Iron rules about renting a car
rented car abroad – Advantages: comfort, transportation from one place to another, freedom to travel independently, the option to stop at any time of the day, the option to reach places where public transportation doesn’t, cheaper (sometimes) than organized trip and public transportation. The profitability of renting a car rises when the number of passengers rises.
It's very recommended (yet not mandatory) to work with international rental cars companies because they can solve any problem around the clock and they have a large variety of new cars. The only disadvantage is the high price. The price in local companies is quite cheap, but their downsize is that their service is not always available, so you'll need to check if the renting point is open at the time and day reserved.
The advantages of the big/international (and known) renting companies:
Deploying branches: when you're driving with the rented car and everything is fine, then there's no problem and you are satisfied. But in life, everything doesn’t always go according to plan, and sometimes there are car failures, and then the problem begins: Where is the nearest branch, whether the workers come to you or you come to them. I had a serious failure with the car when I was in the Niagara Falls. I rented at a known company, and even then, I had to wait for about 12 hours for an alternative car, it took from me a lot of nerves, and the other car was malfunctioning as well. I have lost 2 days of my trip ( don’t forget that wasted time is wasted money). What do I want to say? That you need to choose the company with the best deployment.
You need to check when the place is open. It is better to take the car keys from the workers and not counting on the luck that others put them in a box (though most of the time there are no problems with that). Not every company (especially the small ones) open their branches for a long period of time and they don’t always have an airport branch. In cases like this, you have to wait several hours for the opening (mostly in the early morning hours). Again don’t forget that wasted time is wasted money.
It is very important to choose your renting company directly and not trough a travelling agent because they usually offer sales that others cannot compete with, and if you belong to any big organization like "hever" or the teachers association, you might get a discount up to 15%.
Favorite client in big companies: when you reserve a car, you usually get the car you asked for and only rarely get upgraded. Why not be a favorite client without payment by signing up for it in the company's website (not every company has one): pay for class B (for example), and get a class C free. As a favorite client you wait for the car no longer then 10 minutes, and you don’t wait in line. In case you do need to wait longer, most places will give you a refund, from my experience.
1. The count of the rental days begins when your lease form gets stamped at the car receiving station. A delay of an hour and above is being considered an additional renting day. The reserve and the following computerized reports allow a delay of up to 59 minutes in the return. A delay above 59 minutes, even if it's because you waited in line, means another renting day. Day=24 hours.
2. It's important to be precise in the reservation form with the driver's name, the location where you take and give the car back, when you take the car, and most important the flight's number (since you've made your reservation in advance, the renting company is expecting you at the time you have written. if there is a delay in the flight, they have your flight's details and can track it accordingly. Your car will be saved for you 2 hours after the ordered time, in case you haven’t given away your flight's details. You cannot change those details abroad. Changing the time of the takeoff requires changing the approximate time of taking the car and You'll need to verify that the information is known to the renting company (if you won't inform them, there's a big change you will have to wait for a long time).
3. A big part of the insurances offered to the renter of the car when he gets the car is only a suggestion and not really mandatory.Pay attention and don’t sign any form without checking it's content before you receive the car, in order to prevent unnecessary payments in the future.
4. When you rent a car, take in account that it's not recommended to rent one in crowded cities (like: New-York, London, Barcelona, Paris, Las-Vega, etc) unless you plan to drive outside the city.
5. Match the type and size of the car to your needs, and to the number of the passengers (SUV\Van\Station\Private etc). Also match the gear's type, and air-conditioning. Take the size of yours and others personal luggage in account. Check the current car fleet in the car's category you've ordered. Recommendations: 2-3 people – class B car. 4 people – minibus with 6 seats, lots of space. You can have class C as well. 6 people – minibus with 9 seats. When more than 2 passengers are in a car, it is best to take a car with space for +2 passengers (luggage, equipment,etc). This prevents unpleasantness regarding luggage storage. In the summer (for example Italy), order a car with air conditioning, and at ski areas in the winter, order a 4X4 car (better grip of the road) with snow tires + chains, and with enough trunk for the ski equipment.
6. A 2 doors car is cheaper than a 4 doors car (same size and car, just less doors). It will be abuse and lack of consideration to the other passengers in the back if you drive a 2 doors car with 3 or 4 people.
7. Special vehicles (Jeep, Van, Sport, etc) need to be ordered far in advance. Otherwise, you won't have that kind of car to rent.
8. Days count: sometimes it is cheaper to rent a car for a week and return it after 5 days then to rent a car for 5 days. There is no refund in unused days.
9. In most cases, ordering a car from your home country is much cheaper than ordering in the USA or Europe.
10. Compare renting prices between big airports (or nearby airports) and cities. Renting a car at Kennedy airport is almost double the price of renting the same car, at the same company in New-Ark airport, New-Jersey. Its important to know that at airports there have port taxes.
11. Young drivers, below the age of 24-25: at the USA, most of the renting companies don’t rent to those under the age of 24 or 25. Those who does, rent for drivers at the age of 21 and above, but charge for extra daily (between 10-40 dollars a day. The sum of money depends on the renting place). Few are the companies who rent for drivers at the age of 19 and above (and charge from them 20 dollars additionally).
12. We advocate you plow the market, check, compare and only then order. It's recommended to start the trip at the country that has the lowest renting prices compared to the others.
13. It's always good to order the car from a company that is known in your country, its cheaper.
14. When you order a car, the company undertakes to the ordered car's category and not to the type of the car.
15. It is important to make sure what are the unique add-ons, that you must pay when you order.
16. Ask for a diesel car (check diesel prices at the destination country – it's not always cheaper than regular fuel, but in most cases, they are). In some areas, the price of the diesel is significantly lower than regular fuel (the gaps between the prices can come in some countries to 50%). Also consider the fact that you can drive much more (almost double) kilometers in a diesel tank instead of regular fuel.
17. Payment at home- it is cheaper to order at your home country than abroad. The place where it's cheapest to rent: Europe – Germany, USA – Florida.
18. It's a must to compare the kinds of insurances and benefits (full tank, sunroof, etc). You should ask how much you must add, if you return the car in a different country from where you rented it, find out how much is the extra insurance with you move to eastern Europe countries, what is the Deductible in case of an accident, etc. You need to make sure there are no safety limitations: traveling on ferries, entering certain countries, especially in the east, entering Italy, Mexico, age limitation, etc.
Its very recommended to make an extended insurance against accidents with a third side insurance, as well as an included Deductible insurance, in addition to the mandatory ones(theft for example). Other than then, there is no need to pay for any insurance program.
Insurance Codes:
CDW - Collision Damage Waiver: insurance for the rented car and for the other car. There is Deductible.
SCDW- Deductible included insurance for the rented car and for the other car. Many Companies don’t give you the Deductible included in the rent itself, charge you about 5-6 Euros per day, and if god forbid there is any damage to the car, you begin a tiring journey: You pay a fine about 400 Euros Deductible without any right to appeal, When you get back to your home country, you start negotiating with the company, fill out forms and eventually, they pay you back the money, but a lot of time pass till you reach there and along the way, you get very annoyed. There are some companies that do include the Deductible and save you a lot of money.
PAI - Personal Accidents Insurance.
TP - Third Person Liability Protection: insurance against all kinds of third person faults (theft for example).
STP – Deductible Included – not mandatory but recommended.
SLI – expended third person insurance (recommended only in the USA).
You can cancel the add-ons within 24 hours.
CDW TP – all the offers are included (there is a deductible – different in each country).
It's recommended to order the add-ons in your home country.
The insurance company is exempted from paying you any compensation if the car keys were left somewhere by you and thus allowing or making the stealing of the car an easy job.
The insurance companies won't pay the full value of the content of the cargo inside the car if the keys were left inside or if you didn’t lock the car properly.
None of the insurances above cover for damages to the panes, tires and to the lower part of the vehicle.
19. International driving license + valid Israeli driving license: Remember!! Not every country acknowledges the Israeli driving license. By Israel laws and other places around the world, it is stated that the national driving license is the international one. The insurance companies won't acknowledge the international driving license abroad because it's a result of an agreement between ministers and not the result of the law, and that being so, they are not insured with Lloyd's. Their policy demands international driving license along with the national one. There is also a situation that certain authorities are not aware of the law existing in their country. Therefore, its best to take both driving license (international+national).
Places you can get an international driving license: MEMSI, and some of the mail branches. Anyway, it's preferable to get the license near the date of your flight so you'll have more time to use it.
20. Make sure that you have an international credit card. Most of the renting companies doesn’t allow taking their car without giving them your credit card number to ensure payment for every damaged made to the car or for an empty tank needed to be filled.
Name on credit card must be identical to invite the vehicle (it registered) to identify the main driver, a driver's license law. If name is not identical to, the rental company may request cash bail for hundreds of euros / dollars or disagree car rental
21. Make sure that you have the right renting car voucher.
22. In every rent there is a registration payment that costs about 9 dollars in case of cancellation.
23. Payments made abroad: road taxes, equipment like baby chair, ski roof, snow chains, additional driver insurance or a young driver insurance, insurances expansions , harbor taxes if they weren't paid in your country, traffic fines, highways taxes, etc.
24. Always check and look when you leave the car rent agency: when you receive the car, even before you get it out of the company's parking lot, check the car from all angles ,make sure that the car is in perfect condition (and if there are damages, make sure to write them down in the lease form, otherwise you will be charged when you return the car and the price won't be cheap. Also make sure that you have a spare tire, that the tires are fully filled with air ,and that you have everything you need to change a tire, a safety triangle, and a full gas tank (make sure what kind of fuel the car uses or else it costs repairs). Check if the car's license/warranties are in the car (usually in gloves cell). If one of them is absent, go back to the agency. Besides the fact that you must have these papers in the car (sometimes you need to show them when you cross the border or when an accident accurs or when a police officer stops you at the side), there are good chances that the car agency won't be able to make new papers for the specific car, and they'll change your car. With a little luck – they will upgrade it. Check for the driver's tools (tires keys, an elevator and a warning triangle). Check the amount of gas in the tank (by watching at the fuel-meter). Ask to receive instructions about operating the car's systems: opening the hood\trunk, location of the driver's tools' ,operating the handles (near the steering wheel), ask about the different buttons inside the car, about locking the car (ask to receive the secret password) in case there is central lock controlled by a remote. In some countries, it is mandatory to have a reflecting light jacket inside the car, in case you need to stop at the side of the road. If you hadn’t received one, demand for it. Personally, I prefer buying one at the nearest gas station and taking it back home. Make sure that you have fully read the leasing rules, including the parts that appear at the bottom of the leasing voucher. When you are at the rental company, check that you have written the address and phone number of the return point, in order to avoid uncertainty and unnecessary delays. Also, ask for a map that would help you find the return station. It's very much recommended to take the road maps at the rental station, they will help you. Ask the workers there for instructions on the map on how to get out of the area, to the destination direction.
25. On the roads: crossing between certain countries requires buying a sticker at the border station, which allows you to drive on that country's roads. Driving on those roads without the sticker might get you a fine. In any case, its recommended to ask for one when you get the car. Make sure that you have a parking clock that allows you to park the car for several hours. If you don’t have one, you should buy one. Make sure that you have a stamp for driving the roads (some countries demand it). Again, it's recommended to buy one if you do not receive it from the rental company.
26. Returning the car: return the car with a full tank!! And no funny business, or else you will be charged an excessive price of a full tank from your credit card. Pay attention, some of the airports in Europe close their gas stations at noon, so fill the tank close to the airport. Keep the voucher you got from the renting company even after you have returned the car – just in case there will be some problems. Return the car to the return location you have declared when you took it, since returning it in a different location might affect the lease program of the company and they might extra charge you. Demand to have a copy of the lease contract at the end of the process, and make sure you've got confirmation that you returned the car without any damage. Keep that copy to clarify if something goes wrong. Most of the central airports in Europe have a service box when the renting station is close, and you need to put the keys and the lease contract inside it. In that case, you won't get any confirmation of returning the car, no refund will be given back to you due to partial use of the coupon if you return the car sooner than determined.
27. Any commitment or/and oral promise given abroad doesn’t require the renting company at your home country to follow.
General rules:
Please follow the traffic laws accepted in the county where you drive. Traffic laws vary from one country to another, regarding the driving speed allowed, signs, traffic lights, directional movement, parking, road signs and more. Fines in most of Europe countries and the United States, even parking fines, are not normal. If you get caught and get a fine, pay it before you leave the country, because the car's renting company will charge you for additional expenses beyond covering the fine.
In case of a malfunction, accident or car theft, please report the renting company. Please demand the emergency number of the company (usually printed on the lease contract). In case the rent includes road services, make contact with the renting company to get an immediate help or a car exchange. In cases like accidents or car theft, you must also report the local police. You must keep copies of everything in case of a claim...
Keep the car locked, and take valuable belongings and hand bags each time you exit the car. In case you have rented a GPS system, remove it every time you leave the car
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