Renting a vehicle has become a common phenomenon in Uganda because of the safety, comfort, and convenience it creates while traveling. Nowadays people no longer only rent cars for special occasions like wedding ceremonies but even for casual ones. One can hire a car in Uganda for a dinner date with his beloved, a vacation safari in the national park, to meet his business client, and many more. However, car rentals in Uganda do not come cheap, they have a heavy price tag. The high rates of car hire services can be beaten by applying a few tricks here and there as we shall look at them below;
- Search online
The main avenue to find affordable rental vehicles is the internet. It hosts loads of car rental companies providing travel services at unbeatable rates. The trick with online booking is to first shop around by inquiring from several operators. Look at their quotes, compare and choose the most affordable one.
The beauty about online, even if you have booked one car rental, you can simply cancel if you have found one with a better rate.
- Do away with the airport
Do not hire a car at the airport or near it. Ensure to rent one from a local rental agency away from it. Airport car rentals are quite expensive because of the high demand from travelers flying into and out of Uganda. You are advised to look from elsewhere like Kampala which has several rental companies with competitive rates. Away from Entebbe Airport, you will be able to find a rental car for as low as 30$ per day.
Do not be afraid of airport transfers, car hire companies in Kampala normally provide free airport transfer services, especially to clients wishing to use a rental vehicle for several days.
- Look out for affordable rental cars
Rental operators have a chain of vehicles displayed on their websites and what you select is what is reserved for you. So, when you get to the vehicle selection column ensure that you look at the cheap vehicle within the fleet. The most popular affordable rental cars in Uganda are Toyota RAV4, land cruiser Prado, Toyota Vitz, and Wish. For instance, if you are a couple and going for a self-drive safari, a Toyota Rav4 would be the most perfect vehicle in terms of affordability.
- Stick to one rental operator
If you are a frequent user of car rental in Uganda, you are advised to stick to one company. Loyalty pays especially in this travel business. Companies normally give discounts to their return customers as a way to keep them for good. Grab this opportunity and get back to the rental operator who has ever hired a car for you and gets a new deal at a lower price.
- Opt for a fuel-efficient vehicle
The fuel prices have become so high in Uganda that the cost of it can be higher than that of the rental vehicle for the entire trip. Therefore, on top of ensuring that you hire a car with a low price tag, it should also consume little fuel. This will enable spend less money on the entire rental deal hence being affordable for you. If you put the two aspects of low renting rate and fuel-efficient, a Toyota Vitz is the perfect vehicle. However, it is only meant for intercity trips.