You might need to rent a car for any number of reasons depending on your circumstances. This need might arise completely out of the blue or as part of a long-term plan. In either case, organising a rental car can seem like an intimidating process. Although the actual act of securing the hire car is very straightforward, it can be time consuming to find the right deal on the right vehicle in the right location. This post is here to help you find the car rental in Durham that will best cater to your needs.

How to choose the right car rental

If you have the time to plan when and why you need a rental car, it’s important to use that time to shop around and find the right car rental company. Without doing the proper research you could end up being overcharged for a hire car that isn’t suited to the purpose you need it for. What’s more, you could be putting yourself in unnecessary risk of additional charges.

Your first instinct will probably be to look at the prices offered by companies in your area in relation to the budget you’ve set yourself. Although this is a good start, there are other factors in choosing the right car rental. Here are our top tips for getting the best results out of your vehicle rental:

• Know what you need – think about how many people and how much luggage you’ll be transporting, as well as where and for how long. This will help you rule out certain offers.
• Discounts – if you know you’ll need a hire car well in advance, you may be able to save money by booking ahead of time. Some companies can also have special offers and other discounts, so this is worth checking.
• Compare companies – as mentioned above, every company that offers rental vehicles will have different policies, procedures, cars, and prices. They may even specialise in renting cars for a particular purpose. Doing some online research will help establish which companies are best suited to your needs.
• Check the car – before you drive away, do a quick inspection of the interior and exterior of the vehicle. This will reveal any dents, scratches, and other damage the vehicle has which you can report to the rental company. However, you should then also do a more thorough check to make sure the car is in working order. Included in these checks should be the tyre pressure, fuel level, windscreen wipers, lights, and suspension.

Choosing the right car for your journey

Of course, the biggest deal breaker when it comes to which rental company is right for is the cars they have in stock. After all, if they don’t have any four wheel drive cars available to rent for your camping holiday in the Scottish highlands then it’s just not going to work. It’s therefore necessary to consider what type of car and car features will be best to meet your needs. To help you with this, we’ve grouped together the key areas you should focus on when you come to choose a hire car.

Size

The size of the car is arguably the most important factor in considering whether or not the vehicle can fulfil your needs. There should be enough space for everyone to fit inside. It’s often best to allow a little extra room also, just so people can relax on especially long journeys. In the same vein, there should be enough boot space to accommodate everything you want to take with you. Generally, the longer the trip, the more stuff you’ll need to take with you. Even if you aren’t able to view the hire care in person, you can make sure it has the right number of seats and you can compare its measurements to another car if possible.

Features

Regardless of your plans, you want the car you’re hiring to provide you with a comfortable experience. Alongside being well suited for the driving environment, features like air conditioning, leg room, comfortable head rests, and more. While not all of these features will be essential for the car to serve its purpose, some may be more beneficial than others depending on the nature of your trip. For instance, if you’re going on holiday to a hot country then it’s imperative that the hire car has good quality air conditioning.

Transmission

It’s often a good idea to rent a car with the same transmission as you’re used to. Manual drivers won’t necessarily have too hard of a time switching to automatic, it just makes for a better experience to stick with what you know. Of course, it’s not recommended for someone who’s only been taught to drive in an automatic to hire a manual rental car.

Fuel economy

As a renter, you still have to pay for all the refuelling of the car during the rental period. So while you might have a vision of renting an exciting sports car, just bear in mind that it will cost more in petrol. If you need to budget fuel costs, map out the route you’ll be driving and total up the miles. This will give you a rough estimate of the additional expenses in this area, which can then be decreased by renting a car with a good fuel economy.

Price

You should have decided on a price range when you come to hire a car. However, bear in mind that the cost to hire a car is often calculated by the day. As such, if you go for a slightly higher priced rental offer it could add up to much more over the course of the period.

Business vs personal car rental

It is usually more financially beneficial to rent a car for business purposes rather than personal use. This is because you can claim back some or all of the VAT on the cost of the rental. The only potential negative is that commercial car renting typically has to take place over a longer period of time.

Croxdale car rental offers and leasing

As a Durham car rental business providing services to those across the North East, Croxdale have spent years gaining an understanding of the needs of those in the local area. Our team know all the potential terrain types you’ll be likely to encounter in this part of the country, and we’ll be happy to advise you on a rental based on where you’re going. To get on the road as quickly as possible, the best way to contact us is via our phone line or through our website. We’re always on hand to help.