brokers Local distributors have lower prices, but the car fleet is more modest, and the work is worse. Book a car on the website or application to the rental office itself or through an intermediary broker. If you don't have a discount coupon or a gold loyalty card, it's likely to be cheaper through a broker. Another option is not to book a car in advance directly or through a broker but to find the right vehicle on the spot. If you're willing to spend time searching and comparing prices and, perhaps, negotiating in an unfamiliar language, there's a chance to get a good, cheap option. But you may not be lucky: if time is limited, it is safer to book a car rental in advance.
Car rental companies and brokers have discounts on car rental. It is not difficult to get them, and the main thing is to find out that there are special offers for car rental. Permanent discounts are often tied to bank cards. Hertz deducts 5-15% from the rental price for Sber bank, Alfa-Bank, VTB24, and Citibank cardholders. When booking, you need to enter a promotional code corresponding to the status of the card. Distributors and brokers may send personal promotion codes by email or announce a temporary promotion, including a joint one with partners, which is valid for all. Where to look for promotional codes and discount coupons for car rental. Check the section "Promotions" or "Partners" on the distributor or broker's website: sometimes there is information about the valid promotional codes. Type in "[car rental company name] coupon" or "[company name] promotional code" into Google, and you will see a bunch of third-party sites with coupons for all occasions. And also profile topics on Vinsky's forum, where they regularly post up-to-date discount codes and information about promotions. You can use whatever you find, except for what you are not entitled to. For example, you should not drive in a corporate code if you do not work for this company and a code for elite bank cardholders if you do not have them. If you plan to rent a car frequently, it makes sense to join the distributor or broker's loyalty program or broker you like. If a vacation is coming soon and elite status is not available, consider if you qualify for a status match. A status match is getting an elite status in one company at the expense of the current situation in another. That is, if you often used the services of one car Rental Company and earned bonuses there, you have something to prove to another car rental company that you are a profitable client and motivate them to give you status in advance. The status match is requested by email - for example, the rules for obtaining Status Match in the Hertz loyalty program.
On peak days, inexpensive cars run out quickly. It is therefore worth booking a car at least a week before the trip. Renting a car without prior reservation at the rental station is usually more expensive.
The most affordable are small cars with manual transmission. The automatic machine is more expensive. If you're lucky, you will be given a middle-class car at no extra charge instead of a booked subcompact. The rental station has no right to refuse to rent if you have a reservation, and if the car you need is not available, you will be given a higher class vehicle for free. The chance is not as small as it might seem: budget cars sell out quickly.
Rent a car in Islamabad with a diesel engine will cost more than a gasoline one. But given that it consumes significantly less fuel, which is cheaper than gasoline when driving long distances, this can be beneficial.
If you find a car at an excellent price, don't be relaxed: you will almost certainly face additional service fees and hidden fees. Read what the rental companies charge for, decide if it is justified, and estimate the final rental cost.
Return of the car elsewhere. A considerable cost is for returns in another country; Extended insurance. In most cases, cars are rented with basic insurance included in the price - usually CDW, protection against damage. Please note that CDW does not cover broken glass, headlights, or wheels. Other types of insurance may be included free of charge, for example, TI - against theft. The deductible is always indicated to the minimum insurance, usually 900 $ - this is the amount you pay in case of damage. The rental company deals with everything higher. You can reduce the deductible to zero as an additional option, but it will not apply to glass and wheels anyway. A more expensive option is to buy full insurance without a deductible and coverage of all possible risks. You can arrange it when booking or picking up a car at a rental station - it depends on the distributor or broker's rules. An alternative option is to take insurance from a third party insurance company rather than from a rental company. This can be full insurance or only deductible insurance, under which you first pay the rental company the deductible and then receive a refund from your insurance. Whichever insurance you choose, please read the terms and conditions in advance and figure out which damage it covers and which it does not.