Renting a Car

Renting a car is often marred by standing in long lines, discovering that the car you reserved is unavailable and that the price they gave you over the phone doesn't include additional charges such as insurance, coverage for more than one driver, and refueling fees.

By knowing your rights you can reduce the number of times you encounter problems at the rental counter.

If you reserved a car and the company says it does not have the car you reserved available for you when you arrive (on time), they must do everything they can to find you a different car from its fleet. If the only available car is more expensive, they have to give you that car at the same rate as the car that is unavailable. If there is no car available, you can rent your car from another car rental company or take a taxi and then get reimbursement for the extra costs from the original car rental company.

Almost every car rental company charges a penalty for four-wheel drives, minivans, convertibles, and other specialty rentals if you don't cancel a reservation in advance or don't show up.

Requirements to Rent a Car

Pretty much all rental car companies will refuse to rent to certain people - here are the three most common groups that have trouble renting a car:

Young drivers. Most major companies refuse to rent a car to someone who is under 21 and in some cases even 25.

People with no credit or debit cards. Most car rental companies require you to have a major credit card or debit card so that they can secure a deposit at the time of rental.

People with bad driving records. A lot of car hire companies screen drivers when they rent by checking their driving records. If you have serious offenses on your record, such as drunk driving convictions, most companies won't let you hire a car. Some companies even reject you for smaller offences like seat belt violations, or accidents -- regardless of fault. If your driving record is poor, find out ahead of time if the rental car company screens and, if it does, what criteria it uses.

Instead of screening you, some rental car companies may require you to sign a statement that says you have an acceptable driving record. If you have an accident and signed a statement that turns out to be incorrect, the rental car company could use it against you by claiming that you acted in violation of the rental agreement.