Hiring a car is really not straight forward. Here are some things to be aware of, it may all be old hat however I thought I would cover a few aspects I feel are important.
- You need a credit card unless you have organized a bill back, this means the onus and responsibility is borne by the Travel agency who gives you the voucher. Now if you have a cheque card that is visa or MasterCard, you can generally use these for online purchases however for car hire they are not accepted, you must present a credit card
- If anyone else is going to drive the car besides you, you must have the other drivers added to the policy, general cost aprox R175 for the hire of the vehicle.
- You are not permitted to drive the car on a gravel road. Yes I realize with the amount of raodworks going on this is really difficult not to do, just wanted to point it out. So NB if you are in an accident or cause damage from a gravel road then you are not covered and then liable for the full cost to repair or replace the vehicle.
- Under the influence – Not covered! Yes have a beer and you are no longer covered in your hire car. This may sound drastic however believe it, it can happen and it does.
- When in an accident if you caused the accident or not you are liable for the towing costs of the vehicle! New to me and I am sure this does raise a few eyebrows.
- When taking out car hire be aware that there are various levels of insurance cover at most agencies.
- Check the car before you get in walk around the car and report any damage immediately! Also check the glass ie windscreen for any cracks or chips, even small ones!
