Renting a car should not involve surprises at the counter. With CarmaCars there is no counter, but there are still a few things you need before we hand you the keys. This checklist covers all of them, in the order they come up.
Before you send a request
- Age. You must be 18 or older. Drivers under 26 pay a young driver fee for each day.
- Licence. An Ontario G2 or G licence, valid for the whole rental. Bring the original card on the day.
- Credit card. A credit card in your own name, for the payment and the deposit. Debit and prepaid cards are not accepted.
Sending a request is free. It does not hold the car and takes no payment. Choose a car, enter your dates, tell us whether you want delivery, and send it.
The offer
We check the dates and send you an offer with the full price: the rental charge, any fees, HST at 13%, the deposit and the kilometres included. An offer stays open for 24 hours. If you approve it, you sign the rental agreement online and pay, and the car is booked for you. Until then, someone else can book the same car.
The identity check
Before pickup you upload photos of the front and back of your licence and a selfie. A member of our team compares them and confirms your identity. Every additional driver does the same. Do this as soon as you have booked, so there is time to fix a blurry photo.
Coverage for damage
Third-party liability coverage is included in every rental. For damage to the car itself you need one of three options in place before pickup:
- Coverage under your own auto policy that extends to a rental car.
- Rental car coverage from your credit card, where the card offers it.
- The CarmaCars Protection Plan.
Our requirements page explains each option and what to show us. If the car is damaged, repairs under $2,500 are billed at cost, and from $2,500 we claim on our fleet policy and you pay the $2,500 deductible.
The deposit
Each car has a deposit, shown on its page. It is taken about 1 hour before pickup, never when you book. For rentals of 7 days or less it is a hold on your card; for longer rentals it is charged and refunded. We release the balance within 7 business days after you return the car.
At pickup
We meet you with the car at our location or at your address. Bring your original licence and the card you paid with. We walk around the car together and photograph its condition, note the fuel and the kilometres, and show you the controls.
Additional drivers
Anyone else who will drive must be on the booking. Every driver meets the same rules, does the identity check and signs the agreement. Each additional driver adds 25% of the daily rate for each day.
If your plans change
You can cancel from your account. Within 24 hours of booking, when pickup is 48 hours or more away, you get 95% back. Otherwise 48 hours or more before pickup returns 75%, and 24 to 48 hours before returns 50%. Less than 24 hours before pickup, or a no-show, is not refunded. A non-refundable booking is not refunded at all, in exchange for its 10% discount.
At return
Bring the car back at the agreed time with the same fuel or charge it had at pickup, and take your things out. We check it with you and photograph it again. Tolls and tickets that arrive later are charged to the card on file with their administration fees.