The car rental business in Uganda has steadily grown over the past 10 years with the rise of self drive & driver-guide trips that are preferred over pre-crafted safaris. You can always get any type of rental car you prefer for that private self drive trip but one of the major concerns is determining the actual price of your rental as some Uganda car rental companies will add extra hidden fees. There are optional car rental fees that you can easily avoid when you rent a car in Uganda and we have highlighted the top 4 to help you save money on your next self drive or driver-guided road trip.

1-Airport pick-up fees– The majority of companies will add an extra fee to your final price for delivering the rental car to Entebbe airport. They will charge fees for fueling the car with rates ranging from US$ 15 to 20 depending on the type of rental car you booked. You can avoid this fee by picking up the rental yourself at office or hotel in Kampala city s most of the major companies are situated in the city.

2- GPS rental fees– The Global Positioning System is one of the best self drive gadgets that offer direction including distance and time taken to get where you are going. You will also find points of interest like close by gas stations, restaurants, hotels, banks, shopping malls and attractions along the way. You can avpoid GPS rental fees by using the Google Maps app on your phone.

3- Fuel charges– Some of the Uganda car rental companies will offer you the rental car on a half or full tank and if they offer you the car on fuel tank, expect a hidden fee to be added to your final cost as compensation for the company fuel. You are also supposed to return the car with the fuel you were offered. You can easily avoid this by simply requesting you fuel yourself before you embark on your self-drive or driver-guided trip.

4- Dropping off a car outside Kampala– You will always incur an extra charge for a one-way rental mainly because the company also incurs fees for sending a representative to pick up the car and drive it back to Kampala. This hidden fee cannot be avoided is your plan is not to come back to Kampala or Entebbe but if you can easily avoid it by dropping of the car in the city before proceeding to wherever you are going.

5- Prior car damages– Always make sure you thoroughly check the rental car before driving off for any dents or damages otherwise you risk having to pay for damages when you return. Check and make sure that the damages or dents are recorded by the reservations team and that way you wont have to worry about paying an extra fee on return.

So if you are planning to rent a car in Uganda and would love to avoid the hidden costs, then we recommend you do the above things and save money on your next road trip in Uganda.