Car Rental in California
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Hi there,
Visiting California in October and looking for recommendations for Car Hire companies through personal experience? Looked at the major companies, all coming in at not too different prices so looking for recommendations.
I've read that if it is less than a year (it is, its about 9 days worth of rental), I can just drive on my UK Driving License? Is this true?
Thanks,
Mark
Visiting California in October and looking for recommendations for Car Hire companies through personal experience? Looked at the major companies, all coming in at not too different prices so looking for recommendations.
I've read that if it is less than a year (it is, its about 9 days worth of rental), I can just drive on my UK Driving License? Is this true?
Thanks,
Mark
0
Comments
I recommend Hertz but make sure you get full insurance cover.
Yeah there are so many different insurance types and offers. Do I just want everything?
You will have options available to you when you pick up your car (road side assistance etc) which I normally just go for - it was $6 a day (we went through Dollar), plus you will have local taxes to pay also.
You can use your UK car licence - you will need both parts and a credit card in your name.
Have fun
Both drivers have to have a licence at the same address.
A lot of people don't realise this and pay for an additional driver up front.
I also usually book a fully inclusive package in the UK and resolutely refuse to take any of the additional 'offers' they try to sell when I pick up the car. (If you get a fully inclusive package in the UK it should include everything and you should not have any additional taxes to pay.)
Also watch for the upgrade scam, where they say they only have a car in a category above the one you booked so they will let you have that. There is evidence that sometimes they will still add the additional upgrade cost in the small print. (Tends to be franchisees rather than corporate branches.)
My household admin skills are not the best, but I had my licence safely filed away and was not allowed to drive in the US
Didn't matter in my case as OH loves driving and was happy to do it all, but could have caused absolute havoc if I was the only or main driver........
Try Alamo.
Car rental gets complicated. There are numerous possible cost elements, some of which may or may not apply in particular circumstances:
Basic rental (depends of type of vehicle and duration, and perhaps which states you can drive the car in, and the time of year).
Mileage charge (unless you can get unlimited mileage, which would be essential if you're going to be travelling around).
One-way rental (if you pick the car up at one location and drop it off at another, but this often doesn't apply within California eg there's often no charge for LA to SF or vice versa).
CDW (Collision Damage Waiver, effectively an insurance which covers the cost of damage to the car).
Additional "top-up" insurance (protects you against claims from anyone you might injure or cause property damage to, and provides you with compensation should you suffer damage from an uninsured motorist).
Charge for additional driver(s).
Charge for young drivers.
Child seat rental.
Winter equipment rental (chains, ski racks) (but not in October!)
Refuelling cost (whether you return the car full or empty, different rules apply with different companies).
US sales tax.
I think you'll need a credit card to pay and a debit card isn't acceptable. Perhaps other posters can comment on this.
Is what less than a year, the rental period? I would imagine that's usually the case! Unless you're planning on moving there for good then you're better off buying a car.
A UK licence is good for car rental pretty much everywhere. But beware some age restrictions (and possibly certain endorsements), and also you may need to have held the licence for some minimum period.
I've never been asked for the paper counterpart, but you need to have it with you.
Insurance was booked through http://www.carhireexcess.com/ though there are others, definitely don't get your insurance though the rental company like you do here because they will sting you for it. Most US drivers rent using their existing insurance.
Your UK driving licence will be fine - I was never asked for the paper counterpart but it doesn't hurt to have it.
Another thing to watch out for is that a lot of fuel in the USA is now mixed with ethanol to varying degrees. Ethanol makes the fuel cheaper and burns more cleanly but it doesn't produce as much power. Some cars have a badge on the back called FlexFuel which means you can use a higher concentration of ethanol which may seem cheaper to fill up but I suspect it was more expensive in the long run. Perhaps save that for the last fill up before you take the car back! Also use http://gasbuddy.com/ to find the cheapest fuel in any area.
One more thing, don't even think about speeding. The cops there are much more strict than they are here (sometimes just 3mph over) though there aren't speed cameras everywhere like here they do have red light cameras. If a police officer does decide to fine you ($120 in Wyoming for speeding) you will need to pay it there and then or go to jail.
A big bonus is satellite radio if you can get it. It's much better than the regular FM and will keep your station through the countryside (of which there is a lot!)
You ARE required to have the paper part of your license with you but I've never once been asked to show it. I'd imagine it's because all US licenses are just a photocard so they are happy enough with just that.
Work out how many miles you think you'll be driving (use Google Maps) and work out if you're best option is to go for an unlimited miles car or a restricted one. I often find that unlimited works out cheaper and you also don't need to worry about it at all. Obviously build a little bit of contingency in just in case you end up doing a bit more than you iriginally thought.
Definitely try for a free upgrade when you get there, especially if your flight arrives late at night/early in the morning when a lot of the "normal" cars are out for hire already.
Don't use the car rental companies refuelling, it will cost you a fortune and you'll see signs for gas stations at almost every exit on the Interstates.
If you're going to be there for more than a week or so, it'll more than likely work out cheaper for you to buy and bring your own Sat Nav with you. From memory, Hertz charge around $11 a day for a GPS, our company bought one with European and US maps on it for £100.
Picking up and dropping off at the same location makes it cheaper. Airports are always cheaper to pick up/drop off from than the other locations.
We always use Hertz so I can't comment on other providers but they are always, always excellent and the cars are generally pretty good too (one exception which was swapped out the next day)
Yeah, I've never had a hire car in the US that came without insurance, the insurance offered is fine as it normally covers everything apart from the underneath if you decide to go off roading! Always has zero excess too