Renting a Car
Rentalport.com is a platform that offers car rentals from various companies across 9 countries and it is still expanding its coverage. Renting a car was never easier! On the website, you simply choose the pickup place, car category, and pay. All comfortably from home.
Do not forget to book your car in advance!
Factors That Affect The Car Rental Cost
The main factors that affect the final price of the car rental are car category, extra insurance, and the length of the lease. However, there are other factors that are usually overlooked.
Manual vs. Automatic Transmission
Manual transmission cars are still very popular in Europe and sometimes it is not easy to find an automatic car for hire. Although driving a manual transmission car may be a more difficult choice, it is usually more economic since automatic transmission cars are rented for higher prices - according to our research, the difference in price is around 4% -41%. However, it is not a rule and you may be lucky to find an automatic car for the same price as a manual one.
Tip: Cars have different levers, so it's important to find out how to reverse. Some control levers are pushed down when reversing or pushed upwards, or it is even necessary to press the button when shifting to “R”.
Renting a Car At The Airport vs. Downtown
A car rental company´s location is another factor that affects the price of car rentals.
What are the benefits of renting a car downtown and at the airport?
Car rental at the airport: it is usually extremely convenient, sometimes renting is cheaper, and car rentals usually have a larger volume of cars at the airport.
Car rental in the city center: if you want to rent a car for a shorter time than is your vacation or business trip, you can leave the car in the city where you are staying.
We also compared car rental prices at the airport and in the city center. In various places, rentals at the airport are cheaper than in the center, from 2% to 43%. For example, in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, renting an economy vehicle category is € 117.12 at the airport and € 171.6 in the city.
You may find that it is cheaper to pick up a car from an airport in one city than in another, or that the price is the same no matter where you pick it up. The best way to find out which pick-up location is best for you is to do a survey, compare prices on Rentalport.com, and consider the pros and cons of picking up a rental car in the city center and at the airport according to your own criteria.
Permission To Travel To Certain Countries
Extra Insurance
Insurance is another important factor affecting the rental price. Do not forget to always check if insurance is included in the car rental. Also, have a look at the prices of additional insurance as well as the terms and conditions of these services. You may find more info about the extra insurance in this article.
International Driving Permit (IDP)
We have already mentioned the need to hold an international driving license in many previous articles on our website, such as: Renting a Car for a Road Trip in Bulgaria. If you are not an EU citizen, you need an international driver's license to rent a car in a foreign country, which includes your name, photo, and driver information. However, it is very important to know that the IDP does not replace the driving license, but complements it.
Vignette
Nowadays, in many countries, you may buy vignettes in a digital form in a mobile application, on the Internet, but also at selected post offices and gas stations. However, it is always necessary to check the price as well as the validity of the toll stamp in advance. This way you can avoid unwanted surprises a few weeks after a holiday or business trip.
You certainly need a vignette for example in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
Highway Tolls
Highway tolls are typical for Italian highways as fees that clean your pocket. A toll is a very expensive mode of transportation that will force you to stop at toll booths and pay for the section you have just traveled. So you only pay for the kilometers you have driven, but it can be more expensive than you might expect.
You need to pay tolls in Belarus, Croatia, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and others, for example.
Countries with no tolls
There are several reasons why some countries do not charge a fee for the use of motorways. They do so for political reasons, in order to support the country's economy, or simply because they have no highways. However, you may come across sections such as a bridge or tunnel that are subject to tolls. These countries include Andorra, Belgium, Cyprus, Montenegro, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, and others.
Green Card
A green card is a cross-border insurance card that is proof that the car you rent has at least the minimum required level of insurance. This card is issued by a car rental company. Most EU countries do not require a green card. It is required in some countries, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and Montenegro.
Credit Card Insurance
To save as much money as possible, check with your bank whether your credit comes with car insurance.
Refueling
Refueling a car can cause considerable problems with a little inattention. Always check if it is a petrol or diesel engine before refueling. When it comes to refueling, it is also important to know whether the car rental company requires you to bring the car with a full tank and how much it is if you will not follow this condition.
Driving On The Left
Knowing which side people to drive on is very important for anyone considering using a vehicle in a foreign country. For drivers who are less experienced or simply do not feel like it, we recommend using a different pick-up option in these countries.
There are still over 70 countries in which it is required to drive on the left. In Asia, these include Hong Kong, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. In Africa, it is typical to drive on the left for former British colonies. Australia and its territories (including Christmas Island, Cocos, and Norfolk Island) all drive left. New Zealand and its territories are also included in the list of left-handers. Other territories include the former British colonies of Fiji, Kiribati, Tuvalu, and others. Nauru, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and the Solomon Islands also have left-hand traffic. In Europe, it is, for example, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, and Cyprus. In the British Overseas Territories in the West Indies people also drive on the left (Anguilla, the Turks and Caicos, Montserrat, the Cayman Islands, and the British Virgin Islands).
Fines in car rentals for non-compliance in driving on the left lane are usually so high that you really do not pay the risk.