Gareth Robinson, the Managing Director of Carrentals.co.uk, has released a checklist he says everyone should keep in mind when renting a car for a trip to a ski resort, which is likely to involve over-snow and other forms of winter driving.
- Plan Ahead
Some people renting cars wrongly assume that if they do so at a location close to ski resorts, or where using winter tyres or carrying chains is a legal requirement for winter driving, the rental company will automatically ensure there are winter tyres fitted on their cars, or chains in the boot.
Do so at your peril! In fact, winter tyres or snow chains are usually not included as standard, and rolling up to the rental desk and, moreover, expecting to be able to obtain them there and then may be too late, especially at peak times (Christmas, New Year, local and international school holidays) when availability may be zero.
This is also true if you want to rent a 4×4 – deciding you want one when you arrive and find the snow falling is likely to be too late.
So it’s important to research and plan ahead. Firstly, research the legal requirements regarding chains and winter tyres in the country or countries you’re visiting (note these will vary from country to country, and, sometimes, even between provinces or regions within a country), and secondly, the route you will be taking and whether chains or winter tyres are commonly required on it, and likely to be needed for safe driving whether or not it’s a legal requirement to have them.
In Austria, for example, it’s a legal requirement to have winter tyres (usually identifiable by a snowflake symbol, sometimes a snow-topped mountain symbol on the tyre wall) on fitted to your car between November and April, and carrying snow chains is also required, as well as in many of the mountainous regions of France.
Once you know what you need, it’s important to ensure these are reserved with your rental well in advance, and are ready when you arrive.
- Know How To Fit Chains
Carrying chains is one thing, knowing how to fit them to the tyres of the vehicle is another. If you have an opportunity, test your chain-fitting skills before you NEED to. Chains should be fitted to the driving wheels of the car, and the front wheels of 4×4s, and once fitted don’t drive at more than 48km/h (30mph).
