Certainly you may believe that all car rental companies are alike
. This is definitely not the case and there can be a strong difference from one company to the next. Some people make the mistake of calling up simply for the rate for the rental they need and find out in the end that they really haven't received the deal that they were expecting.
The reason for this is different car rental agencies offer different areas in their rentals. If you get a car rental with a low base rate it may not include all the miles that you need for your travels. Most car rental agencies will charge you 20-30 cents a mile per additional mile that you drive. At first this may not seem like a lot of money but if you drive a lot of extra miles with that vehicle it can really add up.
There are other things to look at when you are choosing a car rental company also. Another place where car rental prices really rise up is when you are renting from an airport location. If you rent from a location that is right within an airport you will probably will find that the base rate is just the beginning of the charges that will include per day taxes and additional surcharges. Make sure that you have the car rental agency quote you the overall price of your rental including these fees so that you can make an informed decision.
Road service can be another area of concern when you are renting a vehicle. While most of the major companies will offer you emergency road service protection with your vehicle many will not. If they don't offer this service you could wind up with extra expenses in having the vehicle serviced and so forth. Most companies will reimburse you in the end but it is important to find out their policy on this from the beginning to ensure that you are prepared to pay out of pocket for issues that may arise.
Everything that you need to assess the quality of the car rental you are getting may not be told to you when you call for that initial quote. Be sure to ask all the questions you need to in the beginning to make sure that you are not only getting the lowest price for your vehicle rental but that you are also receiving the best possible deal for your money.