A long stay back home, an assignment that drags on, your own car stuck at the garage: sometimes you need a rental car for months. On KiraCars, the duration determines the type of rental: up to 90 days, a short-term rental; from 91 days, a long-term rental. Here is what changes on either side of that threshold, and how to organise yourself when the end date is not yet known.
Where is the line between short-term and long-term rental?
The line is clear. A rental of 90 days or less is a short-term rental. From three months, that is 91 days, it is a long-term rental.
So there is no choice to make between the two types for the same period. A stay of a few weeks falls under short-term rental. A need that goes beyond 90 days falls under long-term rental. The real question is how long you need the car for, and it is worth asking before making any request.
Both types are open to individuals and businesses alike. In both cases, KiraCars puts you in touch with approved agencies in Tunisia, whose business identity has been checked before any listing. KiraCars owns no vehicles and charges the renter no fees.
Why a threshold at three months?
Because the two types are not priced in the same way.
For short-term rental, you think in days. Pricing is on a sliding scale: the daily rate goes down as the rental gets longer. The offer shows a total price for your dates.
For long-term rental, you think in months. The offer sets a monthly rent. It also settles in advance two matters that count over a long period: mileage, with an allowance, and servicing, with rules agreed from the outset. Over a few days, these questions are secondary. Over several months, a car clocks up the kilometres and will probably need servicing: it is better to have everything in writing before you start.
What changes when you move to long-term rental?
Beyond 90 days, several rules specific to long-term rental apply.
- A monthly rent. The price is counted by the month, no longer by the day.
- Price bands. Offers are set by duration band: 3 to 6 months, 7 to 12 months, 13 to 24 months, 25 months and over. The duration you give determines the band.
- A monthly mileage allowance, agreed in advance in the offer.
- Servicing rules, also agreed in advance.
- Any month started is payable in full. Bear this in mind when setting the end date.
The long-term rental request is made from a dedicated page. It does not hold any vehicle until an offer is accepted: you can request, compare and think it over without reserving anything. Before accepting an offer, ask the agency these questions:
- What is the monthly mileage allowance, and how is going over it calculated?
- What exactly do the servicing rules provide for: who takes care of it, where, and what happens while the car is at the garage?
- When is each rent payment due, and by what payment method?
What stays the same, whatever the duration?
Moving to long-term rental changes how the price is worked out, not the basic rules. With both types:
- the price is paid to the agency, in Tunisian dinars; KiraCars collects nothing and charges nothing online;
- the deposit is set by the agency and shown on the offer, in cash or by card pre-authorisation depending on the agency;
- the agency checks the identity document and the licence when it hands over the keys;
- a second driver must be declared to the agency with their own identity document and their own licence, otherwise they are not covered;
- in the event of a breakdown or accident that is not the renter's fault, the agency has 24 hours to offer a vehicle of an equivalent category;
- each offer is valid until the date it shows.
What if you do not yet know the exact duration?
This case calls for care, especially if your need could last a little less or a little more than three months. Do not guess: ask the agency before accepting an offer, and keep the answers in writing.
If you opt for a short-term rental:
- Can the rental be extended while it is under way, and at what price?
- What happens if the extension takes it past 90 days?
- Does the same car remain available if the rental is extended?
If you opt for a long-term rental:
- Can the vehicle be returned before the planned end? What remains payable in that case?
- If the rental is extended, does the offer move into another price band?
- Do the mileage allowance and the servicing rules stay the same if the rental is extended?
Before pick-up, one rule already applies: cancelling or changing is free of charge up to 48 hours before pick-up; after that, the agency may refuse. For any change once the rental has started, refer to the terms of the offer and to what the agency has confirmed to you.
One last tip: set a realistic end date. For long-term rental, any month started is payable in full. An end date set a few days after the start of a new month would have you pay for that whole month.
How do you compare the offers you receive?
Once the type of rental is set by the duration, the comparison is between agencies, over the same period. Do not stop at the first amount shown.
- Work out the cost over the whole period: the total price for a short-term rental, the monthly rent multiplied by the number of months for a long-term rental.
- Note the deposit amount and method, as well as the excess shown on the vehicle's page.
- For long-term rental, compare the monthly mileage allowance and the servicing rules, not just the rent.
- Check the model offered and the age and licence requirements, set by the agency model by model.
- Look at the validity date of each offer.
The binding amount is the one in Tunisian dinars paid to the agency; a price shown in another currency is for guidance only. For short-term rental, if an offer almost suits you, you can make a counter-offer with "Name my price". For long-term rental, take the time to compare, but reply before the validity date of the offer you are interested in.
For common questions about payment, the deposit or cancellation, see the frequently asked questions.
Does your need go beyond 90 days? Describe it from the long-term rental page. For 90 days or less, request a quote from the car rental in Sousse page or from your city's page.