Planning a road trip over the festive period? For most, it’s a foregone conclusion that you’ll pack up and jump into your own car, which does make a lot of sense. After all, most of the time, it’s because those people contemplating a road trip are the very same people who own cars. Faultless logic, you’d agree. However, increasingly more holiday makers are hiring a car to get from A to B. 

There are a few strong reasons why hiring a car (whether you already own one or not) for your next road trip is the way to go. Let’s take a look at the top reasons why this is the case. 

The Logic Behind Hiring A Road Trip Vehicle 

As with most decisions in life, the options you’re weighing up will come fully kitted out with their own pros and cons for you to consider. This choice is no different, so let’s unpack why on earth you’d think about hiring a vehicle for your upcoming road trip. 

It’s A High Chance It’s More Cost Effective 

While the cost of renting a vehicle will no doubt vary depending on what you go for, which rental company you use, and how long you plan on hiring the vehicle for, it could still end up being more cost effective than driving your own vehicle. This is especially true if you’re traveling long distances. 

The Wear ’n Tear  

Driving long distances can put extra wear and tear on your vehicle, which can lead to costly repairs down the line. Of course, if you’re hiring a vehicle then you can drive along knowing that they’ve covered this in their fee and any repairs needed down the line won’t be your problem.  

You Don’t Have Your Own Insurance  

Let’s say that you can’t afford car insurance for your own car. If something happens while you’re on your road trip, you’ll have to pay out of your own pocket to get you back on the road. But if you go with a rental, you’ll find that you can pay to cover this car for a shorter period of time, and if anything happens to the hired vehicle, it won’t happen to your wallet.  

Most rental companies offer insurance options that cover damage to the vehicle, theft, and liability. Just make sure you read the fine print and understand what is covered and what is not. 

It Pushes You To Drive Better 

Regardless of whether you’re driving yours or a hired vehicle, you should absolutely practice safe driving habits while on the road. But there’s something about driving a clean, not-yours vehicle that creates a higher level of awareness. You just don’t want anything to happen to a vehicle that’s not yours, you want to avoid paying either for any damages or the excess if you’ve taken out the rental company’s insurance option.  

Essentially, it’s likely you’ll drive better and everyone will be all the safer for it.  

It’s Quite Convenient  

Depending on how far you’re going, you could fly and only hire a vehicle for fun parts of your trip. For example, if you’re going from Cape Town to a family Christmas ’do in the Drakensburg. That’s an interminably long drive, but you could fly to Durban and hire a vehicle for a shorter (and magically scenic) road trip to the ’Burg.  

Hire Better For A Better Trip 

The last reason you might be interested in hiring a vehicle rather than driving your own, is that you could hire something more spacious, comes with a few more bells and whistles, more economical on fuel, and more likely to endure a road trip than your current vehicle.  

Feel informed?  

It’s understandable why renting a vehicle is steadily becoming a popular option for road trips in South Africa, especially for those who don’t want to put extra mileage on their own vehicles.   

We hope this info helps keep you safe while you’re driving around, whether it’s in your neck of the woods or further from home. Don’t forget that AA Inform can help with a range of tools and tips, including our Fuel Consumption Calculator and Trip Fuel Cost Calculator – to make it easier for you to budget for your road trip. 

We can even help you obtain a Free Vehicle Valuation Report, which tells you how much your vehicle or a vehicle you’re interested in buying is worth!