Common Car Rental Tricks and How to Avoid Them

Having a rental car makes your commute easier but can also dig a hole in your budget. Several car rental companies in the city are out to scam holidaymakers who are unaware of the practices here. They have more than one trick up their sleeve to make money.

While most dubai car rental cheap companies are professional, it is better to be safe than sorry by being in the know about the most common car rental tricks. Here are 4 such tricks that you should be aware of:

Showing Pre-existing damage as New

If you don’t check the car properly for scratches or dents, the car rental company can claim pre-existing scratches as new ones when you go back to return the car. You will be asked to cough up the charges for damage that you did not cause in the first place. To avoid this, take photos and highlight and ask for any pre-existing scratches, dents, damages to be written down in the contract during the inspection.

Pressurizing you to buy extra insurance

Every business wants to increase its revenue by being able to upsell more products. Car rental companies are no different. They will try to hard sell you expensive insurance. You may already be covered for a rental car by your existing insurance company so check with them to avoid paying for it. If you are covered, decline the offer of extra insurance.

Hard selling a larger car

You may be offered upgrades by paying slightly more but if the upgraded car is more than what you need, it will not be cost effective. Stick to what meets your needs and avoid paying for something you don’t really need. For e.g., If you are a small group and you rent out an SUV, you will end up paying more for the fuel that it will consume, and the extra space may not be something you really need. So, if they hard sell you something you don’t need, just decline.

Charging more for missing fuel

Although the fuel is cheap in Dubai, there is still a possibility that the car rental company may charge you twice or more for the missing fuel. If you take the car away with a full tank but return it back with less than a full tank, you may have to pay more than the market price for the missing fuel. So always take out time and fill up the tank before returning the car.