Choosing the right fuel policy for you is an important step when choosing what car to hire in East Africa. Different clients have different needs and there is no one right solution to fit everyone.
In order to improve the visibility of this issue, in most European countries there are specific fuel policies for each car that clients will have to pick from – either “Pick up Full & Return Full” or “Pre – purchased Fuel & Return Empty”.
Meanwhile in East Africa, you will, in most cases, bring back the 4×4 rooftop tent car with the exact fuel you went with but also in some rental companies you are free to ask for what you prefer most.
In Europe, the pick-up full & return full is the most common option for fueling your vehicle where the client receives the car with a full tank of fuel and must return it with that same amount of fuel.
You are also free to request for this option in East Africa, in case it’s what you feel comfortable with. However, with this, it’s important that before leaving with the car, the client confirms that the amount of fuel in the tank is what’s written down on the rental documents. If it’s not the case, the client should have it amended before taking off.
It’s also crucial that the car be returned with a full tank, since if that’s not the case, the supplier will charge for the missing fuel plus a refueling charge, which can become rather expensive. This is the “classical” fuel policy, which has been used by most car hire companies for many years, especially in Europe. It is ideal for people who only want to pay exactly for the fuel they use.
Meanwhile, you can also negotiate with the company to bring back the car with the exact fuel you found because some companies, especially the small-scale companies, may not afford the ‘Pick-up Full & Return Full’ policy.
But in this case, you can agree to either be given the car when empty and you fuel it yourself and also bring it back empty or you can mark the fuel you found in the car and be sure to return it with the same fuel.
