Rental car companies reduce refuelling fees

Fees are about to be reduced for rented cars returned with partially-full gas tanks.

Major car rental companies at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) have reached agreement with Maryland state officials to lower refuelling fees by 40 percent on vehicles returned with partially-full gas tanks.

Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler will release details regarding the new rate agreements, set to go into effect July 4, when he speaks the BWI Airport rental car facility. The plan comes to light as the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas has passed the $4 mark.

Hertz, one of the three largest car rental companies in Maryland, and the major player at BWI, has imposed the highest refuelling costs, according to Raquel Guillory, speaking on behalf of the attorney general’s office.

Recently, Hertz has charged customers at BWI $7.99 per gallon to refuel, which is almost double the retail price per gallon at nearby stations. Last December, when the price of regular unleaded gas hovered under $3 a gallon, Hertz charged $7.19 per gallon for on-site refuelling, Guillory added.

“There is no justification for charging double,” Guillory continued. “Refueling prices are going to be significantly lower going forward.”

www.hertz.com