Car rental in Austria

Car rental in Austria

Thanks to a simple procedure and excellent roads, car rental in Austria is a popular service regardless of the time of year. In order to save the tenant's time, online booking is very popular, which is offered by almost all car rental companies. As a rule, people over the age of 23 (25 for some companies) can rent a car in Austria, but many companies set special conditions for young drivers (under 23) and may require additional payment. The driving experience must be more than 2 years.

Despite the fact that there are points of issue of vehicles in every major city, it is worthwhile to study the conditions in advance, which differ from company to company. It is convenient to do this in advance on the RentService24 service, which contains offers from companies offering car rental in Austria. Compare prices for similar offers, carefully study the terms of the deal and book the right option.

What are the conditions for car rental in Austria?

After choosing a company with suitable conditions for you, prepare a passport, international driver's license, as well as a credit card. Insurance is automatically included in the daily price of the service and must include:

• insurance to which the deductible is attached - CDW;
• against theft - Theft Waiver;
• civil liability affecting third parties - party liability 3rd.

Car rental in Austria without a deposit is almost never found - the required amount will be immediately frozen on your account. You may notice that the rental companies offer vehicles with a manual transmission as the cheapest ones. Automatic transmissions will cost a little more. If you need child car seats, navigators and other devices or services, you will need to pay extra for them.

Basic traffic rules

So, you have booked a car rental in Austria and set off on your first independent trip around the country. In general, the rules of the road here correspond to the pan-European ones, for example:

• the driver can talk on the phone only through a headset or bluetooth;
• children under 12 years of age (below 150 cm) must only travel in car seats;
• in case of poor visibility during the day and without fail at night, the driver must turn on the dipped beam;
• lack of alcohol content of the driver.

It is impossible to rent a car in Austria from major local and international car rental companies without: a reflective vest for the driver, a first aid kit, a warning triangle, winter equipment. However, it will not be superfluous to independently verify the presence of all of the above, otherwise you will face large fines. Here are a few reasons for stopping a rental car:

• not fastened seat belts;
• talking on a mobile phone without a headset;
• over speed;
• violation of parking rules;
• transportation of young and middle-aged children without car seats;
• state of alcoholic intoxication;
• driving without a vignette.

For each of these violations and for many others, serious fines follow, evading payment of which is not accepted and is fraught with trouble.

How to make car rental cheaper in Austria

Although this European country belongs to the expensive segment, you can try to make car rental in Austria as inexpensive as possible:

• receipt of the vehicle - carefully inspect the car inside and out, demand that the slightest scratches, chips and dents be fixed in the contract. Hand it over also in the presence of the manager of the rental company, seeking a mark that there are no new damages;
• fixing the fuel level - in the presence of the manager. The fact is that, according to Austrian laws, you are obliged to return the car with the same level of fuel with which you took it. If there is not enough fuel, you will have to pay for it at the company's rates, which are much higher than the cost of gasoline at gas stations;
• traffic rules - strictly follow the rules and speed limits, be careful with parking, do not forget to pay fines (if any) in order to avoid problems with obtaining a visa in the future;
• rental time - the vast majority of rental companies consider the time of the day. For example, if you signed the contract at 9.00 in the morning, then you must return the car at 9.00. Being late for more than half an hour entails full payment for the next day;
• accident - in the event of an accident, immediately notify the rental company and then act in accordance with the rules of the contract. Self-fixation of an accident without the participation of the police is prohibited;
• completion of the lease - when returning the car to the distributor, make sure that your copy of the contract contains a note that the company does not have any property claims against you. Keep the contract, receipts, insurance policy for at least a month after the end of the rental.

Follow these simple rules so that your car rental in Austria leaves only pleasant impressions.

Important points

When traveling or during a business trip, it may be necessary to change some clauses of the contract. It is advisable to ask in advance how the company in which you rented a car will react car to:

• returning the car in another city in Austria or an EU country - if this was originally planned, put a check mark in the contract in front of the “Return in another city” item. Payment for such a service can be included in the price or money for it is paid at the time of transfer of the vehicle;
• crossing borders - many firms indicate in advance in the contract the countries into which entry is allowed. If the desired country is not available, you can either pay extra or put up with it (it means that the company does not have an agreement with this country);
• there is a maximum age limit after which it is impossible to rent a car in Austria (usually around 70 years old).

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