Navigating The Unavoidable Situation Of Renting A Very Large And Atypical Vehicle When On A Business Trip

Posted on: 19 April 2017

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Cars break down and they can do so at the worst possible time. A person who is on a very important business trip might find his/her car has to go into the shop for two or three days. Luckily, the car insurance company is paying for a rental car. The drawback is the only vehicles available are a minivan and an SUV, two large-sized vehicles the driver may have no experience with. The daily commute from the hotel is 20 miles and now has to be driven behind someone who may be nervous behind the wheel. Rather than fret over the situation, follow a few common sense steps to make the rental excursion as productive as possible.

Test Drive Both Vehicles

Test drives are not limited to situations where a car is being purchased. Test driving a rental vehicle before signing the agreement may be wise. The big SUV might look a bit more intimidating than a minivan but -- surprise -- the SUV might be the vehicle that is more comfortable and easy to drive. When concerned over being required to rent an unfamiliar vehicle, employing a test drive to make sure the right model is selected would be a good move.

Look for the Safest Routes

Pulling out onto a highway and hitting 65 MPH on a car probably wouldn't be the wisest thing to do right away with an unfamiliar model and style of vehicle. Mercifully, online direction guides can provide alternative routes that eliminate highways. Instead, taking the trek down less-traveled streets with lower speed limits and more stop signs and traffic lights can be done. Yes, this is going to add time to the commute. Waking up and leaving is unavoidable when instituting this particular plan but this is the tradeoff for taking extra care and precautions.

Up the Insurance

Buying extra insurance may be advisable when forced to rent an oversized vehicle under less-than-preferable circumstances. Buying added insurance from the rental service might not be enough. Contacting a primary auto insurance provider to determine if additional short-term renter's insurance can be bought might be worth it. Even if a claim never needs to be filed, the psychological benefit of knowing more insurance is in place may ease the mind. 

The best advice to give here is to stay calm and be deliberative. Doing so improves the ability to become comfortable driving a big vehicle and end up enjoying the experience. For more information, talk to a professional like Aztec Rent A Car & Truck.