7 common mistakes to avoid when hiring a car in Uganda

Not checking for Hidden Fees

It is very common to be overtaken by the car performance and appearance only to forget that there are chances of things going bad. However minimal they may be, it is still important that you consider them and find out what other fees the past clients often footed on top of their hire payment.

One of the common hidden fees that are rarely talked about are fuel fees, excess insurance fees as well as returning the car a little be late. All these things have to be discussed in detail before hiring a car from a car rental agency for a self drive Uganda vacation.

Traffic tickets are also an important matter to confirm when hiring a vehicle to avoid hidden fees. In places like Rwanda where the traffic tickets do not reflect the driver’s name, you may end up liable for a traffic tickets that is meant for the company driver.

Insurance Cover Details

In most cases, the contract you sign with the car rental agency leaves liable to a certain degree. Though the cars are comprehensively insured, car rental agencies often list a few things so that you handle their car with care.

Some clients are malevolent. If they drive the car and realize that nothing was broken through their whole trip, they at least find something little to break so that they make use of their insurance cover. However this cost the car rental extra repair time and for this reason, everything that is minor such as punctures and scratches are not insured.

It is therefore recommended not to be over taken by the fact that the car is comprehensively or fully insured rather to focus on the insurance clause of the contract you sign with the car rental agency.

Fuel Refunds

Most of the car rental agencies in Uganda offer their cars on an empty tank to empty tank basis. Or quarter tank to quarter tank basis. This implies that if the car is delivered to you with an empty tank, you have to return the car with an empty tank. If the car is delivered to you with a quarter tank, it must be returned with a quarter tank.

In most cases, if you do not plan your mileage well, you are likely to return the car with may be a half tank of fuel. You should be informed that in most cases, your fuel will not be refunded. Therefore you ought to always plan your fuel carefully.

If possible, bargain for a quarter tank option since this gives you mileage of more than 100kms which implies that you can always top up fuel to make it a quarter tank when you are returning the car.

Choosing the wrong Vehicle

It is common for people to look out for the most budget friendly option at the expense of the car performance. When you hire saloon cars such as Toyota Premio, it is not as reliable in some parts of the country as the bigger SUVs such as a Land cruiser.

For instance, travelers opting for Gorilla Safaris would require at least a small 4x4 car to maneuver the dirty rocky gullied roads leading deep Bwindi forest National Park. Vehicle options with higher ground clearance and fulltime/ extra 4wd would be at an upper hand.

Some car rental agencies even limit you going to certain places with their small cars. If you are the kind that enjoys your liberty and you do not have an already planned itinerary, avoid hiring a small car since it might limit me from visiting some of the places you might be interested in.

Fueling with the wrong Fuel

In Uganda, there are always agents that help you to fill up at the gas stations but they sometimes make a mistake and fuel diesel cars with gasoline and vice versa. It is their recommended that for you to be on the safe side, always monitor and confirm with the agent before the start filling up.

If you fill up with the wrong fuel, you are not only liable for the damages in most cases but you will also lose some good precious time of your trip simply trying to fix the car. In order to avoid these mistakes and inconveniences, always confirm the fuel type.

Hiring a car with faulty Jake

Some car rental agencies in Uganda offer jakes without testing them only to get a flat tire find out in the middle of nowhere that the Jake is not working. To avoid this inconvenience, always test the Jake when the car is delivered to you.

Hiring a car with a None inflated spare wheel

 It is common for spare wheels to be kept without use for months more so with car rental agencies that offer cars with good tires. Therefore always make sure that the spare wheel that you have been given is inflated.

It might not be common to have a spare wheel that is not inflated but sometimes bad things happens thus the need to take extra caution in order to avoid unnecessary delays.

There are many other common mistakes that people make when hiring a car in Uganda but the above few will help you keep safer as well as reduce unnecessary delays.