TURNIPSEED TRAVEL
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Partner With Us
  • New Visitors
  • Social Media

Readers Want To Know: Should I Fill Up My Rental Car Before Returning It?

18/2/2015

 

Should you pre-purchase gas with your next car rental? Do you have to fill up a rental car? We weigh out the pros and cons to help you understand car rentals with gas "included".

​​This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, we may be paid a small commission.

Car rental with gas included: Taking a roadtrip through Death Valley National Park.
Do you have to fill up a rental car? Renting an SUV was pricey but it let us see all of Death Valley National Park
It may seem silly to worry about something as small as rental car gas prices when you're on the trip of a lifetime. Why sweat the small stuff when you can be out there enjoying yourself? And do you HAVE to fill up a rental car before you return it or just let it go? But small steps can add up to huge saving - savings you can use to make your trip even more unforgettable. 
​
Savvy travelers know that their trip budget needs to take into account more than just base prices. Hotel rooms require taxes and tips. Flight costs don't include luggage fees and airport meals. And if you're calculating how much does it cost to rent a car, remember that car rental costs are more than just an automobile's base price. There are taxes and fees, insurance options, upgrade possibilities, and even add on features like GPS rentals.  And of course you need something to get around town - you need gas! 

The next time you rent a vehicle, you will probably be encouraged to "pre-pay" for your final tank of gas. This promises to be not only a convenient choice but an economical one as well. But is it all too good to be true? Readers want to know what the most frugal choice is and I am all to pleased to do the research and run the math on all your rental car gas options!

​Here are some things to consider when it comes to car hire fuel policy matters.

Knowing your travel rental car gas policy

Car rental in Swedish Lapland Picture
In Swedish Lapland, a car rental was essential transportation.
Taking a road trip through Hawaii
Renting a car in Hawaii was a splurge...
Taking a road trip in Oahu
... but we were able to get off the beaten path
Even if you're all 'devil may care' with your finances, you'll probably join me in cringing at the thought of returning a rental car devoid of gas. The cost of having the rental agency refuel the vehicle for you is astronomically high - my research turned up one case where a traveler was charged $9 a gallon! Your empty tank should never cost more than your hotel room! Fortunately this frightening fee is easy to overcome. 

There are two ways around this exorbitant cost. In our experience, the most economical choice is to simply fill up at a station close by to the rental depot. This is sometimes call "car rental full to full" in travel circles. You pick up your rental car with a full tank of gas and you return it with a full tank of gas. You pay the fuel cost of the moment, nothing more, nothing less, and you never purchase more than you need.  And if you plan ahead, you can squeeze out a few extra drops of savings. 

The gas station closest to the rental depot is guaranteed to be one of the most expensive in town. Fill up elsewhere to save a few cents per unit (a nice savings if you are driving a bigger vehicle) and then top up the last little bit closer to the rental depot, if necessary. You can gas up several kilometers away and the needle will still be on full when you pull into the lot. Going to the station of your choice also means using the points card of your choice - always a nice treat.

But beware! Some rental agencies have fine print that says you must prove you purchased your gas within 10 miles of the depot. So read your contract, ask smart questions, and save your receipts just in case - especially helpful if a dispute arises in the future. (We use this travel document organizer to keep all important travel papers, like car rental agreements, neat and easy to access.)

Examining the pros of a car rental with gas included.

Road trip through Death Valley National Park.
Saving on fuel costs means more money for what you want to do most, like splurging on upgrades or adding an extra day to your trip.
The other option to avoid a gas-tastrophy is to pre-purchase a tank of gas when you sign your rental agreement and pick up your vehicle. This is often called "car rental with gas included" or a "full to empty car hire". This car rental prepaid fuel is often sold at 20% off the retail price - maybe more. That sure looks better than the standard price of the day. And it looks absolutely incredible compared to the default price the car rental company would charge per gallon if you did it a la cart.  And in a time of fluctuating, volatile gas prices, there's added peace of mind in knowing that your price remains stable regardless of what happens at the pumps. 

Economics are just part of the appeal of this option. Imagine the convenience of never having to worry about finding a gas station when you're running late on route to the airport. Or never being stuck in highway interchanges, trying to reach an impossible-to-find gas station before you catch your train. Or never stressing about available facilities when your drop your car off in the early wee hours of the morning.  Surely this deal is almost too good to be true! Unfortunately, it is. 

Rental car gas policies aren't always as good as they seem....

Picture
We weren't the only ones to think of renting a car to get around Arras, France!
Pre-purchasing fuel is a good deal only if you plan on returning the car with an empty tank. Not just mostly-empty. I mean 100% empty! Which, of course, is impossible, as a car without gas is a car that does not run! When you pre-purchase that tank of gas, you're not agreeing to pre-purchase just the fuel you need but instead an entire tank's worth, regardless of how empty or full it is upon return. 

Coasting into a rental depot on just fumes is a level of wildness I just can't contemplate and I know I'm not alone. Very few people feel comfortable driving around with a very small amount of gas in the tank, even less so when you're in an unfamiliar destination. And herein lies the secret of how rental agencies can still profit by selling gas below retail price -you pay for a full tank no matter how much gas is in the car. This is why the rental car gas policy can offer such "cheap" gas prices. You might be buying 50 liters of gas when you only needed 25!

If you just KNOW that you are the kind of person who is always running late when they travel (no judging, I swear!) - or if you feel anxious about trying to find a gas station in an unfamiliar city when you're on a deadline - or if this is a routine trip where you feel very confident about your driving routes and know exactly how much fuel you'll use - a car rental with gas included is a good choice for you. This is an ideal option for a few travelers but for most the savings you'd see from filling up the old fashioned way will far outweigh any inconvenience you might have making one last stop. Final conclusion: Do you have to fill up a rental car before you return it? The answer is no, you don't *have* to. But your wallet really, really wants you to in order to get the best deal!

Small costs can have a big impact on a trip.

Rest stop in death Valley National Park
May the open road have plenty of pit stops and never a pitfall!

During one of my first ever blog posts, I talked about flying with carry on bags and redirecting luggage fees to a nice bottle of wine and cashing in your coin jar for splurges on coffee. And I've never stopped advocating that little savings can add up to special splurges. I still believe the most meaningful travel experiences are found in special every day moments that don't have to cost a fortune. I hope every time I share some travel tips or some lessons learned that it helps make your trip not only more enjoyable but also more affordable; letting you get back on the road just a little bit sooner. 

What are your best tips for saving on transportation costs?

​
Planning your next big road trip? Here are some of our favourite posts!


Car Rental 101: 10 Tips to Save
Exploring the Rural Belgium Countryside 
Our Ultimate Roadtrip from Casteau to Arras

Bethaney Davies link
23/2/2015 02:42:52 am

We experimented with this once and just found it so much harder to return the car empty. Especially with a car you don't know, it's hard to judge how much fuel you have left, how far that'll get you etc. We ended up putting in "just $10 more dollars" of gas in multiple times because we had no idea how far we'd get on it. I prefer to fill up myself and return full.

Vanessa
23/2/2015 02:48:18 am

That's so true - when it's your own car you know just how much gas you actually have when you hit 'empty' - we can go for 50 kilometers or so. I would never risk this with a rental.

Juan Dough
4/2/2018 01:24:46 pm

Never prepay for gas at car rental companies. It's a scam. They were charging $2.85 as the prepay option whereas gas at the gas station was over $3 a gallon. Seems like a great deal, but why would they offer that when it would require an employee to go to a gas station and fill up? Because they're making money. The over $3 gas includes taxes, the $2.85 doesn't. Look at the taxes they include in your paperwork; this alone could bring the real cost of your prepay gas to be far more expensive. Second, you prepay for the full tank; so if you bring it back with gas left you lost money and they made more. Most importantly, even if you return it totally empty you still lost money because the total amount of gas they charge you exceeds the car's gas tank. For example, I got charged for almost 24 gallons BEFORE tax on the $2.85 when the car's capacity was 18.6 gallons.

Vanessa
4/2/2018 04:29:11 pm

Yep yep yep to all this. If it seems too good to be true, like anything else, it probably is. The only time I can think of when it makes sense to prepare for a "full" tank of gas is when you know you'll be doing a ton of driving AND returning the car very early in the morning or very late at night and you don't think you will be able to find an open gas station close to the rental office. But that's like 1% of all travel situations - you are almost always always always better to take care of it yourself.


Comments are closed.
    Recent Posts
    Posts by Location
    Turnipseed Travel Category Canada
    Turnipseed Travel Category USA
    Turnipseed Travel Category Europe
    Turnipseed Travel Category Africa
    Turnipseed Travel Category Australia
    Turnipseed Travel Category Asia

    Post Categories

    All
    $200 Challenge
    200m Challenge
    Accommodation
    Africa
    Amsterdam
    Anti Adventurist
    Asia
    Australia
    Belgium
    Business Travel
    Camping
    Canada
    Central Counties
    Cozy Travel
    Destinations
    Europe
    Experiences & Activities
    Female Travel
    Food And Drink
    Gear And Packing
    Golf
    Greece
    Guest Posts & Interviews
    Health
    Inspiration
    Making Travel Memories
    Montreal
    Most Popular Posts
    National Parks
    Norfolk County
    Ontario
    Ottawa
    Paris
    Partners
    Pet Travel
    Photo Essay
    Preparation
    Press Trip Portfolio
    Reviews Accommodation
    Reviews Gear Packing
    Round The World
    Saving
    Toronto
    Transportation
    Travel Cooking
    Travel Memories Series
    UK & Ireland
    United States

    Posts by Date

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

Disclaimers, Privacy, and Cookie Policy

Top 100 Travel Influencer
As named by the Obama White House in 2014.​
White House Study Abroad Logo 2014
Turnipseed Travel Logo 2019
DMCA.com Protection Status
© COPYRIGHT 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Partner With Us
  • New Visitors
  • Social Media