California Car rentals
California is one of the favorite tourist destinations in the world. This state on the western coast of the United States attracts millions of tourists every year from across the globe. It’s a single state which has everything from beaches to film studios to attract people with varied interests.
Renting a car in California
The places of interest in California are concentrated mostly in central and southern part of the state. Also they are in driving distance of each other. For instance, a 6 hour drive can take one from San Francisco to Los Angeles. If you are flying from San Francisco to Los Angeles, the flight would usually take an hour. If you are touring the state with your family, it makes economic sense to hire an automobile and drive rather than buying airline tickets for all your family members. Ditto if you are with a group of friends. This has given rise to a strong car rental business in the state. A number of car rental companies, both big and small, have mushroomed across the state. All the airports in the state have offices of car rental companies. You can hire a car also from areas around the hot tourist spots like Union Square in San Francisco or Downtown Los Angeles. Most of the reputed hotels have a desk for car renting.
Which type of car?
Depending upon your size of the group and distance that you plan to cover and budget, you can hire from a number of variety of automobiles. So you can go for an economy, midsize, full size, mini van or SUV type of vehicle. On average, if you hire from a reputed car rental company, an economy type car can cost anywhere from $150 to $200 per week. The price increases with the increase in the size of the vehicle. A good SUV can cost nearly $400 a week. Whenever a car rental company gives you a quote, it will almost never include the taxes, fees or car coverage. Of course, you will have to pay all the tolls and parking charges. So calculate all of these different items and arrive at a total cost of hiring a car. Then compare it with other means of transport like buses and air and see what suits your needs and budgets.
Electric car rental
If you don’t want a conventional gas or diesel automobile, some specialized car rental companies are even renting out electric cars. For instance from Los Angeles International airport or Sacramento airport, you can hire an electric car. The cost of renting an electric car is usually higher than normal gas based cars. However, the rental companies offer free charging at various centers so you can save on fuel cost. CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) cars are also available for renting at the airport. Before renting such a car, do check out how you will refuel them. There are many refueling stations available for CNG cars in the Los Angeles County.
If you don’t want to adventure into renting a non-gas car, then you should explore the options of booking your car with your flight and/or hotel. Many websites offer huge discounts if you book all the three things viz. airline ticket, hotel reservation and car rental together.
Safety tips for car rental
Before renting a car, it’s good to do some firsthand checks. At the California Department of Motor Vehicles you will find all the information you need about driving in California. If you are flying from a country where driving is right hand, check out if you can find a right hand car. Driving in a left hand car can be a different experience and difficult to adjust. If you think the car is old, ask for the maintenance records and certificates. Check if you can take a test drive. Check for the gear system. Slam the brakes to check the braking system. If you think, you are not comfortable with the car, don’t hesitate to return it promptly to the rental company. Be sure to know the local driving regulations.
Always do some basic research and take some precautionary steps before renting a car because a good car can make your trip full of nice memories and a bad can make it your worst nightmare.