Rental cars can be an invaluable resource, especially if you are travelling to areas/locations where cars are the only mode of transport. There are many large car rental companies, like Avis and Hertz, which operate all over the world, so it shouldn’t be a problem finding a reputable company to hire from, no matter where you are travelling to. And since it is possible to make your car booking online, you can ensure that you reserve the right car for your travel needs.

Here are a few tips to assist you in making the right choice:

Transmission: If you are a North American travelling to a different continent, it is important to check the transmission of the vehicle that you are booking. Many countries mostly have stick shift transmissions in their cars, though automatic transmissions are available. In these countries, the automatic transmission vehicles may be more expense to hire, so you should do some shopping around before making your booking.

Size:  Check for trunk space to make sure that all your belongings will fit inside. If you are travelling long distances, it is better to get a larger car for comfort, if you are zipping around a city, a smaller car will be more beneficial especially when looking for parking. Be aware that vehicle classifications will vary across rental companies; ‘mid-size’, ‘compact’ and ‘luxury’ will not be the same at all companies.

Fuel Costs: these will often vary by country. So it is important to research fuel costs where you will be travelling and this will help determine which kind of car you will be selecting to suit your gas pocket in terms of fuel efficiency. Unless you will be pressed for time, do not opt for the pre-paid fuel system – you will end up paying for more gas than you have actually used.

Features: You will want to request certain features that are not automatically included in the car hire rental. GPS, children’s car seats, ski or bicycle racks, cruise control etc. Also, depending on where you are travelling to, some features that you may take for granted in North America, such as air conditioning, may not be automatically included in the car hire. If you want to save money, you can bring your own GPS and car seats as these additional features come with extra charges.

Insurance: If you are hiring a car for business travel, your employer will have to insure you. But if you are travelling for pleasure, check with your own insurance agents to see if they also cover your rental transportation. And if you make your booking by credit card, your credit card provider may include the costs of rental insurance free. If you already have any of the above insurances, you can save money by not paying for the insurance provided by the rental company.

If you are booking a car online, it is important that you make sure that all the necessary details and features are taken care of, as it can be quite expensive to make changes or additions when you collect your car.

Choosing the company to hire from can be as important as choosing the car itself. Make sure that the company you select will accept your driving record (violations, fines etc.). Also do as much research as possible before making your booking. You can often find weekend discounts, specials and coupon discounts. When making your booking, double check the quotation. Sometimes there will be hidden costs such as additional drivers’ fees, drop-off charges (if you will not be returning the vehicle to the same place where you collected it – these can be quite high), airport surcharges and local taxes. Make sure all these costs are included in your quotation to prevent any surprises at collection time. Also, it is important to make your reservation once you have received your quotation as prices and fees may change as more bookings occur for the dates that you would like to book for. If possible, try to make your reservation as far in advance as possible as this will often times reduce the costs of the rental. It all comes down to research.