Mileage is one of the few rental costs that is not fully known when the contract is signed. A customer drives away with an allowance included in the rate, and the distance beyond that allowance only becomes clear at return. Extra mileage fees let you set what that overage costs, per vehicle category and, if you wish, per distance range.
What extra mileage fees are for
When a rental includes a mileage allowance, any distance driven above that allowance is charged per unit, whether the unit is a kilometer or a mile. Extra mileage fees let you set those overage rates, with the option to split the excess distance into ranges that each have their own rate. The feature therefore connects two decisions: how much distance is included in the rental, and how much each additional unit costs once that included distance is used up.
Because the rules are configured against vehicle categories, you can treat a small city car differently from a large van or a premium vehicle. That matters when wear, servicing, and depreciation vary across the fleet.
Where to access them
In the admin area, open the Fees & Taxes section, then Return Fees and Extra mileage. The page shows a grid in which each row is a vehicle category, each column is a mileage range with a from and a to value, and each cell holds the rate charged per unit for that category and range.
Read the grid like a rate matrix: find the category on the left, the range across the top, and the cell where they meet is the price per unit for that combination.
The master switch
A switch at the top of the page, Collect extra mileage fees, controls whether these fees are charged at all. When it is on, the grid is shown and overage charges are added to bookings. When it is off, the grid is hidden and no extra mileage fees are collected, even if amounts were previously entered.
Treat this switch as the feature's master control. The configured rates remain in the system but are ignored while the switch is off, so you can pause overage charging for a promotion or an internal review and restore it later.
How mileage ranges work
Each range column has a from and a to value, expressed in kilometers or miles. The first range starts at 1, and each following range continues from the previous one. Use Add Range to create a new range, or the x button on a column to remove it.
Because the ranges are contiguous by design, any excess distance falls into exactly one column. Instead of a single overage price for every unit beyond the allowance, you can define bands: a lower-priced range for slight overages and a higher-priced range for large excess distances, an approach the source documentation recommends.
Keep the ranges easy to read. A handful of meaningful bands is easier for staff to explain than a long series of narrow columns. When you remove a column, check that the remaining ranges still cover the distances you expect.
Setting the rate for each cell
In each cell you can either enter a rate, charged per km (or per mile) for that category and range, or tick Free of charge so no fee is charged for that combination. The second option is useful when you want to keep the grid structure but deliberately not charge for a particular category or band, for example when a category should absorb minor overages.
Rates must be positive numbers. Negative or non-number entries are ignored, and if you leave a cell empty without ticking Free of charge, no rate is stored for that combination. It is worth scanning the grid before you save so that every cell you intend to price contains a value.
How to use it
- Make sure Collect extra mileage fees is switched on.
- Use Add Range to create the mileage ranges you need, and set each range's to value.
- For each category and range, enter the per-unit rate, or tick Free of charge.
- Click Save.
Work from the structure inwards: settle the ranges first, then the rates. If you change a range after entering rates, review the affected cells again, because the meaning of a column depends on the distance band it represents.
What happens next
After saving, the rates apply to bookings where the vehicle is returned with more distance than the included allowance. The excess distance is charged using the rate for the category and the range the distance falls into. The Manage limits and Manage packages buttons open the related mileage allowance and package settings.
Those two settings are closely connected to the grid. The allowance determines how much distance is included before any overage applies. Reviewing them together keeps your overage pricing aligned with the included distance for each category, as the source tips recommend.
Special cases and permissions
- If a category's mileage is set to unlimited, that category shows a notice that extra mileage pricing does not apply to it.
- Rates must be positive numbers. Negative or non-number entries are ignored.
- If you leave a cell empty and Free of charge is unticked, no rate is stored for that combination.
- If the Collect extra mileage fees switch is off, the system ignores all configured rates until you switch it back on.
- If no fleet categories exist, the grid cannot be shown; you must create those first.
If a category is sold with unlimited distance, the overage grid has no effect on it, so its pricing has to be built into the rate. Checking which categories are unlimited before entering rates avoids work that will never be used.
Business benefits
Recover usage costs
High mileage increases servicing, tyre wear, and depreciation. Overage rates let the rental that causes the distance contribute to those costs.
Protect long-rental margins
A generous allowance paired with a sensible overage rate keeps long rentals attractive without leaving the business exposed.
Transparent pricing
A published rate per unit and clear ranges are easier to explain than an improvised charge at return.
Flexible by category
Different categories and different bands let the policy follow the economics of each part of the fleet.
Practical use cases
City and short-break rentals
Small cars used mostly in and around a city often cover modest distances. A lower rate for the first band and a higher rate beyond it keeps the policy fair for typical customers while still discouraging unusually heavy use.
Long-distance touring
Touring customers may exceed the allowance substantially. Ranges let you price the first few hundred units at one rate and the rest at another, so the charge grows in step with the distance rather than jumping sharply at a single threshold.
Vans and commercial use
Commercial rentals can accumulate distance quickly. A category-specific grid ensures vans are priced on their own terms, while a Free of charge cell allows a deliberate exception where a category or band should not be charged.
Best practices
- Review allowances under Manage limits before setting rates, so the overage price matches the included distance.
- Use a small number of clear ranges rather than many narrow bands that are hard to explain.
- Check every cell before saving; an empty cell stores no rate unless Free of charge is ticked.
- Confirm the master switch is on before a launch or a seasonal change, since an off switch suppresses all rates.
- Describe the overage policy in your terms so customers know how distance beyond the allowance is charged.
- Revisit the grid when you change rates or packages, because the three settings work as a set.
Conclusion
Extra mileage fees turn an uncertain cost into a defined policy. The grid shows every category and distance band in one place, the master switch controls when overage charging is active, and the range structure lets the rate grow with the excess distance. Used alongside the allowance settings, it keeps distance pricing transparent for customers and sustainable for your business.