Things to Know When Renting a Car

How do you know when you’re getting the best value on a car rental? It helps if you know a few of the ins and outs of the car rental business. Here are a few details to help you get started.

 Where you rent matters

Starting right at the beginning of your search, it’s good to know that busy places such as large airports and popular holiday spots can change their rental prices a lot, even as often as several times a day.

Sometimes the hike can be negligible, but often times it can be quite substantial. That’s because they typically keep a large fleet of vehicles on hand and some are in higher demand than others, such as minivans and SUVs, and their prices fluctuate up and down along with their inventory.

With that in mind, it’s a good practice to search out a smaller rental office, away from big cities and major airports, if possible. Though offerings in smaller centres can be limited, their prices could reflect that to your benefit.

Using Supply and Demand in your favour

The laws of supply and demand dictate that the more customers want a particular vehicle that’s in limited supply, the higher the rate, so as to maximize the company’s revenue.

Keep in mind that specialty vehicles such as convertibles, four-wheel-drives, luxury cars, and seven-seater vehicles are in extremely limited supply, so it’s definitely a good idea to book those as far in advance as you can to assure that you’ll get the vehicle you want at a price you’re willing to pay.

Peak travel season in this part of the world is between June and October, in keeping with family adventures after school gets out right through to the popular fall foliage experience, and of course, Thanksgiving gatherings.

Price fluctuations

When you can book ahead, even as much as 3 to 6 months, it stands to reason that you’ll find the best selection of vehicles at the lowest prices.

If prices go up between the time you make your booking and your travel dates, many companies will allow you to cancel the original booking with no penalty, and then create a new booking that suits your pocketbook better.

Be sure to check their terms and conditions policy to confirm that the company you’ve chosen will support that significant detail.

One stop shopping

When choosing a rental company, check out the services of Race Auto Group. Known for their exceptional service in buying and selling vehicles, they’re also proud to be a one-stop car rental operation, from sourcing a rental at any of their 3 Nova Scotia locations (Dartmouth, Lower Sackville, and Truro) to offering delivery throughout Atlantic Canada.

The Race Auto Group customer focus is aimed squarely at giving you the best car rental experience from start to finish. Now that you’re armed with good advice, it’s time to plan your getaway. Happy trails from Race Auto Group!

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