If you are the kind of person who doesn’t use a car that often but still needs one on a regular basis, it might just make more sense to rent a selfdrive car rather than to buy one or hire a cab. Self-drive cars are slowly gaining pace in India and are a boon, especially for executives who travel to different cities and have multiple places to visit. Companies such as Carzonrent and Zoomcar have started offering this service with a range of models — from the humble Tata Nano to Mercedes Benz E-Class.

And some of these are at such affordable prices that they are actually cheaper than owning a car. Take the Tata Nano for instance. Around 200 Tata Nano Twists have recently been added to Carzonrent’s Myles brand of self-drive cars. These are offered at Rs`99 per hour (with a 10 km-limit) or at Rs 399 a day with an unlimited kilometre limit. Myles also offers these cars on a monthly rental basis, which adds up to Rs 6,999 per month. Now suppose you decide to buy a Tata Nano Twist, the on-road price in Delhi works out to Rs 2.65 lakh, inclusive of all taxes, while the ex-showroom price is Rs 2.34 lakh.

If you were to take a three-year loan to buy the car, paying Rs`25,000 as down payment, you would end up with an EMI of Rs `7,700 per month at 12.5 per cent interest. Don’t forget. You would even have to pay for maintenance and annual insurance. Renting does make some sense, considering the amount you pay is less than what you would probably pay as EMI for a Twist.

Definitely less hassle if you need a car only for the short term without having to bother about depreciation, maintenance or resale value. On a daily hire basis, it works out to be even cheaper than losing your mind over autorickshaw fares. The idea works if you have multiple locations to visit in a city and are the kind who does not want to be dependent on public transport all the time. For instance, on a visit to Pune a short while back, I rented a Ford Figo diesel from Zoomcar for an entire 24-hour period. The car came with a full tank of diesel (with a mileage limit of 225 km for 24 hours). I had to pay a refundable deposit of Rs`5,000 on my credit card to book it and I was charged just Rs`1,440 for it. I drove it for about 210 km during that visit, giving me a per km running cost of just `6.85. That’s way cheaper than hiring a cab or taking an autorickshaw and immensely more comfortable, with air-conditioning and my choice of music.

Zoomcar also provided a GPS unit at no extra cost. The only downside was the pick-up and drop-off location, which was a bit out of my way. Carzonrent and Zoomcar are looking to add more pick-up and drop-off points in metros now. A self-drive car also makes great sense for weekend getaways with friends. One could hire an SUV like a Ford Ecosport or a Mahindra Scorpio for Rs 1,500-`2,500 a day. If you are travelling in a group and split the cost among all occupants, it’s about the cheapest, most comfortable and fun way to take a weekend break. To rent one, all you need is a valid credit card and driver’s licence.

Of course, do pay attention during pick-up and drop-off about the damages to the car to avoid any surprises. Damages are covered under insurance, but you are liable to pay a part of it as well. So make sure you fully inspect the car at the time of picking it up. The other thing is these cars come with black-on-yellow or yellow-on-black number plates and you may have to pay commercial cab entry taxes.

OLMdesk@outlookindia.com