Maryland car rental companies cut refuelling fees

Car rental customers in Maryland woke up to good news this morning. Major vehicle hire companies in the state have reached an agreement with government officials to lower the price they charge for refuelling returned rental cars by as much as 40 percent. Whenever renters return a vehicle without a full tank of petrol, they are normally charged a relatively high fee by the car hire firm, in order to refuel the automobile. In all cases, these fees have been much higher than what one would pay at any gas station. For example, while a gallon of gas now costs around $4 at most petrol stations, car rental companies like Hertz charged a whopping $7.99 per gallon, for clients who hire a vehicle from the firm’s Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport location.

The new, lower refuelling prices will officially come into effect at the Baltimore Airport during the Fourth of July holiday, giving car renters one more reason to celebrate. Raquel Guillory, a spokesperson for Maryland’s attorney general, noted that lowering refuelling prices boils down to a matter of fairness. Guillory believes that it is unacceptable for car hire firms to charge clients double for gasoline, compared to what they would pay at the pumps. For example, back in December, when a gallon of gas still hovered at around $3, Hertz charged approximately $7.19 per gallon at the Baltimore airport.

The lowest refuelling prices are currently being charged by Enterprise, Alamo and National, all of which ask renters to pay $5.20 per gallon, which is only modestly more than what one would be charged at petrol stations.

www.hertz.com