US daily reminds car rental clients to research before hiring

One of the largest daily newspapers in the United States, USA Today, is urging those that intend on renting a car while on vacation to do their research well in advance and to be thorough about investigating all applicable car hire surcharges and taxes in a given area before booking a vehicle. Much of the time, the cost of insurance, collision damage waivers and state imposed taxes amount to more than the actual rental fee for a given car. Some US jurisdictions are notorious for requiring that car hire firms apply hefty daily surcharges to cars, which serve as an important source of additional revenue for states and counties.

In some jurisdictions, excess taxes and surcharges can significantly increase the price of a vacation. For example, Dollar Rent-A-Car charges those who live and rent cars in some parts of New York City—such as Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens—up to $77 per day. This means that the rental of even an economy-class car may costs over $100 for each rental day. Residents of these districts end up paying more than non-residents because, according to Dollar, they are statistically more likely to get involved in an accident than residents of other localities. The best advice for those interested in renting a car in NYC is to find an outlet located in one of the city’s suburb, in order to avoid these fees.

USA Today is also recommending that readers carefully check with their credit card company to see if they offer an insurance policy for rental cars. In most cases, having such a plan can lead to savings of over 70% on the overall price of a car rental.

www.dollar.com