The "National Day" expressway is free, rent a car and start traveling by car! Put away this pitfall avoidance guide first

The National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday is getting closer. Many people are worried about the safety of holiday travel during the epidemic. Recently, the chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that the epidemic in China has already had a negative impact on society. There will be no impact, you can travel with confidence.

Considering that the epidemic situation abroad is still tense, most tourists will choose to travel domestically, and this year’s "Eleventh" Expressway toll-free passage time is changed to: 0:00 on October 1, 2020 - October 8, 2020 At 24:00 on the day, there are 8 days left. It is not difficult to predict that China will usher in a round of "revenge tourism", especially self-driving travel. In addition, car rental services are becoming more and more mature and have become a travel choice for many people.

Buying a car is too expensive and maintaining a car is tiring, but renting a car allows you to travel easily for a small amount of money. Once you return the car, everything will be fine. It seems to be a good way to travel. But in fact, there are still many "pitfalls" hidden in car rental services today. If you don't pay attention to these details, you may get into trouble!

Price goes up as the tide goes up

During the National Day holiday, highways are free of charge. There must be a lot of people traveling by car. The car rental industry will also usher in a wave of peaks. At this time, the price of car rental goes up. It is very normal for a car to be hard to find. Although online car rental platforms are becoming more and more diversified and the supply of vehicles is sufficient to meet demand, price increases are inevitable.

In normal times, the lowest price for car rental can be around 100-200 yuan/day, but during the holidays, the price of car rental generally rises to around 400 yuan/day, so it is necessary to book in advance. For example, many car rental platforms are now open for car reservations during the National Day, but the current average daily car rental price for ordinary models has reached about 250-350 yuan. Many low-priced economy cars have actually been sold out, so you should start early. .

Ultra-low-price car rental

Due to the rising prices of car rentals during the holidays, some car rental companies will launch low-priced car rentals in order to attract customers. For example, renting a car for one day only costs less than 100 yuan. In contrast, , obviously very attractive. But what you may not know is that the water is very deep.

Just like those brainwashing elevator ads about buying a car for 0 yuan, renting a car at a low price is actually a marketing method to use the "advertising price" to coax you into thinking. For example, if you choose an economical car with a 1.6L displacement, apart from the daily rent of 100 yuan, you actually need to pay a basic insurance of 80 yuan/day, and a handling fee of 60 yuan/day. Coupled with various miscellaneous expenses, you may spend an extra two to three hundred yuan in a day, which is not worth the gain. Therefore, when renting a car for travel, you still need to choose a trustworthy car rental company or a large platform with a good reputation.

Pay attention to these amounts

When we rent a car, we generally need to pay a deposit first, usually ranging from 5,000-50,000. The amount of deposit required varies depending on the rental model, but there are some The platform supports credit cards and Alipay without deposit.

When we place an order, the car rental platform will require prepayment of rent. If renting a car for multiple days, the rent for the first 3 days is usually prepaid. Once an order is placed, the matter is settled and cancellation may result in high penalty fees. Take eHi Car Rental as an example. When you need to modify or cancel an order, you will be charged a certain change fee or liquidated damages.

Speaking of liquidated damages, you need to read the car rental terms clearly, because you may have to pay liquidated damages whether you return the car early or late. For example, if you return the car early, the fees paid will not be refunded, and additional liquidated damages will even be charged. If you delay the return of the car, you may also face liquidated damages equal to three times the normal rent for the overdue portion.

Additional options cost more

If we rent a car on an online platform, we will also encounter many additional options, which may cost us a lot more.

The refueling service fee is exempted. Generally, the platform will require the vehicle to be full of fuel when returning the car. If the vehicle is not full of fuel, you will need to pay the fuel fee and service fee. However, in fact, unless there are special circumstances, we can refuel by ourselves. , there is no need to pay more for these services.

Pay the violation fine without deducting points. If you are not familiar with the transportation at your destination, or are not sure whether you will violate the regulations, you can choose to pay this item, which is equivalent to buying insurance, with a maximum deductible The amount is around 600 yuan.

There is also supplementary protection, which generally provides full insurance coverage. Some platforms also have different insurance amounts. The corresponding insurance limits for the three are 200,000, 500,000, and 1 million, plus an additional 5,000 car damage exemption. pay. It is recommended to purchase this supplementary protection, otherwise it will not be safe to travel without any protection. And once a traffic accident occurs, in addition to paying a small compensation of less than 1,500 yuan, some car rental companies also require compensation for vehicle depreciation, business losses, etc.

Car inspection: an area that is easily overlooked

Another key step in renting a car is the vehicle inspection. Like the exterior of the car body and the paint surface, you must take pictures to keep the bottom no matter what, and you must take pictures from at least four angles, front, rear, left, and right. Obvious scratches need to be discovered in time, so that if the service provider misses the note, it will not be blamed. Especially the front and rear bumpers, fenders, etc., are all areas that require more attention and photos.

In addition, you should also pay attention to the tires, especially for long-distance car rental users. You need to check whether the outside of the tires is intact and whether there are bulges or other abnormalities inside. Also check whether the tire pressure is normal and whether the spare tire is equipped and intact. .

Car lights also need to be checked, and headlights, front and rear fog lights, reversing lights, turn signals, etc. should be operated as much as possible to ensure safe driving in the future. In addition, you should also check the instrument panel, oil level, whether there is a fault light on, etc. If an obvious fault occurs during use, you need to report it to customer service in time.

Renting a car can make it easier for young people to experience life with a car. For those rare self-driving trips during the year, renting a car does provide a lot of convenience. But at the same time, there are also many "pitfalls" hidden in it. If you are planning to rent a car during the National Day holiday, you must pay more attention and choose reliable platforms and stores.

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.