Essential Rental Car Tips for Every Traveler

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When renting a car, don't assume that the vehicle you reserved will have the transmission or features you expect. If you need an automatic, confirm that your rental is indeed an automatic before you leave the rental counter. This is particularly important in Europe, where manual-transmission vehicles remain common.

It's also wise to ask what type of vehicle you will receive, especially with the rise of electric vehicles. Rental companies are incorporating more EVs into their fleets, and you might unexpectedly be offered or assigned an EV when you weren't specifically looking for one.

This happened to me in Seattle. I hadn't requested an electric vehicle, but I was given a Tesla. At the time, I had never driven a Tesla and wasn’t sure how to operate one or where to charge it. During my stay in Seattle for several days of meetings, I lacked both the time and the desire to learn how to handle an unfamiliar vehicle.

When I approached the rental agent for another car, I was essentially told to "get with the times." Though I didn't appreciate the delivery, he explained that his company would eventually transition to an all-EV fleet, a trend likely other rental companies would follow. After some negotiation, the rental company provided me with a different vehicle.

This experience taught me a valuable lesson: don’t assume the rental company will give you exactly what you expected or that you’ll feel comfortable with whatever vehicle they hand over.

If you’re planning to rent a car, especially if you're considering an EV, I recommend learning the basics of driving and charging an electric vehicle before your trip, particularly if you’re heading to an unfamiliar destination. Spend some time understanding how the vehicle starts, accelerates, brakes, charges, and displays its battery range. Different EVs operate quite differently from one another, and some may have features and controls that feel unfamiliar if you’ve never driven one before.

If you do receive an EV at the rental counter, don’t wait until you’re on the road to figure it out. Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the vehicle’s basic controls before driving away. Make sure you know how to start and stop the vehicle, choose the right driving mode, locate the charging port, and understand the fundamentals of finding and using a charging station.

Take photos of the rental car, especially the license plate, even if there are no issues. This can be helpful later when using a parking meter or parking app, particularly if you're driving an electric vehicle. If you notice any damage or other issues with the vehicle, take several photos and inform an employee so they can document it. This can help ensure you aren't charged for damage that was already present when you received the vehicle.

Utilize a USB or C data blocker when using your phone in a car rental, especially if it's an electric vehicle rental. You certainly don’t want to sync your phone (i.e., your personal information) to the rental car! This information can get saved to the rental unless you manually delete it first. However, even after taking the step to manually remove the information from the rental, your personal data is not automatically erased from the infotainment system.

You don't want to be distracted looking down at your phone while driving, especially in unfamiliar areas. This is an important piece of car rental advice, particularly if you're using an electric vehicle rental. Bringing a small, lightweight, and easy-to-use cell phone holder will help you mitigate this risk and maintain focus on the roads.

When considering car rental advice, especially for electric vehicle rental, don't forget to pack extra tourist, city, and country maps to keep in your car. You never know when you might need them! Remember, you can't always rely on GPS and cell phone coverage.

I was traveling with someone who assumed our rental car was diesel, as most vehicles in that area at the time were, but it turned out to be petrol. The car almost immediately choked, and we quickly realized the mistake. Unfortunately, it was late on a Friday night in a remote village, and the garage was closed on the weekends. We had to wait until Monday to fix the issue, which meant we unexpectedly spent the weekend in this village. We made the best of it, but now I always check before driving! 

With the rise of electric vehicle rentals and hybrids, it's a great idea to familiarize yourself with all types of cars and, if possible, practice driving and fueling them in advance. This way, you'll feel more comfortable navigating through foreign or unfamiliar places with confidence.

How to Drive an EV: Essential Car Rental Advice for Electric Vehicle Rentals.