3 Crucial Rental Car Tips for First Timers
Your first time renting a car can be both confusing and stressful with numerous factors to take into consideration. What do you need to prepare in advance? How do you know that you are not being overcharged? The list of worries is simply endless. However, short-term car rentals in Singapore might not be as scary as you might first think.
In the following paragraphs, we will be giving you our top 3 crucial tips to ensuring a smooth first vehicle rental experience.
1st tip: Insurance
Safety is first, especially when it comes to driving on the road, which is why it is important to ensure that you are covered by your insurance in the case of an accident in a rental car. When it comes to rental car insurance, there are two options for you to choose from. You could either choose to rely on your existing insurance plan, or you could choose to sign one from the rental car company. Let us go through what you should take note of in both options.
Firstly, your insurance plan. If you do decide to stick with your existing insurance plan, you should check if your plan covers potential accidents in rental cars. A common error amongst those who are new to car rentals is that they assume that their insurance protects them from such incidents, but that is not always the case. To be on the safe side, it is a good habit for you to always check with your car rental company whether you are protected in a rental car or not.
The second choice is to purchase insurance that is sold by rental companies. Many rental companies will always offer you insurance plans with the promise that you will be protected financially in the case of potential accidents. However, there is a catch. These insurance plans contain something called a concept of excess where there is a minimum repair cost that you will have to bear. For example, if the insurance plan has an excess of $600 and the cost of repair is $200, you will have to pay the full $200 out of your pocket. However, if the repair cost is $1,200, then you will still have to pay $600, with the insurance policy covering the remaining cost. This means that unless it is a serious accident, the likelihood is that you will have to pay for the majority of the repair cost. So, do make sure to clarify the terms and conditions of the insurance with the rental company before signing.
2nd tip: Extra costs
Those who are experienced in renting cars will know that there are many ways to incur extra charges, which is why there are certain checks that you will have run through when renting a car. These checks consist of 2 main components, the exterior of the car and the fuel level.
- Exterior damage refers to any potential scratches or dents. There are times when the previous lessee of the car has left exterior damages on the car without the rental company noticing. If left unnoticed, the cost of repairs for these damages might befall upon you. Hence why it is important to thoroughly inspect your rental car’s body to avoid being falsely charged.
- Fuel levels. Certain car rental companies have something known as the full-to-full policy. A policy where the lessee is given the keys to a car with a tank full of fuel and is expected to return the car with a full tank. However, there are times where the car you are renting might not be filled to the brim despite the policy. In such cases, you should always bring up the problem to the car rental company and negotiate an agreement, or else you might be charged extra for no reason.
3rd tip: Choose your car wisely
The final tip is arguably the most logical yet most easily forgotten one out of the three. It is the car that you will be renting.
Since it will be your first time renting a car, it is extremely easy to get carried away with the variety of vehicle choices you are presented with. After all, who would not be tempted to just rent a two-seater coupe and ride off into the sunset. However, when renting a car, it is all about what you need, not what you want. If your reason for renting a car is for a family road trip, then the logical choice of vehicle would be a family sedan. On the other hand, if you are renting a vehicle to move houses, a heavy-duty lorry would be the better option. Doing so will help you to ensure that you are not simply wasting money by renting the inappropriate car for the occasion.
There you have it, our 3 crucial tips for a newbie in car renting. As long as you keep these 3 tips in mind when renting a car for the first time, you can be sure to avoid any potential rookie mistakes.
If you are looking for a short-term car rental service in Singapore, then Edmund Vehicle Rental might be the right choice for you. Versatile and reliable, Edmund Rental Company provides leasing of long and short-term commercial vehicles and cars, from pick-ups, lorries and vans to sedan cars and minibuses suiting our customer’s every need. Get started by contacting us.
