Do These Two Things Every Time You Rent a Car

Many of us are desperate to hit the road and see something—anything—other than the inside of our home this spring. Pair that desperation with a nationwide rental car shortage, and you may be so relieved to actually score a vehicle that you jump in the driver’s seat and go, before someone else snags what is rightfully yours. But before you tear out of the lot, there are two things you should do to prevent future you from paying for damage you didn’t cause or getting a ticket for something you shouldn’t be responsible for.

To start (and end) with, Reddit user u/rvtsazap reminds us to document every last scratch and dent on the vehicle as soon as you get it—and again right before you turn it back in:

Take multiple pictures from all sides for proof that you returned it in exact condition you rented and keep them at least for a few weeks. Make sure the windshield is chipfree before renting it. Some unscrupulous companies tend to charge customers for preexisting scratches and dings.

Edit: As per a rental car tech who posted below, they go over 200 cars a day. So including human error on part of rental car agencies.

The other thing you want to check right away? That your rental vehicle’s registration is up-to-date. As Reddit user u/Bac_Guai writes:

It sounds silly, but up until 2 years ago, I never once looked at the license plates on my rental vehicles. Had rented more than 100 in my life. Until I was driving across country and got pulled over for expired tags. Sure enough, when I got out to look, they were 2 months expired. The rental company says that they had updated them, but because the vehicle was at a different branch in a different state, they weren’t able to put the sticker on. Save yourself a ticket, check the plate.

Of course, not all states still use license plate stickers to easily broadcast a vehicle’s registration status—my home state of Pennsylvania, for example, ditched those at the end of 2016 (instead, law enforcement agencies have access to a database that verifies a vehicle’s registration). Check the license plate first, and if the sticker on the plate is expired, ask for additional proof of registration before you drive off. In some cases, the car’s registration may have been actually updated, but the tags are still sitting in the office.