There are a lot of reasons to rent a vehicle. For whatever reason you decide to get a car rental, there are a wide range of things that you can do to save money and have a better experience. Everyone wants to save money and these some tips to doing that.

If you walk away from the experience feeling like you had the best deal, you probably will be walking away feeling like your rental car experience was good. One of the most essential things that you can do to save money and get the best deal is to make your reservation online. Rental car and rental truck rates online are typically much lower than renting over the phone or at the front counter at the rental company.

Additionally, rental rates on weekdays are oftentimes much lower than weekends. Even if you start your rental on a weekday and roll into a weekend, the daily rate is usually cheaper than if you had started on a weekend. Furthermore, renting for longer periods of times usually results in lower daily rates. It is not uncommon for the total cost of a seven day rental to be lower than the overall cost of a four or five day car rental.

The size of the vehicle has significant influence on the rental price. Downgrading from that wanted luxury or sports model will not only drastically cut the rental costs but also save you in fuel. When getting a rental truck, be sure to get the size that you need. A small truck may be cheaper to rent, but making multiple trips will cost you in mileage or fuel. A truck that is too large will cost more for space not used. Be sure that you properly estimate the truck size that best suits your needs.

One way rentals can have substantially high fees and charges, so avoid them if you can. If not, determine whether the fees are worth it for you or if there are alternative methods. Regardless of which car rental station you decide to return the rental car, be sure that you return it with a full tank of fuel within a few miles or kilometers of the rental station. If you do not, the car rental station will charge you their fill up rate, which oftentimes is exponentially higher than if you had done it on your own.

Before you depart the rental station when picking up a rental car, make sure that all damage is accounted for on the rental agreement. If you leave with undocumented damage, they may hold you responsible for repairs when you return the vehicle to the rental car company. In the same token, make sure the gas tank is full when you leave because once you depart, you are responsible for filling up the fuel tank, even if you did no use the fuel.

Completely review your rental contract before leaving. Some companies have mileage limitations or other limits to where you can or cannot drive. Be familiar with everything in the contract. If you need extra mileage, you may be able to purchase mileage for a lower rate than if you had returned it with excessive mileage.

Be sure to get the insurance coverage that suits you. Some private insurance companies offer coverage to rental cars and rental trucks, but they may have different policies, deductibles, or other stipulations. All rental companies offer their own insurance policies which usually are free of a deductible and have little hassle in case of an accident.

Overall, you can do many things to decrease costs of a car rental. Usually saving money will increase your enjoyment of renting a vehicle, so following some of these simple tips may maximize the pleasure of your rental.