Searching for car rental online has never been easier with the help of the internet. You can easily search and compare prices from various car rental suppliers, often on the same website.

 

Car rental rates often vary considerably depending on what is included in the rate. Look out for those too-good-to-be-true prices – they probably are. You may think you have found a bargain, but it will be a different story when you go to pick up the rental car, only to be told you have to pay for lots of additional charges.

 

So when you are comparing car rental costs online, ensure you are comparing like with like. There are various extra charges which can push up the price of your rental car, so make sure you look out for them. Often if you add these on to that oh-so-low rate, it doesn’t look so appealing anymore.

 

What is Included

 

Most car rental websites will list the inclusions with the rental. These will vary depending on suppliers but generally standard rates include basic insurance and tax.

 

What is Extra

 

Again this will vary but look out for the following:

 

Airport Fees

 

Also known as a Premium Location Fee, you will be charged extra to pick up a rental car at an airport location. This charge varies depending on supplier and location, but in the UK for example could cost as much as 13% of the rental value.

 

Vehicle Licensing Fee

 

This is a Government imposed levy for rental cars to partially recover the registration costs. Approximate cost in the UK: GBP1.22 per day, which over a long period can add up.

 

Additional Driver Fees

 

If you want to have more than one driver for your rental car, this is often an extra charge. Daily charges range from GBP4-20 in the UK, EUR4-8 in Italy and from USD3-10 in the States.

 

Young Driver Surcharge

 

This is often charged if the driver of the rental car is under the age of 25. In Australia, this ranges from AUD13-22 per day. In France, the Young Driver Surcharge varies from EUR20-35 per day, GBP10-25 in the UK and USD5-45 in the USA.

 

Excess Reduction

 

Each rental car often comes with an Insurance Excess which is the amount you would be responsible for if the rental vehicle is damaged. This can often be a few thousand dollars but can be reduced with an optional excess reduction charge which can be paid daily to reduce your excess to a few hundred dollars or even to zero.

 

Additional Equipment

 

Things like child seats, ski racks and snow chains are often available at an extra charge.

 

One Way Rentals

 

If you want to drop off your rental car in a different city from where you picked it up, there may be a one way fee. Again, this varies depending on the supplier and destination. Ensure you ask before you pay!

 

All these extras can add up. Sometimes a standard rate may be right for you but if you are picking up at the airport and want an extra driver, for example, it may make sense for you to go with an inclusive rate.

 

Read the Small Print

 

Be sure to read inclusions carefully to see what the rental rate covers and which one is right for you. Look for possible restrictions and additional costs and find out what exactly they are before you pay. If you find a low car rental rate, make sure that the additional costs do not outweigh the savings.

 

At DriveAway Holidays, each car choice will show clearly if it is a Standard or Inclusive rate and will give you a list of what is and what is not included.

 

People often talk about the “hidden costs” of car rental, but the reality is, they are not hidden at all – you just need to know what to look for.

 

 



By: Car Guru

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Car Guru asked:



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Car Guru asked:


With the environment such current issue worldwide and especially in the transport industry, there are companies that are embracing new environmentally friendly technology. Hybrid cars and increasing the fuel-efficient diesel cars are still available for ordinary motorists. She worked for a corporate travel company and many of the major corporations calling for the inclusion of hybrid cars in their contracts. This was more to do with increased business opportunities to be seen to be green in comparison with the desire to be green! The question is when people travel and wants to maintain its commitment to green causes. Are car rental companies will be those that are providing these vehicles … or them? I have chosen (for the traveler from Australia) major car companies you can book 'cars' green with. Working for Driveaway holidays here in Australia, the most common request is for diesel cars. This is ejected from cost concerns and also the occasional environmental concern. (Shouldn 't be the other way around?) First row is the rent Cars.In Australia, Avis Group L car that will give you a Toyota hybrid. This car is the favorite for the car rental companies due to it being built by Toyota.In the UK, there doesn 't appear to be any green car, although there may be diesel cars in the fleet, Avis don' t the makes them easy to find. In the U.S., like Australia, the Toyota hybrid is available under XG group. Second row is the rental taxi Cars.In Australia Hertz, Avis, the hybrid Toyota is the car of choice. Book a group G and you'll get this car. In the UK, Hertz has a range of fuel-efficient diesels in the fleet but no hybrids. This appears to be a common factor in the UK. Being an expat, I know that Toyota car prices in the UK are reasonably expensive compared to other European manufactured vehiclesIn the U.S., Hertz have a range of hybrids, although in some cars, I couldn 't say if they were hybrids or not. Now, all the credit to Hertz as promoting their green cars as part of its green fleet. Avis don 't appear to put their green cars anyway, which is a shame. The third in line for taxi Cars.Again Europcar rental, unlike Hertz, they appear not to promote its green fleet. Looking at his guide Australia's fleet, have regular passenger vehicles such as small, medium, large, prestige, minivans, sport, 4WD. List Europcar green cars as part of the fleet there regularly, however, has it 's unique identifier (Ihara) in the UK Australia.In, Europcar doesn' t appear to have any green offering. Perhaps it 's something you can ask in catches. Personally, if I could book a green car on the Internet, do so with a company that offered that service. In the U.S., chose LAX because Europcar has a limited presence. There were no cars could find that seems true. A Europcar 's defense in other parts of Europe where they are particularly strong, one can guarantee a diesel for a few euros extra per day. In this brief, Hertz appears to be the only car rental company that is actively promoting green cars. & Avis; amp; Europcar seems a bit hap hazard in his approach to a green fleet. While it may be a case of logistics and a published source, there is no reason why they couldn 't promote their green cars. I am sure that in 12 months time the situation will be that each company will actively hire green cars. The consumer can now offset their CO2 emissions in various sectors of transport and I'm sure the car rental industry will play in the near future. The atmosphere is the sellers dream and think that some car rental companies have missed the boat so far. Hopefully their marketing departments wake up and smell the air cleaner.

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As people become more aware of environmental issues and conscious of their actions, demand for hybrid cars, to buy and rent, has risen.

A hybrid car is a car which can run on two or more fuel sources – most commonly an engine and an electric motor powered by batteries. The motor and batteries help the engine work more efficiently which means you spend less on fuel and emit fewer emissions.

The Toyota Prius is probably the most well known hybrid car. It first went on sale in 1997 and since then, more than 10,000 Prius’ have been sold in Australia. The Australian Government’s Green Vehicle Guide website rates all new vehicles based on greenhouse and air pollution emissions and fuel consumption. The Prius is currently the top performer in all 3 with a fuel consumption of 4.4L per 100kms.

To give you an idea of what this means – a Hummer H3 Adventure has a fuel consumption level of 13.2L/100km, Toyota Rav 4′s fuel consumption is 9.6L, a Mercedes Benz C Class C180K is 7.6L and a Honda Civic 1.8L sedan has a fuel consumption of 7.2L. According to Toyota, a Prius has up to 50% less consumption than a comparably-sized family car and that one tank of fuel could theoretically get you over a whopping 1000km!

While hybrid cars are still quite expensive to buy – a Toyota Prius 1.5L petrol/Electric combination CVT will set you back $37,400 (from www.toyota.com.au), renting one may be within your budget.

DriveAway currently have Hybrids available to rent in France and the USA, but with car rental suppliers adding more ‘green’ cars to their fleets, this is sure to grow over the next few years.

Renting a hybrid does cost more than renting a similar sized non-hybrid car (due to supply and demand and the fact that hybrids are more expensive for the rental company to buy), but you will save money on fuel and of course, it’s better for the environment. Click here for more details.