Hiring a Car for a Business Trip – What You Need to Know

The car rental business is ferociously competitive, which means the services offered are often firmly squeezed to keep the headline price low enough to make it onto the price comparison sites. This, in turn, means it pays to stay abreast of this business model so you can ask the right questions and avoid any upsets. In other words, do your homework, and don’t wait until you’re standing at the desk with your laptop and a tight schedule to weigh-up your options. First and foremost on your list should be to speak to the experts, such as those at Mayday Vehicle Rentals, who can fill in the blanks. Knowledge is power, as we all know.

Insurance

High on the priority list should be to call your insurance company, or your firms insurance company, to ask if the existing policy covers rental cars. Check that this covers for a business trip, not just non-work related trips. If you need to take the car to Europe, then you need to double-check the paper work to be sure you are all covered.

Who drives?

If you’re traveling in a group, make sure you decide in advance who is driving. Failure to do so means an embarrassing discussion at the rental desk, and wasted time and money if you then need to get two drivers added to the insurance. In short, designate one driver and stick to it.

Book in advance

Shopping around and booking in advance are all good options when hiring a car for personal use, and the same goes for business trips. Most companies will allow you to cancel last minute so there is no added pressure in booking in advance. Avoid renting from the airport, as the fees and levies the rental companies have to pay get passed on to the customer. Also, consider booking for longer as the system may well reduce the price automatically for, say, seven days, so it is cheaper than five days. Again, start in advance and play around. Finally, speak to your airline frequent flier and credit card company to see if there are any partner deals.

Fees

The car rental company will ask for a deposit to be left on a credit card. If this is for a business trip, you need to check the limit on the company card so that there won’t be a problem at the desk. If the daily limit isn’t high enough, call the bank to ask for a temporary increase in advance. There will also be other fees which may not be obvious at first glance. Make sure you ask about the fees and get the rental company to confirm the price before you sign anything.

Returning the rental

There is always an extra charge to pay if the car is dropped-off in a different place, so be sure to do a loop or factor in the price.

We hope you enjoy your trip!