Book a rental car: tips against rip-off

You can book a rental car online from home and then pick it up directly at the airport. If you follow the tips of our rental car guide, you will not be ripped off.

Book a rental car: 5 things to consider

1. Fully comprehensive insurance without a deductible: To ensure that no unpleasant surprises await you on vacation, you should definitely take out comprehensive insurance with theft protection and without a deductible when booking.
2. Insurance: Liability insurance only costs a few euros, but is really worth it in an emergency. The coverage should be very high, around 50 million euros. The many additional insurance policies are annoying, but you should still take out some when booking. This includes tire damage, glass damage and underbody damage. Depending on the region, tire damage should also be reasonably insured.
3. Tank filling: For the first tank filling, many providers charge you costs that are significantly above the fuel price. When booking, pay attention to the "collect fully - return fully" rule.
4. Mileage limit: Many providers set a mileage limit for their customers. If you know the route beforehand, you can estimate the kilometers. Otherwise you should choose a car without a mileage limit. Because every kilometer driven becomes really expensive.
5. Other drivers: If you are not traveling alone, a second driver could also be at the wheel. Depending on the provider, this can be quite expensive. Pay attention to such additional costs when choosing the provider.

Pick up rental car: avoid rip-off traps

• Insurance: The large rental car portals do not pass the insurance on to local dealers. That is why many providers try to force you to take out comprehensive insurance or supplementary insurance at the counter. Many holidaymakers even report that they have been threatened not to get a rental car otherwise. The rule here is: stay steadfast, because you already paid for fully comprehensive insurance and all the necessary insurance when booking.
• If the provider refuses to let you the rental car on site or causes other problems, please contact the customer service of the booking portal. All major portals have set up a hotline for their rental car customers.
• Deposit: If you have to leave a deposit, then only by credit card. Make sure that the amount is only "reserved" and not debited.
• Check vehicle: Especially abroad, you should check the vehicle carefully and take photos of all defects. The damage must be recorded and countersigned by the company's employee. To ensure that you do not have to pay a penalty during an inspection, check whether the first-aid kit, the warning triangle and the warning vest are in the car.

Tip: Quickly a car - then car sharing

On the next page you will find the test results of the Stiftung Warentest on rental car portals. There you can see which portals are particularly transparent and cheap at the same time.