Car Rental in Delhi - Self Drive

aakoh

Hi,
I am thinking of renting a self-drive car from Delhi and drive all the way to Jaisalmer. Rates are reasonable - about Rs900 for an economical car. But my question is this: Is it not a usual practise for car rental companies to make you purchase insurance coverage for 3rd party, damage to property, theft etc? The car rental company told me this:

"The car will be covered under comprehensive insurance and in case of an accident repair cost over and above the insurance re-imbursement & garage downtime will have to be borne by the client. In case of theft / total loss the rental will continue till the claim is settled through insurance [for a maximum of 3 months].in India whatever best available in insurance is covered by us but insurance companies do not cover 100% of the repair / theft / loss. So whatever amount short paid by the insurance company will have to be borne by the renter."

That sounds a little risky to me. Can anyone advise?

Mickey S

Don't even think about it.

No foreigner can ever be prepared for the ill-mannered, suicidal free-for-all of Indian roads. Either hire a car and driver or take the train.

aakoh

Hi Mickey,
That's what I have been told...
But I am still very tempted to try... it seems like such an exciting adventure to me.

Mickey S

Death is not an adventure. And believe me... you will die.

capt_mahajan

aakoh, two things, if I may, or maybe three.. the assumption being you have no Indian highway driving experience.

-generally, a self driven car will be more expensive than a driven one. That 900 figure doesnt include fuel, I think.

-Because self driven hired cars are pretty rare in india, paperwork involved is more complicated, and terms all set up to cover the hire company in any eventuality.

-I do not recommend an indian city driver take to the highway without preparation, where it is is a different ball game if you want to drive safely.
Further to that, I would recommend a foreigner never drive off into the Rajasthan sunset first time out.

aakoh

Hi capt_mahajan,
You are right, it doesn't include fuel.
I never imagined it would be that dangerous, but now it looks like I will have to reconsider.
Many thanks for the advice.

capt_mahajan

if it doesnt include fuel, and you do 200km a day, you can spend 400 plus on fuel in a diesel car. That totals to 1300

ex Delhi, a 200km a day car with driver should cost you the same amount, or even less... an airconditioned Indica with driver will be 1200 a day for 200km, maybe a little more 'for a foreigner', maybe a little less for a regular.

Edit: and that includes fuel

Nick-H

Absolutely right.

I guess I'm a fairly experienced Chennai City driver by now. I can drive to Pondicherry and back, no problem --- but it is a relatively quiet, good road, with almost no commercial traffic.

I guess Highway driving is my next step. Maybe in 2009, I'd like to drive from here up into the hills and into Kerala, in easy daily stages. But by then I'll have two years of resident Indian driving.

Even now, with one year under my belt, I'm still worried, both about the great Indian Highways, and about the roads that get narrower and narrower until they eventually stop at a dozen guys who don't speak any language you've ever heard.

The major argument for not being the driver on any holiday trip is that your companions will get to see the sights: you will get to see the road.

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capt_mahajan

Arguments in favour of driving on the highway: a) I find it very relaxing. b) I am safer than any driver I will normally get. In fact, specially in the hills with family, I always drive.

aakoh

Thanks for the advice!
I have been convinced.
I would still like to drive there someday, but since this is my first trip to India (I guess watching all the YouTube videos on driving in India has not quite prepared me entirely for the worst yet), I will heed everyone's advice.

Nick-H

I do think that pro drivers, taxis and travels cars, give Indian driving a worse name than it should have. It is not compulsory to overtake, without hesitation, waiting or patience, everything in sight in front of you.

But it is still pretty tough, and requires, for a start, expecting the unexpected all the time.

karuna

Can I tell you a secret?
I've driven in India. Twice. Once was a doddle (rural Madhya Pradesh, no other vehicles in sight). The other? Just a tad more irresponsible. Do not copy me. I am a stubborn, headstrong idiot. OK?

City driving takes an enormous amount of concentration and I imagine a good few years before you're truly safe. I would really not recommend it, and I love driving- I consider it one of my greatest pleasures. If I would rather someone else do it for me, believe me there's good reason for it!

shere

I drive when in India and last time bought back some bad habbits with me to England.

The bus in front stopped at a Zebra crossing and I pulled parallel to the bus ready to overtake (India style). The bus driver started horning and the lady using her disability mobile car to get across the Zebra crossing looked scared.

Hire a car with a driver. When I am in Delhi I always park my own car at the hotel and hire a car. It is less of a headache plus they know the best routes and shortcuts.

birds

I too drive in India but I have to add that I have lived here for a good number of years and before India had experience driving in Iran and Pakistan which, in comparison, makes India easy ;-).

Now we do not live in Delhi any more we rent self drive cars. In our experience Avis gives a much better service than Hertz. But do expect to get the oldest car they have available. Last week I got a Baleno with 125,000KM on the clock!! When I complained I was offered another with 85,000km on the clock :-). In a way it is easy to have such old car, you worry less about things.

Saying, all the above, I would not advice to drive in India on a first visit. Look around for a few days and if you still think you can do it, hire a car for one day, to see how you nerves hold up.

Also keep in mind that while city driving is mad, highway driving is much more dangerous and,if you get an accident, good healthcare may not be available nearby.

And lastly, in case of trouble, even if it is not your fault, you will be blamed and will have to deal with Indian police, and that requires some experience also.

Aishah

Just getting out of Delhi will be madness, and if you don't know your way a positive nightmare. Delhi is not good with traffic signs, they will come too late for you and you will be in the wrong lane... You absolutely have to know where you are going.
This is a crazy idea for someone who has never driven here. Out in the countryside it is not so bad - again you MUST know where you are going. You will see nothing, concentrating on your driving instead. I drive here, have done so for 8 years but unless I know where I am going would hesitate in big cities. Jodhpur is no problem because I know it well, also Jaipur. But Delhi may be o.k. so long as I don't miss the right turn-offs!!!
Also there are road rules, but the reality is no road rules. Other thread here for driving will reveal what actually happens!
Singapore is amazingly civilized and 'normal' in its traffic and driving compared to here!

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