Self Driven Cars In Bangalore

[Wanderlust]

I will be coming over to Bangalore on a week-long official tour later this month. During my stay in Bangalore, I would have to make a number of short distance trips between one client office to another and couple of long-distance trips to Mysore and Hassan as well.

I think, it would be more convenient to rent a self driven car than availing city taxi services. In terms of cost also, self driven cars would come cheaper than the taxis, I believe. I have fair bit of knowledge about the roads in Bangalore and with GPS-enabled device, it should not be a problem to locate the places that I want to visit.

Considering all these factors, I would like to hire a self-drive car while I am in Bangalore. I believe, there are quite a few self driven car rentals available in a big city like Bangalore. I do not have much of an experience with these self driven cars. All I heard is some positive reviews about ZoomCar and Avis. Are there any other self driven car rentals in Bangalore besides these two? I don't need luxury. A small hatch-back with low cost daily rental would serve me best.

Do you have any experience of hiring self driven cars in Bangalore? What is the best self driven car rental service in Bangalore? Shall I go with Zoom, or is there any better alternative?

 

[Debapriya Deb]

Bangalore has so many self driven car rental services. While a few have pan-India presence, the others are mostly limited to Bangalore city only.

Local self driven car rental services are usually cheaper, but there are a certain risk factors in terms of vehicle condition, quality of service and customer satisfaction. There have been cases in the past where people had to go through unnecessary troubles. In every walk of life, you will come across some good people and some not-so-good ones. Self drive car rental, in Bangalore or at any other place, is no different.

Coming from a different part of the country, I am sure you don't want to get into any sort of altercations with the local service providers and hence I would strongly suggest you to stick to the tried and trusted ones like ZoomCar, Myles or Avis.

From my experience, I would recommend you the following self driven car rental services in Bangalore -

1. Zoom Car - The most popular choice, if not the best. The best part about ZoomCar is their large fleet of vehicles and wide-spread presence across the Bangalore city. From an economic Tata Nano hatchback to a Luxury sedan from the likes of Mercedes and Audi, Zoom brings a wide range of choice at your disposal. The procedure is quite simple and it only takes a few minutes to book the car of your choice. They even offer you doorstep delivery of the vehicle. In terms of cost, Zoom is real value for money. Also from time to time they come up with discount deals, so just keep a tab on their website and you may just land a better deal. Also unlike other car rental services, the fare in ZoomCar is inclusive of the fuel cost.

2. Hertz - Although on the costlier side, with Hertz you can get a self driven car as soon as you land at Bangalore airport. They have a counter in the airport terminal where you can complete the booking process and drive away with your self driven car. If that's an advantage with Hertz, the main disadvantage is the choice of cars. High-end models are available in aplenty, but they have only a few low-end hatchbacks. So try to book your car in advance through their online portal.

3. Avis - Thoroughly professional dealings. Vehicles are usually in good condition and they are fairly reliable. The rates are pretty decent and the security deposit is lowest among the best self driven car rental services in Bangalore. They also have a good collection of vehicles. Lots of my friends are loyal customers of Avis, so they must be providing good service.

4. Myles - One of the oldest self drive car rental services in Bangalore. Alike Zoom, they have multiple pickup centers across Bangalore and offer online booking facility. Rates are more or less the same compared to Zoom and the dealings are professional as well. They have a wide choice of vehicles and offer some lucrative discounts on multiple-day bookings.

5. Just Ride - The latest kid on the block as far as self driven car rental sector in Bangalore is concerned. They have already become quite popular in Bangalore - thanks to their cheapest rates. For example, while a Ford Figo costs INR 2000 a day at ZoomCar, you can get it for INR 1000 at Just Ride. I have not personally used Just Ride self drive cars, but heard some good reviews about them from my friends.

To sum things up, renting out self driven cars in Bangalore is not only a cheaper option, but these also are far more convenient compared to taxi/cab hires. Just ensure that you are opting for a reputed and reliable service provider and driving carefully.

Regards,
Deb

 

[jnorth88]

I typically use Avis for my car rentals. They have always done well for me. It is fairly easy to get gold status with them, which is also a great help. That gives discounts and better service. If you have credit cards, check to see if they have any programs with car rental companies. Many times they can automatically upgrade you to a higher tier in their customer rewards programs.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

That's cool and all, but if you drive cars around when you are traveling, you will never get to see the sights that you can only see by foot. With cars, it's faster to go to places you want to go, but that also means you also miss out on mingling with the locals, getting their recommendations in sights to see in their city, and even recommendations on the places where you can get the best local cuisines. What I'm saying is, renting a car is great to travel from one point to the next, but you will miss out a ton by doing so.