Article overview
What is a fuel policy?
It might sound like quite a strange term - fuel policy - but it's certainly important to think about it when renting a car. This is because car rental companies have various plans for the gas or diesel that you put in your car, and not every plan will offer you the best deal. That's why we have summarized the options and their advantages and disadvantages below.
Most economical fuel policy.
Pick up full, return full
With the full = full principle, you pick up the car with a full tank, and return it at the end of the rental period in the same condition. Before driving off, check that the tank is indeed completely full. What happens if you return the car without completely filling the tank? In this case, the rental company will fill the tank. They will often charge a considerable service fee for this.
Pros and cons
- You can find an inexpensive gas station yourself.
- You retain control of the price.
- Most economical fuel policy.
- You must refuel just before returning the car.
Fewer economical options
Pick up full, return empty
- You don't need to refuel before returning the car.
- Rental companies often charge high fuel costs.
- You often pay a service fee for the full tank.
- It's hard to estimate how quickly the tank will be empty.
- You never return the car with a completely empty tank.
Pick up empty, return empty
- You can find an inexpensive gas station yourself.
- You don't need to refuel before returning the car.
- You must refuel immediately
- It's hard to estimate how quickly the tank will be empty.
- You never return the car with a completely empty tank.
Returning the car with the same fuel level
- You can find an inexpensive gas station yourself.
- Disagreement can always arise about how full the tank was.
- It’s difficult to fill the tank to exactly the same level.
- High fees are often charged for “topping up” the tank.