For every travel enthusiast car rental Dubai is a part of holidaying as much as booking a flight or confirming a hotel room & in order to get the best possible airfares and room rates, they toil hard to hunt for the same. While they spend more time researching these rates, they ignore the much important car rental expenses.
Most of them don’t give car rental spending the same scrutiny as they give to airfares and room rates, as some of them may have the misconception that car rental rates are same all over and little research is a just a waste of time.
But a little research can save you from the jolt later on!
While airlines nowadays are bound to reveal additional fees, surcharges and taxes publically but car-hire companies can still hide extra costs in the fine print, leaving you with a shocker when you check out later.
So when you rent a car in Dubai it is very important to know what you need and what you don’t in order to avoid being taken for a ride by the car hire companies.
What follows are the tips for lowering your car rental overheads by avoiding the hidden fees and charges.
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The ‘full-empty’ fuel policy! Looks promising
While there are many fuel policies to choose from like Full to Full fuel policy, Pre-Purchase policy, free tank policy and full empty fuel policy.
But hitting you with a petrol bill before you have even taken the driver’s seat is surely not the best way to start your holiday in Dubai. Therefore many companies here offer the choice of “full empty” fuel policy, which means you can pay for the full petrol tank and can return when it is empty.
Yes, this option may be feasible over the other, but it also comes with certain limitations. First, they may charge you with the inflated petrol price, and the second limitation is that while you may not use full fuel present in the tank but you won’t be refunded for the remaining. However, there are some companies who will provide with the refund for the unused fuel but they will still charge you with service charges.
So before confirming your booking
“It is advisable to look for the firms that will let you return the rented car with the same amount of fuel in the tank that it had before you picked it up”
ALSO READ: 5 CHEAP WAYS TO RENT A CAR ON MONTHLY BASIS IN DUBAI
Early Return Fee charges! Bizarre?
We all know that most of the companies will fine you with some amount if you return the car late, but did you know that by returning the car early you will also be charged.
Yes, that’s true! Some car lease companies in Dubai may charge you an amount of money for breaking the contract by returning the car earlier. They can also compensate the amount from the discount which they offered when you rented a car.
So in order to avoid the situation, you can contact the company for your early arrival and confirm if such charges exist.
Additional drivers
If you are planning on splitting the driving on your way to the destination then be prepared to pay more. However, a common scenario exists in this case that you may forget to ask the companies for a quote for an additional driver. The firms usually demand 10 AEDs to 15 AEDs for an extra driver- which eventually mounts up each passing day. This doesn’t even include the insurance fee that covers the additional driver.
The solution is to look for the companies who don’t charge for the additional drivers or the companies who waive the fee if the additional driver is primary driver’s spouse. However, not all companies have such policy.
Avoiding Car Rental Equipment Fees
You might be quite happy about getting a good deal of cheap car rental in Dubai, but a low-priced car can sometimes come with a long list of hidden costs. For example, if you want to add a GPS unit for the navigation you will be charged extra and same goes for child seats, Wi-Fi devices etc.
Don’t fall into trap of buying the additional equipment from the car rental companies. Instead, you can buy it at lower rates yourself. For GPS unit you can download the GPS app on your smartphone and can use it for navigation.
ALSO READ: HOW TO EXPLORE DUBAI IN 99 AEDS OR LESS?
Check the car for pre-existing damage
It is highly advised to inspect the rented car for the pre-existing damage before pick up. You can also make a video or take photos of the dents and scratches if found in order to avoid disputes later on. If the damage is not already listed in the report provided to you by the company then make sure to inform the damage to the company representative before you leave.
If this thing is avoided, the company can later penalise you for not reporting the same.
So next time you rent a car in Dubai on Daily, Weekly & Monthly basis , make sure to ask questions to the company regarding everything whether that is discussed above or not.
And we know by hiring a car you want to explore and discover every corner of Dubai but without planning, you may end up paying more than it requires.
What is the bizarre rental car fee that you have been ever charged? Tell us in the comments
Brief and descriptive!