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Car Rental Insurance Explained

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Further to our previous post about Car Rental Insurance (see https://lowcostcarrentals.com.au/safety-needs/rental-cars-insurance-driver-overseas-licence/), we would like to provide some of the Low Cost Car Rentals insurance costs and excess explained.

car rental

When you hire a car in Sydney from Low Cost Car Rentals, the insurance excess will be covered by default, but with the default Insurance option, if you have an accident in our rental car and you are at fault, your insurance excess will be $2750.00.

If the accident is not your fault and then there is no dispute in liability that means if the other party agrees they are at fault (not orally, but something in written) then we will not charge you any money if you can provide the other party details. Sometimes, your travel Insurance or Credit cards would cover this Insurance Excess amount for your car rental in Sydney. But you will probably need to check with your credit card provider prior to picking up your rental car in Sydney from Low Cost Car Rentals.

But you do have an option to pay an additional $18.00 per day on top of the rental to reduce the excess down to $500.00 which is completely up to you.

Please note that we will charge you the insurance excess $2750.00 only if you have an accident and if you are at fault. We will not charge you any excess amount at the time of picking your rental car in Sydney.

Also note that, there is an additional fee $1500.00 applies on top of the above-mentioned insurance charges, if it is a single vehicle accident. For the drivers between the ages of 21-24 and above 70 years of age and for the provisional drivers’ license holder’s an additional excess fee of $750 applies on top of all the above-mentioned costs.

No insurance will be covered for overhead and under carriage damages of the rental cars. Insurance excess is payable in total immediately irrespective of the cause/ nature of the accident.

Still have questions? Call Low Cost Car Rentals office on 02 8056 6535 or email reservations@lowcostcarrentals.com.au and one of our friendly team members will be able to assist you further.

Your safety is our priority

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Here, at Low Cost Car Rentals, we value our customers and their safety.

Rental Vehicle Safety

Safety on the roads starts with choosing the right car to hire. Here, at Low Cost Car Rentals, we are always ready to help and answer any questions you have. We want to make sure your car rental period is about you, your family and your destination, and worry free when it comes to the hired vehicle.

Before we give you the vehicle:

  • We regularly service our vehicles for hire. We use only trusted mechanics and electricians to inspect the vehicles. Car servicing is done according to the best practices and sometimes even earlier when scheduled. For example, if we know some customer will hire the car for long period of time or paying for “unlimited kilometres” package, we will inspect and service the vehicle one extra time.
  • When our cars are not on rent, they always parked securely under ground. Unlike most of the car rentals where the vehicles are parked outside, exposed to the sun, heat and rain.

When you are picking up the car:

  • Each car has unique characteristics – the indicators and hand brakes can be positioned in different locations. It is especially tricky when it comes to bigger cars like people movers. When you are picking up a vehicle from Low Cost Car Rentals, our trained staff will let you know about the car specifics if any. For example, 8-seater Kia Carnival has 2 different places to put the hand brake on (the very left pedal under your feet) and release from the hand brake (a little handle under the steering wheel on the left). Most of the people movers from Toyota have it all in one place – under your feet. Cars like 7-seater Holden Captiva have it positioned in the most usual location, under your left arm, next to the gears stick. Our Car Rentals staff will never push you to drive away as soon as possible. They will remind you to get familiar and comfortable with the rental car first. Adjust the seatbelts and mirrors, get familiar with all the pedals and nobs, inspect the car stereo and air conditioning operation controls.

When the car is on rent:

  • Every single car rent includes a complimentary 24/7 road-side assistance. Tyre puncture, windscreen chip or flat battery can happen to the best of us. We can’t predict where and when that happens. What we can do, is to make sure someone is 30-60 minutes away from where you are and ready to help you out. And yes, once again, it is absolutely free with each car rental. You just need to make sure you obey the basic vehicle usage rules. You can find it on the Terms and Conditions page of your rental agreement.

When you are dropping the car back to us:

  • When the hired vehicle comes back from the rental, we ask our customers for the feedback. Simple feedback in case the customer noticed some unusual smell, sound or vehicle shaking can ensure we take actions before we give the vehicle to the next customer. Unfortunately some customers are afraid to tell as they think they would be charged for damaging the hire vehicle. We ensure you, those questions asked only for the sake of safety of the next customer.

Your safety is our main priority. Please be safe on the roads, drive carefully and obey the road rules.

In case you have any concern, please make sure you call one of our staff members and discuss it.

Best Car Rental for Money

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Asking car rental company the right questions can save you some money. It will also assure you get the most comfortable and convenient rental vehicle for your needs.

For example, if you let the rental company know you are only 2 people but you plan to carry a lot of luggage. They would recommend you renting a sedan over a hatchback. You might pay a little more but you will not face a trouble of trying to fit your surf board into the rental Toyota Corolla Hatch.

Unfortunately, people are still doing the same mistake. Even worse, then they shift the blame on the rental companies.

The most common mistakes:

  • Hiring the cheapest vehicle thinking any non-utility vehicle can fit up to 4 people comfortably. Wrong assumption. Compact vehicles normally can accomodate up to 5 “average” people. What is the average you would ask? Exactly! If you are tall, or a little overweight, or you need to fit a child seat besides accomodating the adults, please let the car rental staff member know about.
  • Hiring a 4WD when you plan to go camping. Most probably it will be the best option, but somewhat inaccurate assumption that any 4WD can go through the unsealed road conditions. And it is not only the vehicle, it is also the insurance options you have to be aware of. Letting the rental company know you are going off-road is a must.
  • Hiring a medium to large size sedan just because you have a lot of luggage. This is a tricky one. You can have 1 piece of oversized bag that might not fit in anything but SUV. Or you can have 5 or 6 small bags that any compact size hatch like Hyundai Getz would fit.
  • Hiring a ute or a van when moving the house. This is the most common mistake. If you only expect to deliver your old TV, a few chairs and clothes to your new home, you might even want to look into the options of renting a 7- or 8- seater where you could put the seats down and fit all your belongings. Moving the same things in the ute can be difficult and potentially dangerous, as you would have to make sure you secure your luggage in boxes, cover with moving blankets and tire up with the stripes.

Please remember, especially during the peak season, Low Cost Car Rentals gets at least 50 emails and over 200 phone calls every day. Our staff is trying their best to ask you all the important questions. Nevertheless, it is your responsibility to make the final call on which car to rent.

What is the right knowledge the car hire company needs in order to provide you the best car for rent? Think before enquiring, may be they are some circumstances about your trip you need to let the car rental company know. Here is the short list of things that you might let your car rental company know before booking the car for hire.

Things to let car rental company know:

  1. Number of people who travel.
  2. How far are you travelling.
  3. What are the road conditions on the way (to be sure when are where you are covered by the insurance).
  4. Your Driver Licence conditions and Country of Issue.
  5. Whether you are familiar with the area in case you need to rent a GPS.
  6. What are the age of the youngest and the eldest traveller (children might need the baby seats to be fit for them, elder people might need side steps to be able to comfortably get in and out of the hire vehicle).
  7. How much of luggage you expect to carry at most. Please note on any oversized, irregularly shaped or fragile items.

Please do the home work to make sure the list is complete. Once you got a quote, please make sure you search the car on Internet and read its specifications.

There is always that one traveller who is unique and here at Low Cost Car Rentals we are happy to assist.

Inspecting your Rental Vehicle – What to look for?

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Inspecting rental car

When you enter into a car rental agreement you are signing a contract that will make you liable for payment when a car is damaged. Whenever you are renting a car you should definitely inspect the vehicle thoroughly. Most reputable rental companies will provide you with a damage report to fill in. If a rental company does not provide this, you should be very cautious about renting from them. So what should you mark on your damage report? We hope the following list is of assistance.

The Exterior:

Check for dents and scratches and mark them in the corresponding area of your damage report. Good practice is to circle the area on the damage report where there is a dent. Place an ‘X’ where there are stone chips and scratches. Use lines to indicate long marks or scratches. It is also good practice to put notes on the damage report explaining what you have marked. It also helps to take a video or photos of what you find. If you do this try and get a shot that shows the  position on the car, not just a close up of the damage. Be thorough with your inspection and ask questions of a company representative if you are not sure what fair wear and tear is.

The Windscreen:

It is important to check the windscreen carefully. Most rental companies deem small stone chips as fair wear and tear. Always make sure you mark any windscreen chips on the damage report using and ‘X’.

The Interior:

Sometimes you might come across damaged interiors in rental cars.  If there is no room on the damage report to mark this, then writing a comment about the interior damage is acceptable. You may want to note things like rips and tears and stains so that you avoid cleaning fees.

Drivability of your vehicle.

Rental cars come in various types, ages and condition. If you have elected to drive an older model car then there may be some things that you have to accept. Things like faded paint and interiors are inevitable on older model rental cars. However, they should always be maintained to roadworthy standards. Things like lights, windscreen wipers, tyres and brakes should be serviceable. So if you notice issues with these, bring them to the attention of your rental company.

Fuel and Kilometres travelled:

Make sure you note the amount of fuel in the car and how many kilometres the car has travelled. This is important where you opt for deals that have limited kilometre usage so that you do not pay for kilometres you did not use. Checking the fuel in the car is important as you do not want to be charged for fuel you did not use.

At Low Cost Car Rentals, we understand that accidents happen which is why we give you a damage report to fill in. We always recommend you take your time with filling in the damage report and take a video or photos of your rental vehicle.

Choose between Toyota Corolla or Camry for rent

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Often people enquiry Toyota Corolla, not Toyota Camry for rent. They think about saving a few bucks on the rentals. A lot of people know that the Camry is bigger in size that they see as a disadvantage. And not all people understand the compromises they make choosing a smaller car.

Both of these vehicles are popular Toyota models, but it can be difficult to tell their differences just by glancing at them.

Lets compare the two side by side and see if it is true. Hope this guide will help you choosing a better car for your next rental.

Why rent a Hatchback?

Corolla Hatchback for rent

Lets assume you already know that Toyota Corolla comes in two shapes – hatchback and sedan. The major difference between the two is the size of the boot. But it does not mean renting Camry will automatically allow you to carry more.

Hatchbacks are often referred to as 5 doors cars, meaning the access to the boot is through the fifth door and it is slightly bigger and more convenient than a boot access in the sedan. Why would it matter if the boot is small? Lets look at the real life examples that would help you to choose the cars for rent.

Scenario 1. Julie and Adam have bought a brand new TV 70″. They wish a car for rent to deliver their TV from the shop to their house. The best choice for Julie and Adam is the Toyota Corolla hatchback. Folding the back seats down will give them enough boot space and comfortable access to it.

Scenario 2. Matthew and Susan visiting Susan’s parents in Sydney. They travel with their newborn baby boy Ayden and carry a lot of baby stuff and a large bag of their own clothes and gifts for the relatives. The best option for Matthew and Susan is to rent a sedan, either Camry or Corolla. The bigger boot can fit all the luggage without folding the seats. The rear of the car will have enough space to install the special child seat for the newborn.

Why choose a Camry Sedan for rent over Corolla Sedan?

Toyota Camry - medium size car on rent

These models might look similar, but they actually fall under two difference classes of vehicles. The Corolla is considered a small size sedan and the Camry is a midsize sedan. Since Corolla is a smaller car, it might give you a slightly better mileage. However, the difference will not cost you an arm and a leg unless you intend to travel around Australia.

Lets modify Matthew’s and Susan’s situation described in the previous chapter and add another condition to the equation.

Now, the couple wants to visit a few relatives in the country and will need some space for Matthew’s in-laws Brendan and Bridgit. There would be only minimum of baby clothes and nappies in the boot. So some people might even think a Toyota Corolla Hatchback would will fit it all. Which is partially true. Any 5-seats car can fit 4 adults and a child seat. However, if you ever travelled in that car for more than 20km, you would understand our concern.

Conclusion.

A few things to remember, Toyota Camry is a more powerful car. Looking at the Toyota Corolla 2016 model Sedan and Toyota Camry 2016 model Sedan. Corolla is 132 horsepower versus Camry’s 178. It is a huge difference for our hilly and curly highways in NSW.

Toyota Camry will comfortably pick up the speed after slowing down on the turns, and will better handle up- and down- hills. Even having very big load on the car, you should be able to comfortably use the Camry’s cruise control allowing the car adjust the speed and get to your destination faster.

Surprisingly, not all the hatchbacks fitted with the aircon vents at the back.

So travelling in the overloaded Toyota Corolla most probably would add some time to get to your destination. You would also need to allow extra stops for the fresh air and limbs stretching. Give the driver extra support as they would need to handle most of the trip without using the cruise control.

To conclude.

  • If you have a large piece of luggage and/or only a couple people travelling, Corolla would suit your needs. See the detailed review of Toyota Corolla 2015 model Hatchback for better envisioning of the car interior and exterior.
  • If you have 4-5 adults travelling with or without luggage, renting a more powerful Toyota Camry would be a wiser option.
  • Corolla is a better choice for city use if you travel on your own and occasionally have 2-3 people in the car besides you. It is an easier car to park and it provides a better economy on fuel. You might even look into cheaper car rental options like Hyunday Getz for rent.
  • From safety perspective, lap-sash seatbelts offer better protection to passengers than lap-only seatbelts. All 5 seatbelts in Toyota Camry are lap-sash, so it would be a safer choice for 4+ travellers. Please check with your car rentals company first, as different year models might have different configurations. See Seatbelts Rules in NSW for more information on the setabelts safety.