[livyodream]

Team, Any latest recommendation for self drive in GOA?
Also, is it safe enough to drive around a black and yellow board car in Goa?

[mayankk]

Hello,

I was in goa in January this year, and hired a dio from a local. No papers, at 300 rupees a day. In hindsight, this seems like a bad decision ,but luckily I was not stopped in the entire stay. I only drove around 10 kms a day to nearby beaches, and once to a market about 20 kilometers.

This year, I would prefer to hire a bike which is authorized to be rented, and does not cause any issue if stopped by cops. Leads, please??
I am also planning to visit doodhsagar. In this case, would a self drive hired legally be advisable, and available, or is it better to hire a cab for 12 hours or something?

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by mayankk

Hello,

I was in goa in January this year, and hired a dio from a local. No papers, at 300 rupees a day. In hindsight, this seems like a bad decision ,but luckily I was not stopped in the entire stay. I only drove around 10 kms a day to nearby beaches, and once to a market about 20 kilometers.

This year, I would prefer to hire a bike which is authorized to be rented, and does not cause any issue if stopped by cops. Leads, please??
I am also planning to visit doodhsagar. In this case, would a self drive hired legally be advisable, and available, or is it better to hire a cab for 12 hours or something?

For visiting dhoodhsagar, would suggest you to hire a car and self drive. It is a very enjoyable drive and i room a swift there till the point you take a jeep upto the falls. It ends up being a full day excursion and while coming back it's pitch black at many places throughout the way, so wouldn't suggest a 2 wheeler for this trip.

[caged_nomad]

Was in Goa for some personal work and used the services of Rajesh, he runs a mobile store and a car rental business in Vasco

Positives
He picked me up from the airport for free
The car was clean both on the outside and on the inside
The car was in good shape both mechanically as well as the body work

Rajesh
+91-7507202887

[rajendra2278]

We hired an Ertiga for our 4 day trip (Jan 14th-Jan 18th) in Goa.
The contact I have for the rental is 9822101598 (www.goacars.in/).
Note:- I have no association with the above website in any way. I just posted it here for the sake of other bhpians.

Why I chose the above car rental?
Frankly speaking, I have no other choice. It was one of the only 2 options we had. We were not sure if the booked vehicle will be blocked for us (without any token payment) if we book it well in advance. So, we waited till the last moment, and booked the vehicle just 1 day before.

I think the other can rental that had the vehicle availability is Joes Car rental. Their booking slot is from 12AM to 12AM (most of the rentals, including the one I've booked, are from 9/10AM to 9/10AM). So, if you've an early morning (like 12AM or 1AM) arrival flight, it'll be perfect. But, there are 2 things that put me off -
1) Pricey - While others are quoting a price of 2000/day for Ertiga, these guys quoted 2500/day. When asked why, they replied that they'll provide a new vehicle (2019 registration), and so the higher price.
2) Token advance - Maybe, this is up to the individual. Some might be OK with paying token advance (via wallets) to some not so reputed company. I'm not, and so, highlighted this point.

What is the vehicle we got (new/old Ertiga)?
Luckily, we got new Ertiga. Why I said luckily because, while booking they might say anything, like, you'll get this, that, all kinds of stuff, just to confirm booking. But, I don't think there is any guarantee that you'll get new model car or old model car (since there is no separate price quoted for old vs new model). We are a family of 8 (6 adults + 2 kids) + luggage (2 medium trolleys + 2 small trolleys + 2 full backpacks + 1 cloth bag). While going from/coming to airport, we were able to fit all the luggage by folding half of last seat (with kids on lap). No way we would've managed that with old Ertiga, because, while going to airport (in Hyderabad), the cab we booked was old Ertiga. When it arrived, we realized that it was impossible to fit all that luggage + all the people in that. So, we booked another cab.

Vehicle's condition
Our flight arrived at 11:30PM (delayed). So, I had to inspect the vehicle in dark only (using my mobile flash light). I found few deep scratches at the bumper corners (both front and back). Interiors seemed OK.
Only in the morning, I realized that there is a dent on the fender (or driver door? I don't remember now), which I missed the previous night. There is no surprise on the interiors, but, there is a beer glass in the trunk (exactly similar to the one you'll find on WhatsApp). Also, I forgot to check RC and Insurance the day before (was in a hurry as family was waiting at airport arrivals). Apparently, Insurance has expired a month ago. Luckily, no one stopped and checked that during our trip.
Mechanically, the car seemed good. Gear shift was a little hard sometimes. Not sure if it'll be that way for all Ertigas. All the main controls were working, except for Windshield wiper fluid. Come on..., can't they put just some water, if not distilled water. Anyway, it was not a big deal. Due to the ongoing road work (especially between North Goa and South Goa), I had to clean the Windshield a couple of times. I just poured some water on it, and used the wipers.

The total price
We arrived in Goa airport on 14th night 11:30PM, and departed at around the same time, on 18th. It'll add-up-to 4 days, if we count based on 24hrs. But, as I said before, it's 9AM to 9AM basis. So, 5 days are counted.
For Ertiga, quoted price is 2000/day. So, it should come up to 2000x5=10000. Airport pick-up/drop for the vehicle is 500+500=1000. so, total adds to 11000. When I started thinking (when I called for booking) talking to him like this - "On 14th, we'll reach late night, and we'll use the vehicle that day only for going to Hotel.", he himself offered 200/day discount. Possible reason could be last minute booking. It's better to offer discount, and confirm the booking, rather than keeping the vehicle idle. Anyway, I was happy to oblige. I was worried that we'll not get the vehicle at all.
So, final price now came down to 1800x5=9000+1000 (airport pick-up/drop).
This total amount was supposed to be paid while taking the vehicle. But, I did not have enough cash while checking the car (I was alone, at the airport signal, while others are at airport arrivals). So, I ended up paying only 3000 then. And, paid the rest while giving the car back.
So, there is flexibility in every aspect, price/day, amount we pay while picking up the car etc,.
One thing I've to add here is, while filling the fuel (fuel expenses are ours), make sure you don't fill more than needed. We calculated that way only, but, ended up giving 3-4 liters extra fuel back. Why because, while going to doodh sagar (on last day), we filled petrol based on Google Maps distance. But, only upon reaching there, we realized that we've to travel the last 12 kms forest area in Bolero Taxis only. So, those 24kms petrol (approx 2 liters) was extra.

Sorry for the long post!

[ka51resident]

Originally Posted by rajendra2278

The contact I have for the rental is 9822101598 (www.goacars.in/).
Note:- I have no association with the above website in any way. I just posted it here for the sake of other bhpians.

I was in Goa from 24th to 26th December 2021 for a Temple Run and a few events in Ponda and I used the services of www.goacars.in

I can vouch for this.

Based on this review, I called them and booked an i20. Wanted a Fortuner/Innova/Ertiga because of the luggage but they were out of >5 seaters so I had to settle for the i20.

The car:
For a car that has clocked >100k, it drove like butter. It was maintained like how most of us maintain our cars - spick and span and mechanically sound. Base model with ICE supporting Bluetooth Audio was more than enough for the small trips.

The Experience:
This was quite hilarious. I googled extensively and found another website which was aesthetically pleasing but the reviews were horrendous - why? The agency apparently asked for an advance and reneged on the promise. People booked Innova and were given Ertiga. Goacars on the other hand had a 4.7* star review. Something said that I would be writing a scathing review on Google Reviews instead of recommending a good service on Team-BHP. I took a leap of faith and booked with GoaCars.

The phone call - (Goacars - G; Me - M)
G: Thank you for calling Goacars!
M: Yo, I need a car.
G: Say no more, I have a Liva/i20/Baleno.
M: i20 please.
G: Cannot assure but it will be one of the three.
M: Fine. How much?
G: Mentions the amount
M: Doable. Do I need to pay any advance?
G: Nothing but one request - I beg you to not cancel on your commitment because I am sending the car to the Airport for you.
M: Done.

Until I boarded the flight from BLR, I was really skeptical because there was no confirmation. I called the customer care and the Driver's number was shared. Reached GOI, met the Driver, did a video of the car and behold, a really well maintained car in my possession for the next 3 days of doing things that your average visitor hardly does in Goa - be pious, visit temples and stay away from "vices".

[bobbyvictor]

Here is my experience of renting a self drive in Goa.
One of the major plans me and dear wife had was to have a few days of vacation in Goa during my sabbatical leave - that comes as a default when you have put in 5 years with the company the bookings were done early and we were particular we do it before the Holidays kick in thereby giving us the best of Goa minus the big crowds. The next big thing was to have transport in Goa for all the runs we planned to do. (We decided to split the week we have between North and South Goa). Decision was made to hire from Zain cars - thanks to all the reviews here.
Reached Bangalore Airport at 8.15 am for the 10.10am flight only to be greeted with a delay of one hour , which later kept extending and at last managed to take off at 2.30 pm. Well, that wasn't the start I expected :-), landed in Goa went over to Zains office the handover was smooth and we got a fairly new car with around 15K on the ODO, the car was in good shape and drove well. I drove a total of 430 kms during the trip and would recommend hiring a car if you re going to drive around a lot. One word of caution though the "Firangi" two wheeler drivers I encountered are a crazed lot- and I was at the receiving end of one of their tribe's driving prowess mostly fuelled by some mood elevating substance / booze !!
Mr Zain had made it clear that any damage /accident would not have insurance cover and would come out of my pocket and that is the major risk we all run when we hire a self drive in Goa.
On my drive to one of the beaches - The transport tempo in front of me slowed down to a stop, to make a turn across the road and I followed suit. There was hardly a couple of feet of space left on the left side of the road and a crazy "firangi "driver on a bike his long locks coloured in many hues of fluorescence decided to whiz past at full speed - what he ended up doing was to clip the left side of the swift's bumper ripping it off the car and breaking the lower portion of the bumper in half , the grill was broken too, the guy almost lost his balance and fell as there was very little of road left and only rubble - he somehow managed to steady himself and just drove on without even bothering to slow down. I somehow managed to fix the bumper back in place to allow me to drive and called zain cars to report the mishap. They were understanding and asked me to try and get an evaluation done by the authorised dealer to get an estimate which I did, they gave me an estimate of 12.5 K as the part needed to be replaced. I started to regret my decision to rent and started thinking I was better off getting a cab :-(. Eventually Mr Zain agreed to get it done locally for 7.5K, Ms Shamima was helpful there and I guess played a role in getting him to scale down from lets fix it at the Showroom vs Lets get it done locally. She definitely is the better person to interact.

Takeaways
- Renting gives a lot of freedom of movement and gives the privacy you need and flexibility when travelling with Family
- Will work out cheaper if you don't run into any mishaps like the one I got into
- A lot of the drivers IMHO are high on something so there are many crazies out there to make these mishaps happen. Even if you are at no fault - You still foot the Bill
- The fact that there is no insurance coverage did weigh in heavily on my mind - this was a minor accident what if it was something more major or human injuries were involved
-Shamima is definitely the better person to deal with, and Keep all communication intact on WhatsApp.
- They will try to push white board - do not agree / accept a car that is not black board - the cops do check and such a stop will ruin your day - they leave the black board ones alone.
- Careful where you park : Clamping / towing is active - use designated parking spots

Overall the next time I go - I'm taking my FORT- T , cos I plan to stick around mostly in south Goa :-), North Goa isn't good for bigger vehicles and I kind of like the quieter Goa more. Apart from this saga with the hired car that was a bit stressful- (Boy was I happy to hand over the keys back to Zain travels :-))we had a good time overall :-)

[sumannandy]

Almost every hotel in north Goa calangute will have tie up with local car rentals. Cars are available 9-9, daily 2000/2500. Insurance is iffy. Unlimited kms and you can negotiate price. Zoomcar is available but works the same way with Km limitation but insurance coverage is available.

If possible, better to take your own car or rent scooty.

[mr.kaybee]

Originally Posted by ka51resident

I was in Goa from 24th to 26th December 2021 for a Temple Run and a few events in Ponda and I used the services of www.goacars.in

I can vouch for this.

Shoutout to rajendra2278 & ka51resident for their endorsement of Vailankanni Auto Hires aka www.goacars.in. Had a hassle-free experience renting an Ertiga from these guys. They drop off and pick up the car from the airport for an additional fees, which is super convenient! They did not take any deposit, but took the entire three day's charges upfront, with my Voter's ID Card taken as security.

However, no documents were provided with the car, since "everything is online with the cops"; so thankfully no incidents which would have stress-tested this statement, but at no point did things seem fishy. Overall it seemed like an honest, well-run operation.

[rayjaycleoful]

Rented a manual Crysta for 2500/ day and 2 manual Swifts for 1200/day in September - contact was given by the person we took our AirBnB from in Candolim.

Airport charge was 500 and Panjim charge was 300.

Rates are pretty much standardised across each person we spoke to.

Swift/Liva - 1200
I20/Baleno - 1300
Ertiga, Old Innova - 2000
Crysta, Old Thar - 2500
New Thar - 4000

Automatics would be 200-300 more per car but personally we were all comfortable with manuals and saved money via cheaper rental and higher efficiency over a few days.

Also our vendor told me that all Goa car renters have the same understanding about accidents - up to 50K you have to pay and if beyond that they will claim insurance (Personally didn't understand this logic). As far as traffic goes, (apologies for stereotyping) the rental scooties and red rental swifts (you'll see 1000s of these) are the ones who drive the worst and you should be careful of them.

What's also interesting is that most of the people listed as car renters in Goa are not owners of a fleet of car. Every car we rented was owned by a different person who had tied up with the middleman vendor.

Didn't bother to check documents as such since the guy told us to call him if anyone stops us (I don't think cops will bother you if it's a Black Number Plate) but did make detailed videos of the cars and existing dings. You will get the car with absolutely minimal fuel so do find out where the nearest pumps are (we were in for a shock when we realised most shut at 9-10PM).

As far the cars, the one Swift worked well, one had a really hard clutch but no slipping, and the Crysta had a constant "reduced engine power" warning but drove fine. It did go in to limp mode for 1 hour though because of some "brake override something" - the guy offered to give us a replacement Crysta but we delayed it since the fuel we filled in it wasn't refundable. Thankfully the car fixed itself.
Overall the car guys seemed chill but not sure how an accident situation evolves. We didn't ding the cars anywhere and had detailed videos but do note that they can arm twist you in to paying for tiny already existing scratches, especially when you have a flight to catch.
That said, renting a self drive is MUCH MUCH cheaper than taking cabs in Goa.

"Vailankanni" was near our villa and if I'm not wrong, they also give V cross and Fortuners for rent!

[sameer_vwagner]

Was in Goa last week and tried the Goa Cars (Vailankani Car Rentals) service. Trying to make this detailed so it will help others.

Booking:
Called their cell (number was taken from Google). The chap on the other side was polite and welcoming. Told him needed a car for 4-days and would love a mini-SUV (Sonet types). He said he cannot confirm which car he will give but will try for Sonet. His preference list was:
1) Sonet
2) Venue
3) Vitara Brezza
4) Magnite
The charge was Rs. 2500 per day and it was not negotiable. Booked the car via WhatsApp and the fellow said he will make sure the car is available on time.

A day prior to departure, they called me once again to check if there were any change in plans.

Delivery:
They sent me a note with driver's number about 3 hours prior to my flight. Upon landing, called the fellow who was near the airport. The delivery happened outside airport near the flyover. The guy was there already with the car (2022 Sonet Diesel Auto). Paid via UPI and he took my Aadhar card as a security deposit. One thing he did stress on is the fact that the car can only be used in Goa and that should there be any issue, just call them and they will take care (luckily there were no issues - Goa {minus the cab guys} is a peaceful place).

Car condition:
The car was driven for about 25k kms but was very well maintained. Even before the delivery, the car was washed and there were no issues at all. Did a quick PDI, noticed a few scratches which he acknowledged. Car looked well maintained.

Returning:
The guy who had delivered the car called a day prior to check about what time to come. Dropped off my wife at the airport and met him at the pay and park space on the road leading to the airpot. He checked the car and handed me my Aadhar card and requested to review the service on Google and any other portal that can help their business.

Financials:
2500x4 for the car; 400x2 for airport pickup and drop service. Total Rs. 10,800/-

Verdict:
This is one good self drive rental service in Goa although the cost is slightly on a higher side. That said, their cars and their service more than make up for the premium they demand.

[agastya]

I too booked from Vailankanni Auto Hires (goacars.in). The booking was done over call and WhatsApp.

We booked a manual hatchback (Etios/Swift/i20/Baleno) for 5 days, at Rs. 1,200/day. Asked them for airport pick up and drop, which was another Rs. 1,000. Also asked if they could provide either a Baleno or an i20, rather than the Swift or the Etios.

One day before the trip, the company called us to confirm the rental. The morning of the pick up, they sent the details of the person who would hand the car over to us. The pick-up process was quick - filled up a form, the person in charge took a video of the car and took my Aadhar card as security. The entire booking amount was paid up front. No security deposit required.

The car was in great shape, with no mechanical issues whatsoever. It was also clean, both inside and outside.

We dropped the car off at the airport. The drop process was even faster (!) - the person in charge walked around the vehicle once to check for damage, gave my Aadhar card back and took the car.

Overall, a great experience. Will definitely recommend to anyone looking for a self-drive car in Goa, especially one with airport pick up and drop.

Two final points:

• I asked the company about insurance coverage, they said that they would only claim insurance for damages over Rs. 20,000. However, this was not given anywhere in writing.
• The total amount was Rs. 6,000 (1,200 * 5) for the rental + Rs. 1,000 as pick up and drop charges. Although the rental amount could be paid via UPI, the pick up and drop had to be paid with cash.
• The car had no insurance/RC papers. I guess that everything is available online, so they don't feel the need to keep it in the car.

[lamborghini]

Have been using Vailankanni Auto Hires since about 2016 for chauffeur driven rental in Goa : back then they had a tie up with corporate car rental firm 'International Travel House'
The chauffeur driven cars were always well maintained, clean, with courteous chauffeurs and was my go to for trips to Goa and recommended for family trips or those where driving just doesn't make sense.
That being said, a recent chauffeur trip last month wasn't upto their usual standards - the driver drove well, car was clean, etc. But the finesse of a premium car rental was missing (clothing, mannerisms such as opening doors, etc.) But more importantly - vehicle rent costs that were from garage to garage turned out to be fairly expensive.

In 2021, due to a conference where all the chauffeur driven cars were booked, I tried out a self drive vehicle from them and have been hooked ever since.
Generally I take the liva / baleno / i20 category and have driven all of the above.
By and large the cars are well maintained - no check lights, brakes and tyres in decent nick, etc. but there have been a couple of points I've noticed as well as some tips:
- a recent baleno had a poor puncture repair patch job - please check the tyres on arrival
- most cars have less than a quarter tank of gas, and a couple have been delivered with the low fuel warning lit on the dash. The nearest pump is around 5kms away.
- the hatchbacks don't have a luggage compartment cover
- with the exception of 1 car, all the others ive rented have Bluetooth
- the cars are washed and delivered and are generally clean, however none of the cars I've received (say 5-6 rentals) have had less than 40K on the odo so wear and tear is there as these cars are generally abused. More than a couple of these have had smelly interiors - BO / Smoke + AC. I'm sure the more premium cars would be in better shape but don't expect nearly new cars. They try their best but unfortunately these cars are not always driven by caring renters and during peak holiday season I don't think they have much down time either.
- I saw a point on windshield washer not working. I faced that issue on 2 of my rentals where I tried it (didn't check on other cars). Wasn't a case of low water, as one car had a full washer tank when I stopped to check.

But despite these shortcomings I still end up blindly going to them for my trips. The cars are in decent nick with lights, engines, etc. In decent shape - heck I managed a FE of 19kmpl on a recent Baleno hire. And most importantly they're reliable - none of the security deposit and hoping they show up nonsense.

If budget is flexible, I would advise going for a more premium car and pick an option that is relatively new in the market so you have a better chance of getting a not abused example. Also, I always take walk around photos of the car covering all the dents and scrapes along with fuel level.

[rahulcmoulee]

Hi all
I am planning a visit to Goa in December and am looking to rent a few bikes (preferably Enfields). Looking for suggestions for reliable and trustworthy rental agencies. Area is not an issue.

[SolidusSnake]

I am visiting Goa in first week of March, only 2 persons, need a well maintained automatic, pick and drop at Goa airport. Which is the best rental nowdays and what will be the charges, security deposit, payment terms etc. Pls share contact details