6 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Renting a Car in Uganda

Uganda is one of the best destinations you can visit in Africa for a safari due to the abundance of attractions that can be explored. No wonder, it was described as the “pearl of Africa” by Winston Churchill in his Book-“My African Journey published in 1908. This East African country boasts of small slices of everything Africa has to offer to tourists. In the past, tourists felt comfortable travelling in guided safaris but with the growth in tourism industry, this trend is changing as most tourists prefer hiring private cars for road trips in Uganda.

However, it is very important to be thorough and careful when hiring cars; hence this article brings you some of the common mistakes that you should not make when hiring cars for self drive safaris in Uganda.

1.Not reading and understanding the car hire contract

It is very important to thoroughly read and understand the terms and conditions of hiring the car, so as to understand your personal rights and obligations. Feel free to inquire about anything you don’t seem to understand before you sign the contract. You are advised to avoid signing a contract that you are not sure about its content or if you are not contented or satisfied with its terms and conditions. When hiring the car, pay extra attention on the fuel policy, the Insurance Policy, the type of insurance cover and whether you will have to pay extra fees in case of a claim, what is included or not in the contract, the breakdown policies, the driver policies and the return policies among others.

2. Returning the car beyond the time agreed.

It is a common yet bad practice to return the car beyond business hours since it becomes hard to determine the damages done on the car. Some companies even charge an extra fee for vehicles returned outside working hours because of the associated risks. Sometimes, you are required to take photographs of the car to ascertain its damage if you are to return it beyond business hours as evidence that any damage that occurred to the car didn’t happen during the rental period. Therefore, make sure to crosscheck the car and always return it early to avoid paying extra fees for the car.

3. Not checking the total price of the car you are hiring.

Have you ever wondered why the same cars are hired at different prices? You will notice that some cars are way too cheap to hire but you have to be very careful with such cars because they might be in bad conditions or lack some important requirements. So long as the price is cheap but the terms are favorable, then go for it but if the car you are hiring calls for extra costs on additional driver/s, additional distance limits, extra insurance, extra costs for returning the car beyond business hours, extra costs for crossing International boundaries/borders, extra fees for drivers below a particular age, extra child seats and costs for returning the car to another point rather than the agreed pick-up point, to mention but a few then that is very expensive to hire.

4.Forgetting to crosscheck your car hire deposit

Never take anything for granted but always make sure to check the deposit and ensure that it is deducted from the total price you are meant to pay for hiring the car. If you don’t check, the person hiring the car might forget then you end up paying double the Price of hiring the car.

5. Forgetting to fill the car hire damage check sheet

When you rent a car for a safari, first make sure than you check the car for any form of damages and should be put in form of writing before you accept it so as you are not held accountable for any damages that are not caused by you in the time you rented the car. Don’t just stop at checking before renting but also do it after returning the car to the company. The most important things to check include the tyres, lights, the windscreen, the air conditioners and the Dents on the outside of the car being hired.

6. Forgetting to check where you can go with the car

When you hire a car for a self drive, make sure to check the limits on distance that you can travel with the car within the rental period. This includes the limits of crossing country borders, checking whether an International driver’s permit can be accepted and the other required documentation in the country that you are renting the car from.