Sharing a vehicle is one of the ideal options for exploring a new place. However, most people hate the idea for varied safety reasons. If you plan to hire a car when touring a certain place, below are the tips to ensure you enjoy a restful and safe tour.
Familiarize yourself with the process
Before you hire a car, you need to get the details regarding the car share company’s policies. In particular, you can ask them how you will share the cost of the car that suffers from damage. Also, ensure you get the contact numbers of the staff you can contact if you experience an emergency.
Consult for routes and directions
You might waste a lot of time when traveling by car to an unknown place. Therefore, you need to consult the owner regarding the best route to avoid taking unsafe and wrong roads. You can also consult the organization to determine if they know the local service stations.
Avoid luxurious cars
You might find it tempting to hire a Mercedes convertible car or a shiny new BMW, but you need to be sensible and practical if you wish to save. Although car share companies charge varying rates, smaller cars tend to be the cheapest. Further, flashy and luxurious cars might attract burgers and draw unwanted attention.
Understanding the fuel policy
When comparing the car share options, ensure you confirm the fuel policy to minimize the share costs. The common options you have to include:
- Pay what you use- In this case, you will be expected to return the vehicle and pay the amount used. Therefore, you need to note the initial fuel level. Fortunately, if you choose car sharing Baltimore services, you might find this option cost-effective since you will pay only for the fuel that you use.
- Full to full- The share company might offer you a full tank and expect that you will refill the car to capacity.
Full to empty
Some companies have a scam of promising to offer you a full tank, but you pay upfront. In such a case, you are told to return the vehicle empty because you will not receive a refund for unused fuel. However, if you travel for a short distance, you will waste your money by taking such a policy. Full-to-empty policies are very common in European countries, and you need to avoid a company that offers them.
Be aware of hidden charges
Some companies might have numerous hidden fees which they apply to your total bill. Such charges include:
- Additional driver fee– Unless you plan to take a long road trip requiring more than one driver who will take turns, it is advisable only to have one driver. That is because some companies might charge you for additional drivers.
- Additional mileage– A section of share car firms set a cap on the distance you can travel per day. Such cases are more common with smaller and local firms in Europe. Therefore, you should read the terms and conditions before hiring a certain company.
- Late pick-up– You need to enter the details of your flight when looking for a car. That means the staff knows when your flight is delayed so as not to share the car with another customer.
- Late return– When returning a car share car, most firms provide a grace period. However, others start to charge hourly rates after you have gone beyond the agreed time.
- Vehicle registration fees– That fee is mostly added to your quote and charged as a daily rate to recover the expenses of registering a car.
Ensure you inspect the vehicle
You need to take your time to inspect the shared car and even take photographs regarding its state to offer you peace of mind. In particular, you can inspect the generation condition of the car, including the tires, lights, brakes, windshield, seat belts, and other safety equipment. In that way, you can avoid instances where the company might accuse you of damaging their car since you will have recorded evidence.
