Hiring a car while going around another city or country requires a thorough knowledge of all the basic guidelines. There are several companies that provide cars for hire in every place. There are also some global car hire companies. It is very important to understand the policies of the country or the state as well as the policies of the rental company before taking a car for rent.

There are several policies and regulations relating to car hire. The renter as well as the rent agency has their own responsibilities. These are: policies in relation to coverage, driver policies, location policies, rental policies, reservation policies and vehicle policies may differ from country to country or even from state to state. Each of these policies have extensive sub-policies such as automobile liability and property damage protection, group insurance, loss damage waiver, personal accident insurance, theft protection, personal effects protection and public liability under the coverage policies. The drivers policies could include DMV check, non-licensed renters, additional drivers, traffic violations and parking tickets, towing and other related issues. Vehicle policies could cover certain aspects like accidents and injuries, off road driving, seat belts, border crossing, information about the vehicle and others.

The major aspects to be considered for car hiring are: the rental period, conditions for using the vehicle, the daily rates, inclusive rates, prepay, convention rates, extra days, maximum/minimum rental period, gas policy, refunds, rental agreements, rental extensions, policies about returning the vehicle, etc. Some rental agencies provide premium services such as: emergency roadside assistance/accident report, parking at rental locations, shuttle bus services, special equipment in the cars like cellular phones, child safety seat/infant seat, roof racks, ski racks, snow tires, tire chains and so on.

Other aspects to be considered while hiring cars are the various fees, charges and rates applicable. Fees could include additional drivers fees, advance booking requirements, airport concession recovery fees, drop off charges, congestion charge, late charges/overtime, premium location fee, service fee, sales tax and other mandatory fees, value added tax, vehicle license fee, surcharges, weekend rates, weekly rates, time and mileage charges and so on. Sometimes, you may also avail certain discount rates, depending on the provider and other factors. Some rental companies offer monthly rates and even free mileage allowances if the car is hired for a certain period of time, such as from 28 days to 59 days.

Most car hire programs are classified basically as: individual travel and business travel. Car hire companies have varied offers for different kinds of customers. These include: corporate programs, federal Government and military programs, business benefit programs, government contractor programs, state and local government programs, group and events programs, meeting and conventions programs, association programs etc. They also maintain different kinds of fleets for different purposes. These include economy, mini, luxury, premium, standard, intermediate, minivans/MPVs, SUVs, compact and other vehicle categories.

There are many car rental agencies in every city and town. Information can be obtained from yellow pages or from local advertisements. The internet is also a very good source for locating a good car hire agency and even applying for the hire online.