Car rental services in Rwanda have taken a big stride in the travel world. Many travellers traversing around this country of a thousand hills opt to go for hiring a car other than using public means. Many car rental companies have come up in Rwanda of lately and offer some good services and this is validated by the growing number of travellers interested in the car hire services. However, the traveller has to be smart and very conscious to get the best deal for car rental and there are some mistakes that have to be avoided in that you don’t get a one hell of an experience.
Below are some of the 7 car rental mistakes to avoid 4×4 car rental Rwanda.
1. Extra Insurance
This is a money-spending scheme on your car rental deal in Rwanda due to the fact that
most of the car rental companies in the country offer comprehensive insurance for their
vehicles. The comprehensive insurance covers all the likely damages that are meant to
happen to the car in case of an accident and third party as well. Some travellers seek car
rental insurance right from their insurance companies back which seems useless in
Rwanda since the rental cars have comprehensive insurance already. We recommend that the traveller has to only acquire personal insurance since it
is not provided by the car rental company.
2. Renting from a Nearby Airport
Normally car rental services around the airport are very expensive due to the high demand of these services because Kigali airport is the international travel hub for most visitors who come to Rwanda. More so, there are always surcharges slapped on car rental services around the airport for example parking tickets and these expenses always go to the hirer’s bill. It is advised to rent a car from the providers who do not operate within or around the airport, these have very affordable rates.
3. Not Searching Around
Some hirers make a mistake of going with the first car rental company they spot on the
internet. This is a very mortal error since it might lead you to being charged highly for the
rental car. There is a plethora of online car rental providers, all one has to do is google 4×4
car rental Rwanda and a long list of websites of various companies will pop out. Look at
some of them and their services you compare and contrast and then choose the best
services for yourself.
4. Prepayment of Fuel
Some travellers want an all-inclusive car rental package for convenience. This is a two thing at times the hirer benefits from it but most of the time, it is a disservice to him/her. Most of the time the car rental providers over-quote the fuel prices and hence the car rental deal becomes too expensive for the hirer. Therefore, as a hirer, one is advised to buy fuel on one’s own. This helps travellers to save some money on the fuel since most of the time he/she will pay for what he/she has consumed which is not the case with the prepayment of fuel where the provider makes a quotation of fuel per day regardless of the distance to be covered.
5. Payment of car rental accessories separately
This is a very common mistake among clients who rent cars in Rwanda. They tend to hire a
car alone and then also book the car rental complements like camping gear, extra baby
seats and GPS separately. The accessories tend to be priced slightly high when hired separate from the rental car. However, when you hire a car with another accessory in one inclusive package, the provider gives out the complete package at a discounted price.
More to that some accessories like the GPS are not worth hiring nowadays since smart
phones carry Google Maps which can act as GPS.
6. Not checking the car
Before a traveller sets off on his journey to his/her designated destination, he/she is advised to inspect it. He/she is supposed to check the dents, and scratches and do some test driving and also photos of the car must be taken. But some hirers are reluctant to do the checking and when they get back from their trips are even charged for the damages or scratches they did not cause on the rental car.
7. Returning the car late
The time and day of return of a car should always be respected because flouting it always
comes with a hefty fine. Nonetheless, human nature comes into play for some individuals who return the rental car later than the set day. The violator of this clause always pays a
premium fine and hence loses money recklessly.
