Tips to Rent a Car in India

India is one of the best tourist destinations in the world. However, no journey is complete with properly planning for the transport. Although, there are different transportation options available for the tourists like air, rails and taxi. For covering a radius of 300-600 kms, the best option is still to hire a car and enjoy the scenic view of the countryside. For example, tourists can rent cars in Delhi and reach all popular destinations in north India like Shimla, Manali, Jaipur, Udaipur, Rishikesh and Nainital in a span of 5-10 hour.

Car rental market in India is still fragmented. Cost of renting cars varies in terms of the types of cars, whether AC or non AC, with or without a chauffeur, including charges of fuels and taxes. In all major cities in India, tourists have three options – Rent a Car, Car Sharing and Car Pooling.

Rent a Car

Renting cars is as much popular here in key cities as it is in the western countries. However, tourists can still face some problem in small towns. There are two ways of renting cars in India.

Professional Car Rental Companies

This service is popularly known as “Radio Taxi”. There are many domestic (Meru or Orix) and international companies (Sixt or Hertz) are currently operating in India. These companies charge only for the actual kilometers travelled and the actual waiting time. The tourists can get the car along with a chauffeur and can pay according to the actual charges incurred. The tourists also get the flexibility of keeping the car at their disposal for multi-stop journeys. For example, the rental for an air-conditioned cab will be Rs. 15-20 per kms.

By Local Transporters

This market segment is very fragmented and dominated by individual owners. There are many local transporters also from whom one can take a car on rent. These rentals are supported with a chauffeur and the cost of rented car is as per the actual distance covered. Travelers need to pay for the garage to garage travel and package of 4 hours or 8 hours. For example, the rental for a 5 seats cab will cost in the range of Rs. 800-1,200 for 80 kms and 8 hrs service.

Car Sharing

India does not have a wide spread car sharing (“Self-drive car hire”) facility. It is possible only in India’s large cities like Delhi and Mumbai. To rent a car without a chauffeur, one needs to submit a photocopy of the Driving License, Credit Card and Passport. In case one does not have a passport, any other acceptable proof of identification needs to be submitted.

The renter needs to deposit security amount with the rental companies. Tourists need to be extra cautions as the rental company will forfeit the amount in case of any damage to car. Further, car insurance companies do not offer any liability waiver and collision waivers. Thus, significant responsibility lies with the renter.

Car Pooling

“Carpooling” or “ride-sharing” refers to the shared use of a car for a specific journey, in particular for commuting to work, often by people who each have a car but travel together to save costs. It is not that common in India as it is in the western countries. However, there are few online communities like Mega Car Pool, in metro cities where travelers can join these clubs. Car Pooling is the best option to get in touch with local people and understand the daily life of the city.

Tourists can also hire cars/taxis to move around within the city for local travel or sightseeing. In India, the cars withchauffeurs are mostly preferred as the people are not willing to drive themselves in the congested traffic areas. This allows peace of mind and more free time to traveller.

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