How to Hire a Car Abroad
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Are you planning to hire a car abroad? We have done it multiple times and enjoyed the freedom to move freely without worrying about tight schedules. Our comprehensive car hire guide offers valuable tips.
Covered in the Article
Car Hire - Freedom and Challenges
Most adult travellers are holders of a national driver's licence issued in their home country. Car hire companies are popping up everywhere like mushrooms. This indicates the increasing demand for car hire among travellers. Even though you may be driving every day in the country you currently reside in, hiring a car during a vacation in a foreign country can still be challenging. The traffic environment can be strange, and an unfamiliar car can be challenging too.
In many destinations, hiring a car is the easiest way to move around. This is particularly true in distant natural destinations with poor public transportation. Going on a day trip via a tour package and exploring the sights at your destination is wise, but going on a road trip around the country is even wiser. A hired car gives you more freedom and often becomes a cheaper way to explore.
Who Can Hire a Car?
You need a valid driver's licence to hire a car. You may need both an international and a national driving licence, and a national driving licence issued in your country of residence. That is the case, for example, in Israel. A licence from any EU country is often enough in the EU area. Almost all car hire companies require the driver's licence to be at least one year old. Rarely can you find some of the few companies making exceptions to this rule, usually smaller car hire companies.
Younger and older people may need to pay extra fees to hire a car. In some circumstances, some of these age groups find it impossible to hire a car at all. At least, the most expensive cars are often excluded from the young/inexperienced drivers. If a company refuses to let you buy a car because of your age, you may always call them and try to negotiate.
The exact terms vary between car hire companies. Big chains often have stricter terms than small private companies. Big companies may also be unwilling to negotiate. Sometimes, the insurance company sets the terms, so the car hire company can't deal with them. Before placing a booking, read the terms carefully.
Driving a Hire Car Abroad
Before looking for a hire car, take a little time to do proper background checks thoroughly. Traffic culture at the destination may differ from your home country, and roads may be more difficult to drive on. With enough background information, it will ease your decision about hiring a car.
Use Google to find information about the traffic rules in the destination. Discover people's genuine driving experiences. YouTube is great for videos of people driving in famous tourist spots. Again, with enough information, you are ready to decide whether to drive yourself on holiday.
Things to Understand When Hiring a Car
The car hire process is simple in theory. Find a car, hire and pay for it and then drive. This is how it works in theory, but in the booking phase, there are essential details you need to understand.
Comparison and Booking
Hiring anything from a small car to a big van is possible. Naturally, the better car you wish to hire, the higher the price. That's why the first task is to decide the car size you wish to hire. A small car may be enough if you travel alone or with someone. A bigger car is more suitable when the whole family is with you. However, as studies prove, bigger cars are safer than smaller ones in collisions. Large vehicles weigh more and have longer hoods and bigger crush zones, giving them an advantage in frontal crashes.
A small car is more practical if you intend to drive in the mountains.
On car hire companies' websites, you will see a list of car brands with photos. Rarely, you will get the brand you have chosen but a similar car in the same size class. For example, if you hire Toyota Aygo, you may get Citroen C1. Or if you hire Ford Fiesta, they may give you Opel Corsa. The car you'll get is often better than the one you've chosen.
Our advice is not to get fixed to the brand but to choose the size class. If you're looking for a car with extra features like parking radar or automated gears, select a car class that offers these features.
It is not enough to compare just cars , but you also need to compare car hire companies. Unfortunately, there are some companies with a bad reputation. Usually, these companies offer cheaper car hire fees, but their cars may be in bad condition. If you mistakenly choose a cheap car hire company, you may end up paying for damages you never caused. If a company has a poor rating, it is best to skip it and choose a cheaper competitor.
Add-ons and Accessories
Car hire companies are eager to sell add-on services. That is a way to make their business more profitable.
An extra driver add-on gives another person the right to drive the car. You must buy this service if two people drive the same car. Some car hire companies permit multiple drivers, provided the car hire agreement signer remains in the vehicle at all times.
Many other services are also available: GPS, Wi-Fi, child seat, etc. Choose only the ones you need.
Bottom Line
We recommend driving a car during vacations. It is important to prepare well. Compare prices and book a car only from reputable companies.
Read the hire car terms and understand the insurance coverage well. It is advisable to purchase additional coverage, but this can be obtained at a lower price from third parties. For example, Discover Cars sells inexpensive full protection covers.
As long as you follow the car hire terms well, there won't be any extra fees. Also, local traffic laws should be followed to avoid unnecessary fines. We recommend downloading an offline map of the region you are travelling to save data while navigating. Lastly, be willing to give way to speeding drivers. Prioritise safety while driving in all cases! Don't drink and drive. Fasten your seat belt and have a happy journey!
Have you hired a car abroad? Please share your experience or any additional tips with us.
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Comments (2)
Thanks to you, I now understand that finding out what local traffic condition looks like on a regular basis is a must to ensure we hire the right vehicle which suits the situation. I'll let my pen pal know about this so he could make a reservation properly after this. He'll be visiting New York for the first time next weekend and wonders if he should drive a car there.
Hi Amy,
Great to hear that you find this article helpful.
I just want to say that you have been ripped off for all your rentals and have paid over twice what I ever have. You should never pay the hire company to reduce your excess as this will normally cost more than the rental. Third party excess reduction insurance normally only costs £40 a year. The most I have paid for a rental was in France for around £25 a day. Cheapest was Croatia for £8 a day. I use economy car rentals to search for cars.
Thank you for a good comment.
We have a yearly 3rd party excess insurance costing less than 30 euros. Sometimes, buying excess insurance from the car hirer has a few benefits: return inspection is fast and dealing with minor scratches simple.
But you are right. Third party insurances become much cheaper.
We have not always chosen the cheapest rental companies. Just because their customer service level reflects the cheap price.