Search results
- 6 min
- Skip the airport. Renting at the airport is convenient when you’re flying into a new city. But that convenience can come at a premium, thanks to general price increases around demand, and other costs like airport surcharges.
- Shop around online. Look at sites like Kayak, Priceline and Cheapcarrental.com to compare your options and narrow in on the best deal. Then go directly to the car rental company’s site.
- Comparison shop between brands (the discount ones aren't always cheapest) Despite names like Dollar and Thrifty, those stereotypically-discount bands aren't necessarily the cheapest.
- Leverage memberships. Have a Costco membership? Use it to save money on your next rental car. “I find that Costco consistently beats full-price car rentals on online travel agencies,” says Clem Bason, CEO of the travel website goSEEK.com and formerly of Hotwire.com.
- Cheap Car Rental Basics
- Car Rental Pricing and Rates
- Advanced Car Rental Tips
1. Start with a car rental aggregator site
Begin your search with the aggregator site of your choice (such as AutoRentals). This gives you a chance to see several rental car company and OTA options at once. On OTAs like Kayak, Hopper,and Priceline, you can filter for companies that allow you to drop the car off in a different country from the one in which you rent it. Those of you who are under 25 can also filter for companies that allow car rentals for younger drivers, though keep in mind there is often an “underage driver fee” assoc...
2. Always compare rates booking direct
After getting an overview of your options on an aggregator site, don’t book anything until you’ve compared those rates with the rates on that rental car company’s site. In some cases, there may be a special discount or deal available on the official site that’s not available anywhere else.
3. Check car rental rates on Costco Travel
If you’re a Costco member, check rates on Costco Travel, which often has the cheapest rates. It’s an especially good value if you’re sharing driving duties, as Costco doesn’t charge to add a second driver.
5. Always book the cheapest economy car
Assuming you don’t need something bigger for a large family group (or a 4WD for a winter trip), you’ll get the best price if you book the cheapest car option available. You’ll be prompted many times to upgrade for a fee—don’t do it. In some cases, there won’t be any economy or subcompact cars available when you arrive at the rental counter to pick up your car, so you’ll end up with an upgrade anyway—and you won’t have to pay for it. The worst-case scenario is that you end up with an economy c...
6. Compare weekly vs. weekday vs. weekend car rental rates
There’s no rhyme or reason for the duration of time that’s cheapest for car rentals. Sometimes it’s cheapest to rent for only the days you need the car, sometimes it’s cheaper to rent for a week even if you only need a car for a few days. In other words, be sure to check both before you book—just make sure the rental car company won’t charge a fee if you return the car early. Also keep in mind that because business travelers frequently rent cars, and business trips are predominantly over week...
7. Look at renting a car away from the airport
Sure, there’s no getting around the convenience of picking up a rental car before you even leave the airport—but there’s a price to be paid for that convenience. With very few exceptions (think big cities that aren’t ideal for driving in anyway), renting a car at the airport is nearly always more expensive than renting a car from another location of the same company’s rental offices. Compare the rental rates and associated fees (and don’t forget to factor in the cost and time involved with ge...
9. Decline insurance for your rental car
Before you check the box accepting the car rental company’s insurance coverage, do your homework. Many credit cards automatically include the required insurance coverage for a car rental when you use that card, so check your credit cards to see what they offer. If you’re traveling in your own country, any car insurance you carry on your personal car may extend to rental cars, too, so double-check that. >> Read about the best credit cards with car rental insurance
10. Look for membership discounts and coupons
Sometimes car rental discounts are in obvious places—if you’re a member of AAA, for instance, there are car rental deals available for members. You’d expect that, since AAA is all about cars. Sometimes, though, car rental discounts are in places you might not think to look. Here are just a few, but this isn’t an exhaustive list. If you pay for membership to anything, ask whether they have a partnership with any car rental companies for exclusive deals. 1. The company or organization where you...
11. Stick to one driver
The cost of renting a car includes one driver (except, as noted above, when booking with Costco Travel). You can always add another driver (or more), but there’s usually a daily fee for each additional driver. As long as it makes sense and is safe to do so, leaving only one person in charge of all the driving saves money. (Deputize someone else to be in charge of navigation, finding parking, or counting out cash for tolls to divvy up transportation responsibilities.) And remember, while most...
Feb 12, 2024 · 3. View deal. When you’re ready to book a particular itinerary, select “view deal” to continue. Depending on the deal, you can complete the booking on the KAYAK site, or go to the rental car company’s site. The price will be the same either way, but you might have to take this small extra step sometimes. 4.
- Car typeFilter by car type if you already know if you want a compact car, a full-size sedan, an SUV, a luxury car, etc. KAYAK has simplified the filter ter...
- CapacityFilter by either passenger capacity or bag capacity if you’re not sure if the car type you have in mind will comfortably fit the number of people o...
- Rental agencyFilter by rental agency if you have an existing membership with one that includes perks, or you just prefer one over the other because you’ve had p...
- PoliciesFilter by policies including unlimited mileage, free cancellation, fair fuel policy, and enhanced cleaning. Check out our article on how far you c...
- Total priceFilter by total price (including taxes) if you have a strict price range in mind.
- Pick-upIf you search for a specific city, you can filter by airport or non-airport pick-up. There are advantages to both, and prices are usually comparabl...
- “At terminal” or “Shuttle”If you search for an airport, you can filter between cars you can pick up directly at the terminal, or cars that you have to take a shuttle to pick...
- “Pay now” or “Pay at counter”If you select pay now, you’ll enter your card payment information online and complete the transaction. If you select pay at the counter, you’ll com...
- How are car rental days calculated?It can vary depending on the company you book with, but car rental days are usually calculated on a 24-hour basis. This means that renting a car fo...
- Expedia. Expedia is a tried and true OTA that has been around since the 1990s. It’s a popular place to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and cruises.
- Momondo. Momondo is a metasearch engine, similar to Kayak, that shows prices from lots of different online travel agencies. You’ll never actually book your trip on Momondo — instead, you can use the site to search for the best prices, then you’ll get transferred to that rental agency or online travel agency to book.
- Kayak. Like Momondo, Kayak is a metasearch engine that shows you prices on other websites in 1 spot. It’s a great way to quickly search for cheap car rentals, flights, and hotels.
- Orbitz. Orbitz is another huge website that’s been around awhile and is used quite a bit to book flights, hotels, and rental cars. It’s got great filtering and sorting options and you can see only the lowest-priced options in each category by selecting Great Deal.
Save money on rental cars by searching for car rental deals on KAYAK. KAYAK searches for rental car deals on hundreds of car rental sites to help you find the cheapest car rental. Whether you are looking for an airport car rental or just a cheap car rental near you, you can compare discount car rentals and find the best deals faster at KAYAK.
- How does KAYAK find such low rental car prices?KAYAK compares rental car prices from all major car rental companies such as Thrifty, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, Payless and more to find you the b...
- How do I find the best car rental deals on KAYAK?A simple rental car search at https://www.kayak.com/cars scans for prices on hundreds of travel sites in seconds. We gather car rental deals from a...
- What is special about comparing rental car deals on KAYAK?Looking for the lowest price? We can make that happen. Our car rental price sort gives you quick access to the cheapest and/or the most expensive d...
- What kind of cars can I rent on KAYAK?On KAYAK you can find deals on all types of rental cars including small, medium, large, SUV, van, luxury, pickup truck, convertible and commercial...
- What do I need to know before booking a car rental?Renting a car can be overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time or you’re renting in a new country. Finding the right price, understanding th...
- What is the minimum age to rent a car?The minimum legal age to rent a car depends on the country where you’re renting. In the USA and Canada, drivers must typically be at least 21. Howe...
- Can I return a rental car to a different location?You want to pick up a car rental in one city and drop it off in another location? We can arrange that for you. When performing a car rental search...
- Can new drivers rent a car?New driver policies vary for each car rental agency. While some require renters to hold a driver’s license for a minimum of 1 year, others only ask...
- Can I rent a car without a credit card?Renting a car without a credit card is less common but not impossible. Many agencies allow debit card car rentals from airport locations as long as...
- Can I drive cross country in a rental car?In the USA, it's typically not an issue to drive across state lines or to cross the border to Canada. However, you'll most likely pay an extra insu...
Mar 28, 2023 · Avoid Insurance Potholes. Your credit card, personal car insurance, or travel insurance may cover your vehicle during your rental. Look it up before you rent, and read the fine print. It could ...
Compare rental cars from Thrifty, Exclusive and more in 18,000 pick-up locations worldwide. Find rental cars with flexible booking, free cancellation, fair fuel policies and no extra fees.
People also ask
How do I find the cheapest car rental?
How can I save money on rental cars?
Which rental car companies are the cheapest?
What is the cheapest Rental Car Company in 2022?
