Is it your first time booking a rental car online for your holiday? As with any product or service purchased on the internet, it’s important to pay close attention to the website you choose. The starting point is always the same: the company must be serious and reliable, especially when it comes to purchasing or renting something as important as a vehicle.

Fortunately, customer reviews can tell you a lot about a company you don’t know. Reading other people’s experiences and feedback is always the first step. If you notice that many people speak poorly about a company, that alone should be enough to raise a red flag.

Booking before you travel

Our guide starts with a tip we always share with our customers, especially when they choose to book a holiday in Sardinia or in other Italian regions during peak season. To the question “better to book online or on site?”, our answer is: online. However, if for some reason you’re unable to plan your trip in advance, it’s good to know that you can still rent your vehicle directly upon arrival.

To rent a car online in Sardinia, all you need to do is check which agencies are based inside the airports or near the ports, and start your search from there, looking for the option that best matches your needs.

What should you look out for and how do you complete the booking?

1 – Check terms and conditions

Open the websites of the agencies you’ve shortlisted and start by reading their rental terms and conditions. This step is crucial, even before browsing through the vehicles in their fleet. By reading these details, you’ll be able to identify all the specific conditions of the rental and contact the agency if you need any clarification.

From the excess to the insurance cover, from extra options if you travel with children to the possibility of returning the vehicle to a different location: at this stage, you should note down everything that matters to you in order to plan your trip properly.

2 – Payment methods

Check the payment methods accepted by the agencies you’re considering.

At Ellepirental, for example, we accept all major methods, from credit cards to cash. More specifically, our agency allows you to pay for your rental with:

  • credit cards;
  • debit cards;
  • cash;
  • ATM cards;
  • prepaid cards;
  • Maestro cards.

As for the security deposit, depending on the type of vehicle, it can be left using:

  • credit card;
  • debit card;
  • cash;
  • prepaid card.

Cash and debit cards are not always accepted, as they do not offer the same level of guarantee for the agency in case of damage to the vehicle or other issues. However, from the customer’s point of view, being able to rent a car without a credit card is a great opportunity.

3 – Choosing your car

By now, you will have ruled out a few agencies and kept those that convinced you the most based on the elements we’ve just analysed. It’s time to look at their vehicle fleet and see whether they offer what you need: motorbikes, scooters, small cars, minivans, multispace vehicles, jeeps, economy cars, with automatic or manual transmission.

Select the model and the extras you want to add, then book your car through the online portal by following the steps on the website. In most cases, besides extra services, the system will ask you for:

  • the driver’s details;
  • the driver’s age;
  • ID or driving licence information;
  • flight details or pick-up time;
  • the preferred payment method;
  • invoicing details, if required.

Once you’ve completed the form, you can submit your booking request to the agency! 🙂

What are you waiting for? Book your car with Ellepi!