Your Ultimate Car Hire Checklist for the USA

Follow our ultimate car hire checklist to make renting a car as easy as possible.

Book your USA hire car in a few easy steps

Alamo Rent A Car offers low rental rates and a hassle-free customer experience at the most popular travel destinations throughout the United States. Once you’ve booked your hire car, you can start looking forward to the holiday of a lifetime. There are five initial steps to the booking process.

1. Visit Alamo and search for the best location to pick up and drop off your hire car
2. Enter your details
3. Select your ideal vehicle (we offer a variety of cars, vans, SUVs and trucks to suit your needs)
4. Choose from a range of optional extras
5. Review and submit to secure your booking

Select your protection products

For your convenience, all Alamo.co.uk online rates include a Collision Damage Waiver and Extended Protection with zero excess to give you complete peace of mind. When placing your reservation, we’ll provide you the following protection choices you might be interested in:

• Insurance options
  

• Collision Damage Waiver and Extended Protection
• Roadside protection coverage

Things to do before you leave

Before you set off, it’s a good idea to do a little research to ensure that you’re prepared to drive in a foreign country. Taking the time to tick off the next few steps in the weeks up to your journey can make life initially easier when renting a car in the United States.

• Research driving rules and traffic regulations at national and state level. The US government website can help you with both.

• Double check your pickup and drop-off locations

• Check you have all the right documents with you

• Check your airline details (if applicable)

What to bring with you

There are many different types of car rental, and you may need different documentation depending on your chosen destination, but you’ll generally need to bring these things with you when you go to pick your car up from Alamo Rent A Car:

• Driving licence

• International driving licence

• Additional form of ID (such as your passport)

• Credit card

• Printed car hire confirmation documents (in case technology fails you)

Optional extras

Many people benefit from the optional extras that Alamo Rent A Car offer. Depending on where in North America you’re visiting, you might find that these additions can make your getaway a whole lot easier. Our helpful staff can offer advice from a local perspective, so if you’d prefer to wait until you know the likely conditions, you can always pay for these at the counter.

• Snow chains

• Winter tyres

• Child seats

Things to check before you drive off

Once you’ve arrived at your destination and are ready to pick up your hire car, there are a few things you might like to check before you drive away. While Alamo Rent A Car take every care to ensure you are happy with your vehicle, it’s a good idea to pay attention to these things:

• Inspect your vehicle for any damage

• Check the fuel level (Alamo offers two different fuel policies to choose from, but your tank should be full on arrival)

• Double check your terms and conditions

Thing to check before you return your hire car

Returning a hire car is a relatively simple process, but following these tips will ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible and can save you from any complications.

• Always be sure to return your car on time to avoid additional costs

• Check for any new damage (hopefully there won’t be any)
• If the car is extremely dirty, it’s courtesy to wash and/or vacuum it before it’s returned

• Refill the fuel tank so that it’s at the same level as when you picked up the car (stop at a gas station as close to the rental point that you minimise loss of gas before you return the car)

• Remove CDs, sat navs and GPS mounts

• Check glove box, boot and throughout the car to make sure you haven’t left anything behind

• Leave the keys in the ignition as the attendant will need to read the mileage

• Make sure to document when you returned the car, where you left it, and the condition it was in when you dropped it off.