Making the Most of Your Holiday Car Rental

By Tony Martin

Holidays can be far better with a car to help you get around. It gives a degree of freedom that other transport options do not offer. Airports have many car rental companies in close proximity so they are a good place to shop around for the best deals.

Renting a car on holiday does not have to be an expensive or challenging ordeal. If you are knowledgeable and prepared, you won`t get caught out and might even be able to negotiate great deals.

Of course the first step to being prepared is to carefully read the terms and conditions of car rental companies. Generally there will be no surprises, but it is always best to check. One thing to be aware of is the fact that most companies reserve the right to give you a more expensive model if they don`t have your original choice in stock.

Although it won`t save you much, always check the amount of petrol in the tank before leaving. You will usually be asked to pay for a full tank ñ so make sure you get what you pay for.

The big money issue is insurance. You should check what the excess covers, because even nil excess can exclude certain parts of the car such as tires. This is something to negotiate in advance. Similarly check that insurance covers you for all driving you want to do. Don`t go off-road if you are not covered!

Another important thing to do is check damage to the car before you take it. Some companies will try to get away with giving you a previously damaged car then blaming you for the damage when you return it. Give the car a thorough going over, and don`t be afraid to be pernickety. Even if it seems like menial damage, you are within your right to bring it up.

This leaves a couple of obvious things to do when bringing your car back. Never return the car late as you will be charged extra. Stand your ground if you feel they are being unreasonable when checking the car for damage, and check credit your card statements to ensure that they are not adding charges.

With all of these tips, it should be fairly easy to ensure you get a good deal on your rental. Sometimes however, despite being prepared, the best way to make the most of your holiday car rental is to compare rental cars before you go. Comparison search engines on the internet are by far the most convenient and efficient way of doing this. If you arrive knowing where you are likely to get the best deals, you are already one step ahead. Then once you find the best value company, apply all of the other tips listed above and you can`t go far wrong. The main thing to remember about renting from an airport is that there will be fewer companies to choose from so you might not find a car as cheap as you would elsewhere. On the other hand, airport car rentals tend to be reputable companies with whom there is far less danger of getting ripped off.

Tony Martin writes regularly for a wide range of automotive and technology websites. Over the course of his career, Tony has contributed to a wide range of in house and national magazines on subjects as diverse as music, gadgets and mobile phones together with his main focus which is the automotive sector.