View Full Version : fuel charges when collecting car - Dollar
Hiya
Trying to book car hire for my parents for three week stay in October this year and have found a deal with Dollar. However I have been told that the car hire charge is based on the car being empty and a tank of fuel will be charged when they collect the car. I was told that they do not over inflate the prices and a full tank should be no more than £25.00 they charge pump prices.
Is this correct or has anyone been badly overcharged with this clause?
Pamela,
Try getting a quote for Dollar car hire through the link with this site, if you chose the gold insurance pack everything is included.
This is the link http://www.floridahire.com/
Karen
This includes all the insurance you would need as well. Lots of the 'deals' around don't include this.
I'm not sure where you heard that, but the rental companies charge a LOT for the tank of fuel. See the note we include on our site at this link: http://www.uscarhire.co.uk/faq-hire-types.aspx
Depending on the type of car, the tank can be around $80 - $90 on a 7 seater (which costs approx $60 for a full tank at the pump).
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Pamela
Hiya
Trying to book car hire for my parents for three week stay in October this year and have found a deal with Dollar. However I have been told that the car hire charge is based on the car being empty and a tank of fuel will be charged when they collect the car. I was told that they do not over inflate the prices and a full tank should be no more than £25.00 they charge pump prices.
Is this correct or has anyone been badly overcharged with this clause?
[/quote]
CERICROWLEY
21-06-2007, 18:52
Pamela
It depends on how long you are hiring the car for, 7-14 days, it is best to go for the gold option, as it is cheaper than paying for the silver option and the tank of gas. Although if you are hiring it for more than 14 days, it can work out cheaper to pay for the tank of gas with the silver option.
Robert5988
21-06-2007, 20:37
Dollar charged me $4.19 a gallon last week - the price at garages ranged from $2.89 upwards.
I had take someone to Thrifty Rental(a sister company to Dollar) in Melbourne last week and they charge $3.09 a gallon
It is also irritating that petrol gauge moves off 'full' within 10 miles of driving off. When I fill car I can drive 60 miles before gauge moves.
No big deal but just penny pinching.
Last year I got a fly drive from Travel city[msnembarrased] and when I got to the desk I had to pay $56 for fuel. It was a lot more than the pump price. Your better getting your car hire from here other than Roger being very helpfull there are no hidden cost when you arrive.[msnsmile2]
Robert5988
22-06-2007, 00:21
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Last year I got a fly drive from Travel city and when I got to the desk I had to pay $56 for fuel. It was a lot more than the pump price. Your better getting your car hire from here other than Roger being very helpfull there are no hidden cost when you arrive.[/quote]
It doesn't matter from whom you get your Dollar car(Roger etc) on Silver you will still pay $4.19 a gallon(For a PT cruiser I paid $66)
It is a Dollar charge.
For the 3 weeks I was there, the Gold option works out more expensive as I didn't need multiple drivers.
I have sometimes (been naughty and ) booked a Dollar car from an airline ticket company as its sometimes a bit cheaper and they charge £2 per day for the gold option with full fuel and extra drivers, so for a week its definitely worth it, for a fortnight its a bit debatable unless you need the extra drivers or book a large car with a big gas tank.
I see on the car hire from this site that Dollar seem to charge a bit more than £2 per day, and Budget a bit less, in fact Budget seemed really a very reasonable cost. I've never used them.
That's correct, the Gold option is only around £2 per day more with us, so especially on shorter rentals this is well worth it for the extra drivers and free tank of fuel. It surprises me how many 1 or 2 day bookings we take where the customer books on Silver option, but for £2 or £4 more they could have had a free tank of fuel (worth it even if they only use part a tank).
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by anorak
I have sometimes (been naughty and ) booked a Dollar car from an airline ticket company as its sometimes a bit cheaper and they charge £2 per day for the gold option with full fuel and extra drivers, so for a week its definitely worth it, for a fortnight its a bit debatable unless you need the extra drivers or book a large car with a big gas tank.
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I reckon on a one day hire, useful for owners who have a car in Fl but need to get to and from the airport at the beginning and end of a visit that Dollar might just break even on the deal if they get the car back empty of gas if the renter takes the Gold option.
Say 13 gallons of gas at approx $3 per gallon is $39 (actually today its around $2.85 per gal gas station price), well thats about what it costs for the rental.
I would not definitley NOT reccomend it to anyone to do (could well be dangerous) but I normally siphon out all but the last gallon and put it in my 34 gal tank Chevy Pickup, then cruise back to the drop off running on fumes.
I am a real cheapskate!
If Dollar ever check how many miles the car has done on the days hire and then work out the fuel consumption they must wonder why the car is apparently only getting 5 miles per gallon.
Not worth running out and missing your flight for the sake of a few dollars worth of gas though!
The rental companies actually make a loss on Gold option rentals of around 4 days or less by the time they have paid the tank of fuel, insurances (very expensive even for a large fleet like Dollar's), vehicle lease costs (as they lease all their cars from the manufacturers), staff costs, maintenance costs, agents commissions and other costs. They re-coup this mainly on the Silver option bookings where the clients pay the high fuel costs.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by anorak
I reckon on a one day hire, useful for owners who have a car in Fl but need to get to and from the airport at the beginning and end of a visit that Dollar might just break even on the deal if they get the car back empty of gas if the renter takes the Gold option.
Say 13 gallons of gas at approx $3 per gallon is $39 (actually today its around $2.85 per gal gas station price), well thats about what it costs for the rental.
I would not definitley NOT reccomend it to anyone to do (could well be dangerous) but I normally siphon out all but the last gallon and put it in my 34 gal tank Chevy Pickup, then cruise back to the drop off running on fumes.
I am a real cheapskate!
If Dollar ever check how many miles the car has done on the days hire and then work out the fuel consumption they must wonder why the car is apparently only getting 5 miles per gallon.
Not worth running out and missing your flight for the sake of a few dollars worth of gas though!
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I believe Dollar are selfinsuring as a company, and as they have mostly Chrysler products I did wonder if they are owned by Chrysler?
Owning a car rental company must be a good way for a car manufacturer to massage their sales figures.
No doubt that we Brits get a good deal on car rental, costs much much more if you are a US renter.
I also often wonder where all the ex rental cars go after Dollar are finished with them, I suppose to the car auctions but who buys them eventually, or maybe they get exported? There must be millions of them every year.
You used to be able to buy ex rental cars from Dollar direct. Now I see they're mainly returned to manufacturers to sell wholesale to their dealers. http://www.dollar.com/faq/rental_fleet.aspx
Dollar were created and operated by Chrysler but then sold off a few years ago so now a private company (owned by DTAG who also own Thrifty). DTAG = Dollar-Thrifty Automotive Group.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by anorak
I believe Dollar are selfinsuring as a company, and as they have mostly Chrysler products I did wonder if they are owned by Chrysler?
Owning a car rental company must be a good way for a car manufacturer to massage their sales figures.
No doubt that we Brits get a good deal on car rental, costs much much more if you are a US renter.
I also often wonder where all the ex rental cars go after Dollar are finished with them, I suppose to the car auctions but who buys them eventually, or maybe they get exported? There must be millions of them every year.
[/quote]