BackThe smart way to hire a self-driven car
Hiring a car no longer means hiring a driver as well. Options for hiring self-driven cars are aplenty now. Here's how to choose the best self-driven car option
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Holidays are upon us. And for many, there is nothing like a driving holiday. No bookings, no reservations, no schedules. Just you, the car and your fancy whims. If you are planning one, you have more than a few options now. Till a few years ago you could have a driving vacation only if you owned a car, or had a friend who could lend you one.
Now, you can rent a self-driven car from one of the many multi-city self-drive car rentals such as: Zoomcar, Myles, Revv and Justride. There is no shortage of options: hatchbacks, sedans and SUVs; petrol and diesel; automatic and manual transmission. You can book the car from a website or an app and, for a charge, the car would be delivered to your gate. You will be charged by the hour or across days. All you need is a driving licence, proof of address and the money to rent the car.
Here’s what to check before you book.
Price
You are typically charged by the hour, but weekend rates could be higher. The rates are also different depending on whether you choose a with- or without-fuel option. With-fuel, your car comes with a full tank and you don’t have to top it up before returning the car, as the cost charged also includes the fuel price. If you choose the without-fuel plan, you have to top-up the fuel before returning the car .
The with-fuel option is more expensive in terms of cost per kilometre. Depending on the vendor you choose, you can book a hatchback for Rs102-140 per hour. With every hour, you get bundled kilometres too, typically 10km. Your cost for 1 hour would, thus, be Rs10.2-14 per km. This includes car rent, taxes and insurance. A hatchback on the without-fuel plan would cost Rs94-119 per hour.
Which works out better
Let’s say you plan a weekend getaway with four people. You have minimal luggage and hire a hatchback. Here’s how the numbers work out.
If you book a hatchback on a ‘with-fuel’ plan, from 9 am on Saturday to 5 pm on Sunday (32 hours on a weekend), in Mumbai it would cost you Rs4,200 at Justride and Rs4,480 at Zoomcar. Factor in the bundled 10km with each hour and you can drive 320km (32*10) without paying extra. If you drive more than that, you pay Rs9-12 per kilometre, depending on vendor.
If you choose the without-fuel plan, you will bear the cost of fuel but won’t have to worry about how many kilometres you drive. However, in some cases you can only book this plan only for 24 hours or more. If our four weekend travellers chose the no-fuel option and drove only 320km, their cost of the journey with a Justride car would be Rs3,732 (Rs2,932 as rent for 32 hours plus an estimated Rs800 for fuel). Compare that with the ‘with-fuel’ options that would cost Rs4,200 for the same journey. However, you must also watch out for other extra charges. For instance, Justride levies a maintenance charge of Rs1 for every kilometre you drive. Its no-fuel option would, thus, cost you Rs4,052.
If you have a lot of driving on your mind, you may choose the without-fuel plan. “People who seek the car for travelling within the city prefer the plan that includes fuel expenses, whereas the fuel-less model is opted by those who seek to take the car on long distance trips for 3-4 days," said Ashwarya Singh, chief executive officer, Justride.
What if you are planning to stay at a hotel, where the car will be stationary for 8-10 hours? In such cases, you may not even use the bundled kilometres. So, check the entire distance and the duration of your travel. You can then check with the company if it can offer a lower tariff for fewer bundled kilometres per hour. For instance, Zoomcar and Revv have plans in the range of Rs85-105, which bundle 5km with every hour. For some travellers this could bring down the total bill. “A 5km per hour package can be opted for if you are not going to drive a lot," said Greg Moran, co-founder and chief executive officer of Zoomcar.
“The 5km plan works well for longer bookings, for example 4 days or more. (For) short duration...one can go for 10 kms or the unlimited plan," said Anupam Agarwal, co-founder and chief executive officer of Revv.
Car type
You can choose from a range of vehicles such as hatchbacks, sedans and SUVs. The decision to choose one should be based on the number of travellers, luggage and the comfort desired during the trip. Four adults on a long journey, travelling with minimal luggage, would do well to choose a diesel hatchback with manual transmission. If they also chose the no-fuel option, they would get good mileage and reduce the overall cost of their journey further.
Petrol hatchbacks consume more fuel than diesel ones, increasing your fuel cost significantly. Automatic transmission cars also consume more fuel than their manual transmission counterparts. Sakshi Vij, founder and chief executive officer of Myles, said, “A diesel car obviously benefits the overall long-distance usage. People prefer driving automatic cars in the city because it becomes a lot more convenient during congestion and traffic."
Other costs
Besides the car rent, other charges include: refundable security deposit, cost of damage and other penalties. Security deposit is usually in the range of Rs999-5,000 for a hatchback. Cost of damage is usually deducted from the deposit. Sometimes the damage claim amount can be higher than the security deposit. For instance, Zoomcar recently sent its customers an email, informing them about increasing the damage claims limit to Rs10,000 from Rs5,000.
Companies can also charge you a penalty for over-speeding. For instance, most companies could penalise you for driving over 100-125km per hour. You may have to pay a fine of Rs500-750 for the first lapse. And if you are a repeated offender, this fine amount rises incrementally and you may even be black-listed by the firm. The companies are said to have technologies in place to track instances like over-speeding and sudden braking at high speeds. It’s best to adhere to the legal speed limit.
While renting a car, factor in the cost of picking up the car and dropping it back.
In some cases, this destination may be about 7-8km away. The travel time and money spent on dropping the car could decide which vendor you go to or whether you opt to pay extra for getting the car delivered and picked up from your gate. For instance, Zoomcar charges Rs300 for this service. If the drop-off location is nearby, this service may not be viable.
Things to remember
Make sure to read all the rules and regulations. Plan your journey in advance and know how much you need to drive and whether you need to cross state borders, as that would entail extra taxes. These vehicles have an all-India permit, but you will have to pay any other tax that is applicable when crossing state borders. And drive carefully: you could find the car rent to be cheap but the passengers may be dear to you.
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