Renting a car on Metta Motors takes less than 10 minutes if you know what you’re looking for. Learn all about how to rent a car and get a good deal.
How does car rental work?
So you’ve decided to rent a car. You may be gearing up for a long road trip with your family, touching down in a city for a short business trip, or just picking up a car to move some furniture. No matter your reason for renting a car, it’s good to get familiar with the process so you can get a great deal. At very least, you should be able to answer how long it takes to rent a car, how to get a cheap car rental, how booking and payments work, how different types of insurance work, and how pick-ups and returns work. Once you know what you’re looking for, you can rent the right car for your trip in under 10 minutes. Let’s start with how to rent a car on Metta Motors.
How to rent a car on Metta Motors?
Metta Motors searches through hundreds of car rental companies at once so you can filter and compare all the results for your given destination and dates. You can shop around for car rentals and compare rates on one site without opening a dozen tabs and browsing for hours. Here’s how to find a cheap car rental on Metta Motors:
1. Select your dates
The first thing you have to do is select your pick-up and drop-off dates. This one’s pretty self-explanatory, but try to be specific about the times you plan on picking up and dropping off, because it affects the price and availability of cars for the rental. You can also select between “same drop-off” point and “different drop-off” point so you can rent a car for a road trip and drop it off at your final destination.
2. Apply filters
Car type
Filter by car type if you already know if you want a compact car, a full-size sedan, an SUV, a luxury car, etc. Metta Motors has simplified the filter terms to just small, medium, large, SUV, luxury, and pickup truck to avoid any confusion with industry terms. However, if you want to know more about rental car types.
3. View deal
When you’re ready to book a particular itinerary, select “view deal” to continue. Depending on the deal, you can complete the booking on the Metta Motors site, or go to the rental car company’s site. The price will be the same either way, but you might have to take this small extra step sometimes.
4. Complete booking
When it’s time to complete your booking, you’ll be able to review the details of your deal again and add extras if you’re interested. One final thing to keep in mind is that you’re booking the type of car, but the exact model you pick up depends on availability.
Search for rental cars
Rental car pick up
When you’re ready to pick up your rental car, remember to bring a valid driver’s license, any additional driving permits, and a second form of ID. Come with the form of payment you already paid with if you paid online, or a form of payment you want to pay with at the counter. Always review the terms and conditions to check everything one last time before paying.
The car rental company will give you a short report on the condition of the car, but take pictures before leaving if you want extra security about any small dents or scratches that may have already been on the vehicle.
Rental car drop-off
When it’s time to return the car, refill the gas if you need to, clean up, and hand over the keys by the agreed upon time. You don’t want to risk any extra costs from missing your return time. Finally, get confirmation that you returned the car in the same condition as when you picked it up, and get a receipt.
- Plan your route in advance to ensure you arrive on time or even a bit earlier
- Choose the closest gas station to the return location to refill the car on the way
- Once you arrive, take some photos of the car inside and out in case you decide to dispute any potential damage charges.
- Double-check all compartments and make sure you have taken out all your belongings.
- Ensure you leave the car in the state you picked it up in. If you return the car dirty, the rental company may impose extra charges to have the car cleaned to a professional standard.
How to get a cheap car rental
Metta Motors answers the question of how to rent a car, but you’re probably still curious about the best way to get a cheap car rental. The most important thing is to book ahead. Booking two weeks ahead of time typically has the best deals, but you should check a month in advance first and check regularly as the date gets closer.
If you’re traveling with passengers, it’s more comfortable to split driving time with another person, but additional drivers mean additional fees. Check to see if your rental agency offers a free second driver, or if you can add a second driver for specific days instead of the entire journey.
You can also try your luck at getting car rental coupons from rental agencies by signing up for their mailing lists and joining membership programs. These coupons may come around periodically during major holidays or during the off season.
Once you’re out on the road with your rental, make sure you fill up the tank before dropping it off. The price you pay at a gas station to do it yourself is cheaper than the price the rental company will charge for the same amount of gas.
How booking works
You may already know that you can only rent a car with a credit card, and not a debit card. This is because car rental companies like to charge the deposit amount up front, and refund you when you return the car safely. With that said, there are exceptions to this rule, but it’s not common. If you find a rental agency that accepts debit card, you must have enough money to cover the entire cost of the rental up front.
How to pick the right car rental insurance
Every rental car company offers a range of policies when booking, which include the following varieties in the US and Canada:
Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)
This is for any costs if the rental car gets damaged or stolen within the conditions of the contract. Your existing car insurance or a premium credit card offers this already, so check your policies before paying extra for this coverage.
Supplemental Liability Protection (SLP)
This is for additional liability coverage for claims made by third parties against you.
Personal Accident Insurance (PAI)
This is for medical and death benefits for the driver and passengers in the event of an accident. Your existing health, life, and car insurance policies may offer some degree of this already.
Personal Effects Coverage (PEC)
This is for theft of personal items in a rental car up to $1,500.