Zum Inhalt
Autoschlüssel auf Landkarte von Kreta liegend auf einem Tisch
Image: Garsya / Shutterstock

On tour with a rental car

, last updated

Tips for avoiding problems

Many travellers take the chance to explore foreign countries with a rental car. ECC Austria shows how to avoid problems.

Checklist for car hire:

  • Bring all documents of your online reservation. This way you can avoid being charged with a different price on site as agreed in advance.
  • Read the lease contract (record of transfer) carefully and let the contractor explain any ambiguities.
  • Are the deposit and other agreements indicated in the lease?
  • Is the insurance coverage the one you wanted to book? Be careful in case you are asked to pay some extra fee on site. Sometimes unwanted additional insurance packages are sold. 
  • When taking over the car, make sure to check on existing scratches or body damage and keep these in writing in the contract.
  • Do the same when returning the car. Inspect the car together with an employee of the car rental company and have him noted on the contract that there are no new damages, respectively which additional damages occurred.
  • Hence, it is highly advisable to return the car within the opening hours of the car rental company.
  • If this is not possible take at least some photos of the car, especially of the parts where there are scratches and other damages.
  • Make sure to check the fuel regulations! If the car is to be returned with an empty tank, fees and often an expensive petrol price will be charged! When you return the car with a full tank, always keep the bill of the gas station. Several cases have been reported, where the hire company denied that the tank was full.
  • If the car rental requires a carte blanche on your credit card (as a deposit), make sure any arbitrary payment has been transferred back to your account after you returned the car.

Share this post

Facebook Twitter Drucken E-Mail

This could also be of interest:

Traffic rules in the EU

The European commission (DG MOVE) provides a practical overview of the most important traffic rules in all EU Member States.

Tolls in Austria

Tolls in Austria

In this guide, we explain the peculiarities of the Austrian toll system. Using examples, we show the typical mistakes and how to avoid problems with the toll. And what to do if a penalty is imposed after all.

Driving bans in Italy

Driving bans in Italy

Who drives in Italy with his car should be aware of driving bans in the city centres. Driving in a so called "zona a traffico limitato" without a special permit is expensive.

Rental car companies announce improvements for consumers

Car rental companies tended to cause anger among consumers in the past. Many conflicts are based on lack of transparency regarding the online booking process as well as payment demands due to alleged damages on the car.

Sozialministerium
VKI
EU
ECC
Zum Seitenanfang