Cheap Car Rental - Is It All Just Hire Cost?

Excusing the pun in the title, the fundamental question remains over whether the real cheap car rental, by which I mean the older cars from companies you've never heard of at a fraction of the price type dealers, is really worth it?

When you look at the numbers you really can pay out an initial amount on the rental that seems substantially less than you would expect to see an equivalent car at one of the major rental companies. Therein lies the rub though, that payment is only an initial amount unless you're very lucky.

As anyone who's rented a car in the past will tell you the industry is rife with additional charges. These charges stretch from additional fuel to scratches and dents and much more besides. When you rent with the big boys there's a pretty clear path of communication to follow should you need to complain about anything.

The real issue at the cheap end of the market is how you prove whether you did the damage you're being charged for to a car already so battered and bruised that you simply can't remember if it was there when you took out the rental or not.
Then there's the question of complying with local laws. For example in some European countries you are required to carry with you certain things like warning triangles, bright clothing, etc. by law. If you don't have these in the event of an accident you could be held liable if these items are not present. Obviously all the major car rental firms provide any such items as standard but would you be so sure with the cheap end guys?

On top of that, there's the inevitable discussion about insurance. While even with the big car renters this can be confusing, at least you know with some certainty that you are actually sufficiently insured to drive the car you've just rented. The question you need to ask yourself is whether that confidence has a price tag that you're willing to pay.

At the end of the day there's no question, cheap car rental service does exist and if you're fortunate you will be able to rent from these companies and save yourself some money. The problem is that it's a gamble. If nothing goes wrong you will save yourself some money, but if it all goes wrong you need to brace yourself because you could lose big.

John Abrahams is a life long traveller and works on various web projects including contributions at Popular Car Hire [http://www.popularcarhire.co.uk/] where he is a consultant editor working on the Car Hire Guide [http://www.popularcarhire.co.uk/rental-guide/index.htm].

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