When it comes to renting a car, it is essential to understand the terms and conditions of the contract to avoid unpleasant surprises for your pocket. One of the most frequent questions asked by users of this type of service is whether they can be penalized if they return the car before the expected deadline. The truth is that return policies vary depending on each company, although it is worth knowing some general aspects.
Although the harm of returning a car after the delivery deadline seems clear, doing so before the agreed date can also be an inconvenience for the company. Some have flexible return policies, but many others reserve the right to charge the customer additional charges or recalculate rates based on the actual length of the rental if returned early. That is why it is essential that users carefully review the terms and conditions of the contract and try to negotiate these types of clauses before confirming the reservation.
Below, we review the policies of the main car rental companies.
When the user has decided to pay once their trip has concluded, the price will be recalculated if the car is returned ahead of schedule. The client will only pay for the days they have used the vehicle, the company will take as a reference the rates in force at the time of the return when charging them, which may mean an increase or decrease with respect to the agreed price.
Additionally, Hertz reserves the right to make additional charges to compensate for the inability to rent the car during the remaining reserved time.
Avis warns its users that they can return the car before the agreed deadline, but that in no case will they be refunded the amount corresponding to the days that it has not been used. What's more, changes to the reservation conditions may entail additional costs. This is because some rates, discounts and special promotions only apply to rentals of a certain duration. Therefore, returning the car early implies the loss of these bonuses.
This company does not make refunds or surcharges. On its website, it explains that the contract establishes the duration of the rental and that, therefore, nothing paid for the service will be refunded to customers who return the cars early. Its terms and conditions only contemplate the refund of the difference in the event that the hasty return is due to a cause of force majeure, which must be justified with a medical report or similar.
Enterprise does not apply any additional surcharge to customers who return a vehicle before the date established in the contract. In fact, for those who decide to pay at the end of the service, they will only be charged the portion corresponding to the days they have used the car. The latter does not apply to reservations with advance payment.
