When you want to travel, renting a car provides several advantages. The biggest advantage of renting a vehicle is independence. In fact, we do not depend on the public transport schedule and we avoid the stress of missing out at the start. We are also much more comfortable riding in privacy on long journeys. You can stop at any time you want, for example for breaks. lunch or small needs. The car can also be put to other uses. The vehicle can be used for several short trips such as during explorations or sightseeing tours during vacation.
Some elements not to neglect before renting a car
It should be remembered that if you want to drive in a foreign country, you must have an international license. Fortunately, it is easy to obtain it for free by requesting it from your town hall or prefecture. The validity of the license is 3 years. To ensure you make the right choice, you must be well informed down to the smallest details of the commercial offer. The best is to compare the offers of several agencies. The rental price is not a sufficient criterion for choosing a car. Once the choice is made, you must read the contract carefully and ask questions for clarification. The contract clauses must present the conditions of use of the car, the duration of the rental and the rates applied.
Furthermore, each agency will offer its own payment formula. Most of the time, there will be a deposit to put aside which can be blocked on the bank card. When the car rental comes to an end, we release the amount which we subtract with the rental amount. This deposit constitutes a sort of guarantee for the agency in the event that some damage has been caused to the car. In this way, the agency will be able to deduct the price of the compensation from this deposit. In addition, when you take the car from the agency, you must carry out a complete inventory of the vehicle with the presence of an agent from the rental company: bodywork, windshield, tires, etc. The agency must be transparent about the condition of the car and inform in advance of the existence of cracks, scratches or dents, for example. The point is to become aware of the faults already present before using the car and to pay attention to them when driving.
A type of car suitable for travel
The car model will obviously depend on the getaway and the journeys to be made. You must also evaluate the number of kilometers to travel to choose the offer that best suits your budget. You must first determine what use you want to make of the vehicle in question. Rental cars are divided into several categories based on type, fuel consumed as well as value. On the one hand, they are generally classified according to the letters of the alphabet. The letter A corresponds, for example, to a small city car like a Renault Twingo or a Peugeot 106. On the other hand, they can be classified according to indicative titles: economical, compact, family, etc. The classification will depend on the car rental company.
For short journeys, a small model is sufficient and will be profitable both in the rental price and in the cost of fuel to be incurred. For the large families with a lot of luggage, a spacious vehicle will be recommended. In this case, we can therefore choose minivans. If you want to drive comfortably, sedans are ideal. If you plan to explore nature, unpaved roads or trails, all-terrain vehicles are recommended. The criteria for finalizing your choice will of course depend on the planned budget, the number of passengers to be transported and the desired use. It is still advisable to take a slightly higher category of car to feel more comfortable. The reason is that the price gap between two categories is generally small.
The conditions to be met to be able to rent a car
Regulatory conditions apply to customers of car rental agencies. You must meet certain conditions if you want to sign a rental contract and at the same time drive the vehicle. You must first be over 21 years old. However, age requirements vary slightly between agencies. Some rental companies require a customer to be at least 25 years old. Then, you must have a driving license valid for more than one year. At the same time, we may not accept declarations of loss, declarations of theft, “white” licenses or licenses with restricted validity. If you specify going and driving in a foreign country, your national license must be accompanied by an international license.
Then, you must present documents which prove your identity and address, in particular the national identity card or proof of income. The supporting documents must be original and less than two months old. Finally, the rental company must have a means of payment in their own name. It is the person in charge of the rental who must pay. It should be noted that for the rental of luxury cars, the conditions are reinforced because of the high value of the vehicle. For example, it is required to have two credit cards in this case.
Concretely, to rent a car, you must present a few documents. There is the identity card, the driving license, proof of address such as the residence certificate, a confirmation document such as a confirmation email if you booked via the internet or by telephone as well as the payment bank card labeled to the identity of the person who will be behind the wheel. As a financial step, you must make a security deposit in the event of any damage caused during the rental. The guarantee also serves to cover some additional billing. You must also make an advance on the rental, the purpose of which is to guarantee payment of the rental.