The Internet has made our lives much easier. From the comfort of your home, you can arrange a car rental locally or in another country, well in advance. The trick to choosing the right car rental service for your needs involves doing a little research. In this article we review some things that you should keep in mind before signing any contract with a rental company.

The local laws in your town require that you drive on a specific side of the road, which is fine if you are renting a car in a place whose traffic laws you know quite well. But if you travel to another country where the traffic laws are different from yours, the cars will have different driving orientation (LHD/RHD). There are some car rental companies that offer right hand drive and right hand drive cars depending on your needs. Keep in mind that if you need a different driving orientation than the norm for the location you are in, the costs will be much higher, since these types of cars are more expensive to insure. Finding a car rental service that stocks both right-hand drive and left-hand drive cars can be convenient if you want to stick with the type of car you’re familiar with, and of course, if you’re willing to pay the extra amount.

There are many well-established car rental services that have a loyalty program that guarantees you the best rates on the market. In truth, this depends on the number of cars available, but for well-established companies, the chances are high that they always have a vehicle available. You also get extra discounts from most of these companies for making your reservations in advance and on weekends. Although your first rental from a company that has a loyalty program will not cost significantly less than the competition, it is still a good idea to join these companies as the cost savings for a regular customer will be great in the long run.

One way to identify a poor rental company is to discern their policies on fueling. Some may require you to pay for a certain amount of fuel in advance, although it is more economical for you if you choose to pay for your own fuel. Avoid car rental companies that require you to return the car with a full tank of fuel; this policy is simply too difficult to control or enforce and you will most likely end up paying a hefty surcharge if your tank is not full.