When we turned to our TPG Lounge on Facebook, we found Ryan was far from the only renter (across numerous companies) that experienced surprise fees when renting a car. (Photo by Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group/Getty Images) ‘Surprise’ fees noticed by many Related: Renting a car this summer? Things are getting better, but it could still be dicey Plus, Ryan filled up the tank before he brought back the car.
Was this the fee Ryan was assessed during his recent rentals? Well, for starters, the company charged him $18.99, not $17.99, for fuel service.
BUDGET CAR RENTAL RECEIPT FULL
Under this provision, the company will charge a flat, $17.99 fee in California (or $15.99 fee in other states) for customers who drive the rental car less than 75 miles, and you don’t have to return it with a full tank.
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For drivers who do not fill up or select an option for refueling by the company, “Avis will apply a fuel usage charge for customers who did not choose a refueling product and did not fill up the tank after vehicle use,” a spokesperson said.Īvis’ policy also gives you the option to prepay or fill up the tank yourself, but the company has a third option it calls EZFuel. In a statement to TPG, Avis Budget Group specifically pointed to “several, convenient” options for refueling its rental cars. Other companies do this too, and it’s the reason the prices can be so expensive when the rental car company fills up the tank.ĭollar’s policy has similar provisions, but it specifically notes up front that you must refuel within a 10-mile radius of the rental car facility and present a receipt to avoid a "refueling charge."
Hertz’s policy largely states that if you don’t return the tank full, they’ll charge you “for the costs we incur and the service we provide” in filling up the tank. Still, there’s no doubt each of the companies’ fuel policies has intricacies. No major rental car brands have added any such fee, according to Greg Scott, a spokesperson with the American Car Rental Association (a trade group for large car rental companies).īy and large, the policies of the major rental companies (reviewed by TPG Friday) seem to suggest you should be in the clear from any additional fees if you fill up the tank just before returning the car. After all, the customer usually pays for the gas they use. At the same time though, it wouldn’t really make much sense for extra fuel charges to be added to car rental bills. Given the trend with gas prices this year, I wouldn't have been surprised. (Photo by San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images) A cobweb of fuel policiesĪs I began looking into Ryan’s situation, I wondered if rental car companies had been adding any sort of extra fuel-related fees.
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