There are several reasons why people rent cars or vans. Travelers must rent cars because they cannot use their personal vehicle in every city or country they visit. Likewise, some people rent a car instead of buying one because they think that it is a cheaper and more convenient alternative.
Getting a car for rent is fairly straightforward. All you have to do is go to the application or website of a rental company. Then you have to fill in all the requisite details like the specific model you want, the time period for which you want to rent, etc., and you are good to go. So if you are in the Netherlands and want to rent a car, click here.
Is There A Maximum Time Limit For Leasing Cars
There is actually no strict time limit for leasing a car. In fact, there are people who never buy a car and rent one every time they need to travel. The rules for renting vary from one company to another; however, most companies allow vehicles to be leased for six to twelve months at a stretch. Thus, there are no restrictions on leasing a car. However, you should keep a few things in mind if you want to lease a car for an extended period of time.
Factors To Keep In Mind While Renting A Vehicle For A Long Time
Renew Your Driving License
Your driving license should be valid if you want to lease a car and drive it yourself. For instance, if you are a US citizen and you want to drive in the streets of Europe in a leased car, then you have to submit a copy of a valid driving license.
Also, most European companies will require an international driving permit. So if you want to keep driving a leased vehicle for a long time, it is better to update the driving license. Since a valid driving license is necessary if you want to drive a leased vehicle, people younger than 21 years of age cannot lease a car without a driver.
Also, most companies do not accept scanned copies or photocopies of the license, so it is better to carry the original license if you want to drive a leased vehicle.
Show Up For Maintenance Checks
The most significant advantage of leasing a vehicle versus buying one is that you do not have to worry about maintaining a vehicle.The rental company takes care of the maintenance, saving a lot of trouble. However, the rental company which owns the vehicle will want you to show up for maintenance checks. Most people drive in a rash manner and do not care about car parts when they do not own the vehicle.
Hence, if the rental company finds out that you have been driving rashly and have not cared for the car, then there is a chance that your lease will be canceled. Most companies require a monthly maintenance check; however, the frequency of the maintenance check varies from company to company.
Follow The Company Guidelines Strictly
Some companies have a rigorous policy about the type of road on which you can travel and the way in which the car should be driven. Some companies have guidelines that forbid driving the vehicle in unpaved lanes.
Unpaved lanes damage the vehicle’s tires and they may also be harmful to the engine. Again, some companies have a strict anti-collision policy. Your lease agreement will be terminated if you collide with another vehicle or a stationary object, like a tree or a building. In most cases, if you damage the vehicle in an accident, then you will have to pay a fine towards repair charges as well.
Follow The Mileage Limit
Most rental companies have a mileage limit. Hence, your agreement may be terminated before the expiry of the lease period if you exceed the mileage limit. Mileage is the number of miles a car travels per liter of fuel. In most rented vehicles, the company provides the fuel or the gas, and hence they will not allow someone to use more fuel than what has been decided. You can use route planner apps like Route4Me to help you plan your route and stay within the mileage limit.
Pay The Insurance For A Rented Vehicle
Most companies will require you to take insurance coverage when you rent a car. The insurance cover is to take care of the expenses in case any damage happens to the vehicle or if the vehicle gets lost. It is important that you pay the insurance premium at regular intervals.
The company usually checks whether you have paid the insurance premium on time. If you default on paying the insurance premium, then your agreement may be prematurely terminated.
Check If You Can Pay For The Increasing Rental Charge
The rental charges for vehicles have been increasing steeply. This is because the demand for cars has increased more than the supply. So initially, $1500 was the monthly charge for renting a vehicle. Today it is around $2000. That is an increase of 33%. So if you had rented at a lower charge, but the charges have increased steeply, then it is a good idea to terminate the agreement.
Check If You Can Afford A Driver
If you are hiring a driver, then you should check if you can afford to pay the driver for an extended period. Young drivers who are in their twenties charge the highest amount of money. So the driver’s charge might also restrict your ability to lease a car depending on whether you can afford to pay the charges of the driver.
Conclusion
Thus, theoretically, there is no upper time limit for you to lease a car. However, there are specific terms and conditions that you must fulfill if you want to lease for a long time. As a rentier you should not exceed the mileage limit. You should drive safely and follow all the company guidelines while driving. And finally, you must be able to pay for all the expenses like insurance premiums and monthly payments for the rented vehicle.
