I am travelling to NH this summer and am confused by the various fees associated with car rental. Can anyone advise a reliable and cheap (hopefully)firm and what I should look for in terms of fees, taxes and insurance. Do some include a waiver? I do not understand what this is. Help! Thanks

Some general explanation. Residents of US who rent cars in US pay the listed rental fee and are then offered various insurances - basically liability, collision and sometimes a loss of use fee (if you crash their car, they try to charge you for the time car is not rentable while they fix it).

Many in the US do not buy these optional insurances, because most are already covered on their own insurance for their regular cars or have a credit card that covers this insurance.

From what I read from non-US posters here, the car rental companies generally make them pay for the insurance, regardless of private insurance or credit card coverage. I do not know if their are any companies that do not require this, but cost of insurance can close to double the rental fee.

Then there are associated fees with silly names plus taxes - everyone pays these.

When I need to rent a car, I go to Travelocity or Expedia website and enter info to get their charts for cost for various companies. Then I book directly from the rental company site.

I WOULD book the car on an all-inclusive basis in the UK before you travel- Holiday Autos do reasonable rates - then you know exactly what you've paid for. You MUST get CDW otherwise any accident or bump could get very expensive, then you can choose whether you want to return the car empty or full etc. This lets you pick and choose so, when you arrive in NH, you can refuse all the extras the clerk will try and sell you.

I've been to New Hampshire a few times and driving is a pleasure compared to the UK. I'm sure you've noticed, but NH is a sales tax-free state, so it's a great place to shop - especially in the Outlet Malls you'll find all over the state.

Look into the insurance options very carefully. Since credit cards outside the US don;t provide free insurance with rental you will be required to buy it. Also, the various taxes and fees are paid by everyone - no waivers by anybody.

Also look into the extra costs if you want more than one driver. And look at the fuel options (although our gas seems very expensive based on what we paid a few years ago - it's way cheaper than in the UK - but mileage is worse since cars are bigger).

Agree you will probably do best if you can buy a fixed price deal from where you are.

Also - be sure to thoroughly inspect the car before you take it - including lights, wipers, turn signal etc to be sure everything works. Any problems should be noted on the contract and signed by the agent before you move the car.

If you have a digital camera, set it to the largest possible file size, and photograph all four sides of the car and its roof, then take detailed photos of any existing damage. Ditto the interior.

I rent many cars and have never had trouble but a picture is worth a thousand words when trying to make sure that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

More seriously, you are very likely to find the same car cheaper (all in) when rented in NH than in Massachusetts, especially the city of Boston, where a huge debt for the convention center is being funded by car renters.

Thanks so much for the great replies to my query! If an American relative were willing to rent the car in his name (he having US insurance,) then I could be a named driver? This would save money maybe. Have I understood this correctly? I am so very grateful for your kind explanations. I look forward to driving around NH! and visiting those malls. Will take my digital camera with me for sure. Cheers!

Cherokee - That person has to be there to rent the car, and I doubt his insurance will pay if he's not at least in the car when you get into an accident.