Getting a Good Deal on Hiring a Car  

When it comes to car rentals in the United States, there are so many options. It is then a matter of importance to know how to get a good deal when you opt for a car rental. What then are the necessary things to take note of?  

One of the first things that you should be concerned about is of course, the car rental rates. Naturally, you would go for the more affordable ones. Still, this principle may not work all the time. There might be instances that your decision will be affected by other factors thus prompting you to choose a more expensive car rental. Your task then is to know what are all the factors involved and how to balance them so as to get the best deal. Take note that all these factors will depend upon your needs.  If you have a good idea of what it is you are looking for e.g. the class of car and the pickup location you'll be in a far better position to make a comparison between various options.

One of the factors that you should consider is the urgency of your need. If you intend to use the car right away, then you might not have enough time to find more affordable options. To help you cut down costs, it may be best that you should plan ahead. The thing you will be considering upon choosing where to rent a car is your current location. For your convenience purposes, you can always choose the ones nearest you. Commonly, car rental pick-up and drop-off areas are located near international airports and other major ports.  It's worth pointing out that there are often supplements for picking up a car from an airport.  Clearly there will be times when this is the best location to pickup the car.  However, taking Las Vegas as an example, you can probably take a cab for $10 to an off airport location and end up paying far less for your rental.

Another factor that would affect in choosing the best deal is the type of car you are going to hire. The decision would also be affected by the total number of people that are going to ride the car. You have a number of choices from low end economy to luxury cars. You can also select from small sized SUVs to spacious Vans when you are going out by the numbers. The costs vary on which type of vehicle you are going to rent. Of course, if you want to cruise around with style, there are plenty of car rental choices to be had. Examples are Mercedes-Benz, Corvette, BMW, Hummer and Escalade.  

One more aspect that affects in choosing which car rental you should pick is the extra charges. These charges include 3rd party insurance, vehicle damage costs, airport and location surcharges, theft protection and taxes. Some car rentals give charges to extra mileage and have cancellation fees.  

Considering 3rd party insurance, some car rentals give full insurance coverage in case of an accident. This includes the other vehicle involved and its occupants, the passengers in the vehicle you rented and all other 3rd party property that is involved, like garden walls, fences and others. 

Some car rentals also give charges to airport fees and location fees. Usually, they already include these charges in their quotations. It is best, though, that when renting a car, you should check all the inclusive fees first. This way, you would not be bothered anymore with extra payments after you have rented the vehicle. Know that it is already a common practice of some car rentals not to charge you with these extra fees initially and will only ask you for these certain fees later on.  

Another thing that you should consider is the insurance given in the event of car theft. Usually, car rental firms will let you sign a Theft Waiver when you rent a vehicle from them. There are others too that give full theft protection insurance. This kind of insurance gives you no liabilities for any damage to the vehicle rented in case it gets stolen.  

You should also check out if there is a limit to the mileage on the type of car you want to rent. For sure, there is a fee to the extra mileage that is consumed if the car rental firm has limited mileage for their vehicles. Some companies, however, offer unlimited mileage for all their rental vehicles.  

In the event of damage to the vehicle, the type of insurance you have will effect the payments you need to make.  Sadly, even a small scratch can result in a hefty damage bill, for this reason it's VITAL to check the car thoroughly when you get it.   These rental firms have insurance for their vehicles, and you only got to pay a certain amount of the repair price. The costs will vary depending on the car rental company and the type of vehicle rented.  

Some companies offer extra services and gadgets for extra cost as well. You can have a GPS navigation system added to the rented car. This of course has higher rates compared to those without the GPS. Some companies also offer lock-out service when you accidentally left the keys inside the car and the doors are locked. Other services that are offered are fuel services, flat tire services and battery services. This helps greatly in case of roadside accidents. It is up to you to know which of these services you really want to get. This way you can get a good car rental deal.  

Car rental rates vary with each car rental company, and some requires a minimum rental period of one day. Some car rental firms also have a limit in the number of rentable days. Most of these fees are tax inclusive, unless specified otherwise. Ask for this information just to be sure.  

You should also consider if there are cancellation fees involve in case you don't go through with the  rental a vehicle. Also, when looking at quotations, try to find out if there are no hidden charges. Some car rental firms try to hide their maximum mileage and will charge you when you go beyond the allowed mileage.  

One of the many ways to get a good deal on car rental is through the internet. By searching the web, you will find dozens of sites offering car rental services, particularly in the US. You can even have reservations through these sites. You can also compare quotations from these different sites to obtain the best car rental deal.  When searching online, visiting price comparison sites is a good place to start.  It gives you a feel for the market price - then you can start visting individual sites to see if you can get a better deal - priceline.com offers some incredible rates.

There might be other factors that could influence your choice and this in turn will be the basis of you finding a good car rental deal. Just make sure that you think things through, view as many options as possible. That way you would know exactly what you are getting.