Car Rental Malaysia – Follow The Right Booking Process

Everyone has some bad experience to share when it comes to renting a car. In order to make your car renting experience in Malaysia a pleasant one, here are a few tips to help ensure that you don’t suffer the same fate or at least to make sure that your frustration is kept to a bare minimum.

Your first step ought to be hiring a car successfully. While this ought to be easy, people get confused by various issues such as car type, prices and a whole lot of fine print. Using some of the tips given below, you may become better able to handle this.

Advance Booking Is The Key

The most important thing to remember here is that car rentals go up dramatically as you approach the date of hiring. The pricing is based on supply and demand. So as the date approaches and the number of cars availability goes down, the price begins to soar up.

Just to give you an example, let’s say you are coming to Malaysia for a holiday with your family and you want to book an automatic car. You really need to book months in advance because such cars are in high demand during the festive period.

And if you are travelling during the holiday season such as Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali or Christmas, you definitely have to book three months in advance to secure the car you want. This way, you will not only ensure that you get a car of your choice but also that the price is reasonable.

As the holiday season approaches, prices will not only go up like crazy, you may find that all the cars are already hired and this may cause you to panic.

Important Steps For Making A Car Booking

Be clear about what type of car you would need and whether you prefer a car with a manual or an automatic gear box.

Next, you need to confirm where you will be picking it up and where you plan to leave it. Before contacting the various car rental companies in Malaysia, you must do some research on the rental rates and other factors to get some idea.

Actually, you should check whether the rates cover all issues such as taxes, location fees, mandatory insurances, break down cover and unlimited mileage. Generally, rates in Malaysia are all inclusive, but if you haven’t clarified all this at the beginning, you may be in for an ugly jolt. Then contact the ones you have zeroed on making all your specifications really clear.

If through emailing, your points don’t get clarified, you shouldn’t hesitate to pick up the phone and talk to them to get everything sorted out clearly. After checking out everything and you are satisfied, go ahead and make the reservation.

You should receive a confirmation voucher within a couple of days and if it doesn’t arrive for any reason, email the company and make sure that it arrives.

Second Important Step

When you arrive at your destination, your impulse would be to just pick up the keys of the hired car and drive away, but you should read the fine print here so that you don’t get any nasty surprises later. For instance, you will be asked if you want to take the Super Damage Waiver or the SDW insurance which reduces your liability to zero in case of a damage to the car.

This insurance is not mandatory and car hire companies make good money from it. The SDW insurance rates are high and so your net financial benefits may be questionable.

Check Out The Contract

You must read through the contract as well as receipt very carefully. If you don’t, you may end up paying for an insurance cover you never asked for in the first place. Ask them what their policy is with regard to fuel.

Most rental companies expect you to fill up the tank before returning the car and if you don’t, they will fleece you for this. Don’t be shy to ask questions or else you may end up losing money unnecessarily.

The Third Step

Now you are ready to drive away in your car and enjoy your vacation. But before getting into it, check it thoroughly for dents and other damages and make sure that the rental company also makes a note of it. This is to protect yourself from being charge for damages you are not responsible for. Be sure to check the oil levels as well.

The Forth Step

Once you have finished with your holiday, fill the car with gas at the petrol station that is nearest to the car rental depot so that they do not complain that the tank is not full. Return the car keys and pay only for extra charges that have already been agreed upon.

Car Rental In Malaysia

If you are looking for a car rental company in Malaysia for work purposes in Kuala Lumpur (KL), or family holiday trip to Penang, Johor Bahru or Alor Star, check out the Hawk Rent A Car Company for competitive rates. Click on the link below to visit their official web site right now.

==> Click here to visit Hawk Rent A Car!

By | 2012-09-20T22:46:35+08:00 May 10th, 2012|Driving In Malaysia|12 Comments

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12 Comments

  1. Alvin Lee May 17, 2012 at 6:39 am - Reply

    Dear,,, Master Yap, A Long Way From Home…IRELAND calling…Malaysia is my roots//
    My Malaysian license already expire more than 3 years… but i am holding an Irish full license is it possible to convert or international license apply?? Will be coming back to Penang visiting on this July 2012 !!! what should i do ??

    • Cikgu Yap May 18, 2012 at 11:24 am - Reply

      Welcome back to Malaysia. Use your Irish license. You can drive here for about 120 days. Your Irish license can be converted to Malaysia driving license. Only after it’s converted to our license, can you secure on IDL.

      • Alvin Lee May 20, 2012 at 10:44 am - Reply

        dear, master yap
        Thank you very much…for your advice
        Looking forward to come home…… have a nice day!!!!
        MASTER YAP…Cheers

  2. Traveller May 18, 2012 at 5:01 am - Reply

    Dear Cikgu Yap

    I will be visiting Thailand for a holiday and thought of renting a car. Can we rent a car and drive in Thailand with my Malaysian Driving License. I have more than 10 years driving experience.

    • Cikgu Yap May 21, 2012 at 10:53 am - Reply

      You can rent a car with Malaysian license in Thailand.

  3. Raien May 18, 2012 at 11:26 am - Reply

    Hi
    I`m Raien from Bangladesh.
    I am a professional driver. I have valid Bangladeshi Professional Driving Licence. I`m coming to Malaysia with a two years working visa. can i convert my licence into Malaysian one ? note my one is professional car driving licence.

    i have IDL issued from Florida …. the IDL issued authority said i can use this IDL only when i go anywhere of the world as a tourist. if i stay two years in Malaysia i will non be valid there as a tourist. Then can i use my IDL in Malaysia?

    • Cikgu Yap May 21, 2012 at 10:53 am - Reply

      Your Florida IDL should be usable here. Not necessary to convert your Bangladeshi license.

  4. sanjaa May 27, 2012 at 5:07 am - Reply

    Hi, I’m an international student, currently staying at Sarawak. I have a Sri lankan DL( not IDL ), can i use it here in Malaysia?

    thanks.

    • Cikgu Yap May 28, 2012 at 2:52 pm - Reply

      Yes, Sri Lanka license is usable in Malaysia.

  5. Danny November 30, 2014 at 5:07 pm - Reply

    Cikgu Yap, can I use international driving license in China? Coz they are left hand drive.

    • Cikgu Yap December 5, 2014 at 10:52 am - Reply

      Chinese authorities allow foreigers to apply for a temporary driving license. Visit Chinese license issuing department to familiarise yourself with traffic rules and regulations. Left hand drive shouldn’t be a problem.

  6. PC Yee July 26, 2016 at 2:53 pm - Reply

    Dear Cikgu Yap,

    I am visiting Germany for holiday. I have a Malaysian driving license. Do I need an International Driving License? If not, how long can I use my Malaysian license in Germany?
    Thank you.

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