There are several things to be aware of when you decide to rent a car for yourself. Have I purchased the right insurance cover? Do I need to add an additional driver? Have a got a young driver surcharge to pay for? & most importantly the Fuel Policy.
Fuel run the car, so its important, we get that. However, the kind of money that some suppliers charge for fuel is kind of ridiculous! We have identified 5 different kinds of policies adopted by the suppliers of Car Rental brands, but don’t worry Finalrentals’ suppliers have adopted only a very fair policy.
Lets start explaining to you what these policies actually mean and how you can know your fuel policy just right!
- FREE TANK
Lets start with the best option, shall we? Okay, so there are some car rental companies that won’t actually charge you for a tank of fuel. How kind of them! Is’nt it? This will usually be a part of a deal though and are not very common in practice, rather very rare so to speak! However, as long as the total cost of the hire is competitive it can actually work in your favor!
- PRE PURCHASE (FULL REFUND)
When you pick up the car, you will be charged for the petrol that is already in the tank. When you return the vehicle you shall be refunded the fuel that you have not used. You need to check with your providers what is their policy on this as some measure by the eights of a tank while others don’t. It’s always worth asking the rental company to put this in writing for you upon collection, just to ensure you know that there is no need to pay for fuel that you won’t use.
- PRE PURCHAE (PARTIAL REFUND)
As with the above policy, you shall be charged for the petrol that is already in the tank, but there will be an additional service charge that you have to pay for refueling purposes. When you bring the car back, you shall be refunded for the fuel that you have not used but you get the money back that you forked out on the service charge, which may range anywhere between 30 – 40 AED at the most, depending on the size of the engine. Make sure that you know the terms of the fuel policy before you book, so that you don’t get unexpectedly stung for an extra charge.
- FULL TO FULL (SAFE & FAIR)
Your vehicle with come with a full or near to full tank of fuel and at the end of your rental agreement you need to drop it off with a full tank. At the time of collection of the vehicle the company shall take a deposit for the fuel (usually the funds shall be blocked against your card, but no amount deducted). Make sure to return the vehicle with a full tank, if not your car rental provider shall deduct an extra fee for the missing fuel amount, which can at an escalated price. Its worth remembering to keep the receipts of any fuel purchases you make and hand those when you drop off the car. So, try to choose a petrol pump that is near to your rental location, rather than choosing a far-off petrol station for refueling purposes. Almost 99% of suppliers listed under Finalrentals platform, practice this policy to avoid confusions and be fair.
- PRE PURCHASE (FULL TO EMPTY)
This policy is not a common practice in car rentals. However, it is always good to know the options. So, basically at the beginning of your rental you shall be given a full tank of petrol with the car and needless to say, you shall be charged for it. However, you need to return the car as empty as possible or you would be giving your car rental back free fuel or fuel not used, with no refund sadly.
Where shall I find this information?
Now, this is where your keen eye for detail will come into play. Some car rental suppliers tend to state their fuel policy in the details section and you are likely to find them when you are comparing the car rental deals, under “Fuel Policy” or “Details” header. Others are most likely to have this policy under their Terms and Conditions Agreement.
When you are looking out to rent a car using Finalrentals, then we can say that mostly all our suppliers have a FULL TO FULL Policy. Book your car rental using Finalrentals now!
