There is no separate legal regulation applicable to car rental contracts, as exists for package travel deals or purchases made over Internet. Therefore, please read the contract carefully and ask the clerk to assist you with any misunderstandings or additional questions.

Don’t sign a contract you don’t completely understand! Take some time to review the contract and ask additional questions on every provision which is unclear or which you don’t comprehend.

Don’t throw away your copy of the contract and don’t forget to ask for a receipt, for evidence of payment. As a general rule, rental companies will ask you to provide your credit card information, so they can credit the rental charges from your account. Therefore, be ready to face the fact that besides the rental charges, the security fee or security for your own liability may be booked up-front for situations in which something goes wrong. Please keep in mind that the amount, booked in addition, may only be released several days after you’ve returned the vehicle. Keep all the receipts and contracts that would provide evidence on the amount settled/agreed upon. Otherwise, the company may charge you more than originally agreed.

When returning the car pay attention to:

• Pay attention to the provisions of the contract, which regulate filling the fuel tank.
• Should you return the car with an empty fuel tank, you may be fined.
• Returning the car with a full tank, do not forget to keep the receipt as evidence to prove that you’ve filled the tank, in case of misunderstandings.
• If you were asked to pay a deposit to cover the fuel costs upon renting the car and you return the car with full tank, please see that the deposit will be returned to you.

If you plan to use the rental car to leave the territory of the state where you rented the car, please check whether the contract includes the respective provisions and whether your insurance will be then valid. For example, some rental companies in Estonia may allow you to travel in the Baltic states, in another words, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania; but should you want to leave these countries, you’ll need a separate agreement. For some rental companies, the area of use may include the Nordic countries, like Finland, Sweden, etc.

Do specify the issues, related to returning the car, when the offices of the rental company are open to allow the car to be returned in such a way that it will be inspected at your presence to establish the condition of the car.

All the information is from the Estonian Consumer advice portal: http://www.consumer.ee/en

Don’t forget to read about other useful tips when renting a car.

• Car rent in Europe
• Booking a rental car over the Internet
• What may affect the rental charges?
• Upon collecting the rental car
• What should you consider when returning the vehicle?
• How to proceed in the case of an accident?