When Renting a Car Do You Also Pay for Mileage?

When renting a car, it is important to note that the contract includes more than just paying for the use of the vehicle. There are taxes and strange sounding airport fees. It is necessary to pay for gas. Furthermore insurance will be offered. In some cases, mileage will also have to be paid. Some rental cars come with unlimited mileage and some have a mileage cap. It is important to decide which plan works best before signing the rental contract and drive off the lot.

When renting a car with unlimited mileage, it is not necessary to pay for mileage. The charge is the same whether driving 20 miles or 2,000. This is a benefit to drivers who plan to take a rental car on a long trip or cover a large distance, for example, if a family is going on a cross country vacation. If unsure of the exact number of miles that will be traveled, a rental with unlimited mileage is a good idea because there is no need to have to worry about going over the allotted number of miles.

When renting a car that does not have unlimited mileage, the rental company will have a mileage cap on how many miles that can driven per day or per rental period. If driving more miles than the cap allows, it is necessary to pay for that mileage. The standard mileage cap is 150 miles per day, according to Thrifty Car Rental. If certain as to not go over the mileage limit, then there is no need to worry about a rental plan with unlimited mileage.

Make sure to consider the driving plans when choosing between unlimited mileage and a mileage cap. For example, when only be driving from the airport to the hotel and maybe to a few local spots around town, an unlimited mileage plan is unnecessary. However, if renting a car for a family vacation and not sure where the open road might go, avoid stressing about the odometer and the budget and look for a car rental with unlimited mileage.

Rental cars offering unlimited mileage can be more expensive than those with a mileage cap. However, remember that the penalties incurred if going over that mileage cap are expensive. It might be more economical to rent the car with unlimited mileage so that there is no worry about extra charges when returning the vehicle.