15 Tips on How to Raise the Bar on Rental Cars
- Updated: 10/28/2023
- Janice
Renting a car on vacation is typically about getting safely and affordably from Point A to Point B (or Point C, too) with enough comfort and space for all passengers and baggage.
However, when I rent, I am not immune to the appeal of a nice ride. An affordable convertible in Hawaii? Sign me up.
Check out my 15 tips sharing how to raise the bar on car rentals, saving time, money, and hassle—and the quality of your vehicle below.
Find more detail for each tip in the sections that follow.
Table Of Contents
1. Determine a Baseline Cost
The first thing I recommend doing when renting a car is to research prices to determine a baseline rental cost.
To do this, I visit online travel agency websites (OTAs), like Orbitz and Expedia, or car rental agency sites like Rentalcars.com, and look up rental car pricing for my trip destination and trip dates.
Of the sites mentioned, the one I go to only matters a little, as they are all owned by one or two companies— Expedia, Inc. or Booking.com.
I search for the most basic model I am willing to rent that also meets my passenger and baggage needs, and I note the price. I can always upgrade later (often for less) at the rental counter—more on upgrades in tip #10.
Learning the baseline rental rate takes a few minutes, and the knowledge is valuable, helping me recognize the best pricing.
AutoSlash.com is my second stop for getting a great car rental deal. It is an online comparison platform that helps you find the best deals across car rental brokers and agencies.
Unique to its quoting system, AutoSlash will ask you to input the specific credit card, insurance, or eligible member discounts. Then, it also applies publicly available and active coupons so that you no longer need to search for them, helping you save even more money and time on your rental.
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I detail how AutoSlash can help you save big on your next car rental, including the pros and cons of using it for rental cars in the article, “AutoSlash: Why You Will Love It for Rental Cars.”
3. Check Out Membership Sites
Several membership programs offer excellent car rental discounts. My favorite source for membership car rental discounts is Costco Travel, which along with shopping and gas discounts, also provides access to discounted travel booking services, including car rentals.
My favorite source for membership car rental discounts is Costco Travel.
Although AutoSlash (tip #2) will search many membership programs for discounts, it is still worth visiting your preferred membership site to check out your rental options, as it will tend to offer a more global view of choices.
Surprisingly, you may also find that the cost of a premium vehicle can sometimes run less than a basic economy rental which you might have searched for on AutoSlash.com.
Other times the cost of an upgrade—like a convertible— may only run marginally more and be worth the splurge.
Although few things shout “tourist” more than driving a convertible in Hawaii—it was still a dream to book one affordably in Oahu.
When I checked rates on Costco Travel and saw that the weekly rate for a convertible was only $90 more than the most basic economy car, I stopped searching and reserved it immediately.
The deal was a steal—especially as it allowed me to drive an utterly impractical dream car I would never own back home in Chicago (for obvious chilly reasons).
See how happy the car made us in the video below.
Another benefit of checking out the membership sites is sometimes they will throw in a bonus to encourage booking rentals with them directly. In the past, Costco Travel has included $20 Costco gift cards with rentals.
In addition to Costco and other grocery clubs, like Sam’s Club, you can find significant rental car discounts through other membership programs like AAA, auto insurance agencies, and frequent-flier programs.
If you are a member or policyholder of any of these, visit their websites to see what rental car discounts or bonuses they offer before you move on to tip #4.
4. Look for Coupons
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To find rental car coupons online, go to RetailMeNot’s Car Rental coupon page, where you will find pages and pages of deals and discount codes, or Google-search “rental car coupons” and scroll through the results.
To find rental car discounts through your member programs, login to your member site and search for “Rewards” or “Benefits.”
Or enter the name of your “membership organization” and “car rental discount” and scroll through results in a browser search bar like Google. I did this for USAA, and this link to its car rental discount homepage showed at the top of my search results.
Once you have found the best discount code go directly to the car rental website of your choice, like Hertz, Avis, etc., to input the code to see if the savings you can get there are better than elsewhere.
When you see a rate you like, reserve the deal that provides the most inclusions you need, such as an extra driver or unlimited mileage, and offers the most flexible change or cancellation options.
5. Know About Turo & Other Car Rental Alternatives
Recognized as the Airbnb of the rental car market, Turo connects private car owners who want to convert their underused cars into cash and travelers who would like to drive them.
Self-described as “the world’s largest peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace,” Turo is currently active in 50+ countries. Its website, rating system, and booking process are straightforward and easy to use. Airbnb users, in particular, will find the Turo website very familiar—as it mimics much of Airbnb’s online design.
Turo’s rates tend to run less than rental car companies—and in some cases, significantly less.
Turo offers the best value when traditional rental car rates skyrocket due to high demand and low supply—such as in summer in Montana.
When the most economical rates from traditional car rental agencies out of Bozeman were running $330 per day for a mystery vehicle type called the “Manager Special,” for four days in June, Turo offered a Corolla less than half the cost ($129/day).
Other Non-Traditional Rental Car Outlets to Know About
Additionally, depending on your destination, you may be able to rent cars from the other non-traditional outlets I list below.
- Zipcar: Dedicated vehicles available for car-sharing by the day or hour.
- Getaround: Turo meets Zipcar. Car-sharing marketplace where drivers who need cars rent them from owners who share them. Available by the day or hour.
- Lyft rentals: Price out daily or weekly rentals from your Lyft app, currently provided by Hertz or Sixt.
- Kyte: Rental cars delivered to you on demand in select cities.
- Audi On Demand: Travel in style and rent an Audi directly from a dealer. Currently available in x states. A quick search shows a Q5 available for $91/day in Chicago.
6. Avoid the Airport if You Can
Another excellent money-saving tip includes avoiding renting from the airport when time and patience allow. Instead, rent your car in town.
For a summer vacation trip in the Northeast, we needed to rent a car in Boston to drive up to Maine. We chose to pick up a rental from a city office vs. the airport for two reasons.
One, it was more convenient as we were already in the city wrapping up a three-day stay. And two, it was more affordable. The same one-way rental picked up at the airport would have cost $200 more.
However, there are exceptions to my avoid-renting-from-the-airport rule.
Such as when a trip into the city does not make sense—or when you feel city driving in another country where the road rules, signage, and language are different will make driving too difficult.
For example, during a visit to Ireland, I paid for our family of four to take a bus from the Dublin city center where we had been staying, to the airport to rent a car from there.
Doing this gave us a chance—as Americans used to driving on the right—to begin on our road adventure on the more spacious highway system around the Dublin airport, easing us into the “wrong side of the road” and helping us build confidence that we would make it to see another day.
See the quick clip below showing curvy backroad driving in Ireland.
In Paris, we did the same. We taxied to the airport to rent a car from there instead of trying to negotiate confusing arrondissements and highway entrances.
7. Determine if You Need Rental Car Insurance
It is a rare traveler who is not confused about rental car insurance. We all think, or hope, our auto insurance policy covers us. Or believe our credit cards provide the protection we need. Though—and often, we are never entirely sure.
So, learn when you need to buy rental car insurance or when you can skip it and save in the my article, “Rental Car Insurance: When You Need It & When You Don’t” where I break down in detail which situations you need it and which coverages you should never be without.
8. Skip Booking With Discount Agencies (If You Can)
I recommend avoiding booking rental cars with discount car rental agency brands whenever possible. Because the trade-off of savings for increased counter wait times and hassle experienced at discount agencies is generally not worth it.
Additionally, discount rental agencies often have less convenient rental locations—often off-airport and requiring a shuttle.
These inconveniences and delays often make the discounts less attractive, especially when you can find similar savings at the bigger brand-name agencies with research (see tips #1, 2, 3, and 4).
My exception to this rule is when I travel to another country and see a reputable local rental agency repeatedly come up in research. Adobe Rent A Car in Costa Rica is a great example.
If I see a smaller and lesser-known company like this recommended, I do some homework to check for consistently high traveler ratings and reviews. Once I have confirmed past customers have had a uniformly good experience, I confidently book a rental.
9. Consider One-Way Rentals
Car rental rates often cost less when a renter returns the car to the original rental office instead of another destination. So, in general, it is a good cost-saving practice to purchase a round-trip car rental.
However, I do not hold fast to this rule. If I can save money on airfare by buying an open jaw ticket—arriving in one destination and leaving from another—I will often rent a car in one city and return it to another.
If I can save money on airfare by buying an open jaw ticket—arriving in one destination and leaving from another—I will often rent a car in one city and return it to another.
For example, we booked a one-way car rental from Boston to Bar Harbor, Maine. The drive between the two towns takes nearly five hours, and the idea of making the long return trip to Boston to catch a flight home was a drag.
Instead, I arranged our return flight to depart from Bangor, Maine—a much shorter one-hour drive from Bar Harbor. Not only did this save us from boring backtracking drive time—but it also saved us money.
It turns out the Chicago-Bangor route is not a high-demand one. And I could redeem my meager stash of frequent flier points in exchange for four free one-way tickets.
10. Negotiate for an Upgrade at the Counter
One of my favorite affordable ways to upgrade my rental car is at the rental counter. Most of the time—though not always—rental car company counter representatives will be willing to negotiate on the price of an upgrade depending on the cars they have in stock and ready to drive off the lot.
One of my favorite affordable ways to upgrade my rental car is at the rental counter.
Something to keep in mind—this approach is best for travelers who are comfortable negotiating. I enjoy friendly negotiation, so I am happy to engage in an exchange with my counter representatives to see if I can get what I want. Am I always successful? No. Though, I am successful enough to make my attempts worth it.
3 Tips for Negotiating a Better Rental Car at the Counter
1. Be informed. When planning to ask for an upgrade, do your rental car rate homework ahead of time. View quotes for higher-end models shortly before your trip—a few days out is fine. This brief research will give you a baseline value for better vehicles and will let you know if the deal offered at the counter is good.
2. Be flexible. Avoid asking for a specific vehicle, as this is a great way to end negotiations before they start and get quoted the standard upgrade price for that car.
Instead, ask a more open-ended question like “Could you tell me what the upgrade options are?” Once you know what is available—if anything—begin friendly bargaining to get a better price, and ideally, for less than you saw quoted in your research.
3. Be friendly. Being friendly and making small talk with the agent right from the start will help established a rapport. So, when you negotiate and politely insist that you are interested in the nicer ride “if we could just get the price down a little lower to stay in budget,” you are more likely to be successful.
The whole process requires minimum effort—a few minutes of pre-trip research on pricing—and a few minutes of exchange at the counter. When it works out, it is a win-win. The counter agent gets credit for the upgrade, and you get a better car.
11. Capture Photos or Video of the Rental
I learned this tip the hard way. It is a good idea to take photos of the entire exterior of your rental car before you drive it off the lot.
This photographic evidence serves two purposes—one, just in case you have a complete brain lapse and cannot remember your car rental make or license plate when you park it, you can look it up on your phone.
And two, your photos or video give you time and date-stamped evidence of the pre-driving condition of your rental car.
To this day, I still have no idea who scratched up the side of our rental car in Ireland.
Surely it could not have been us, driving on narrow, stone-lined country roads on the wrong side of the road? The rental car company says it was. Unfortunately, I failed to take the photos to prove otherwise, and we obligingly accepted the responsibility.
12. Fill Up the Gas Yourself & Drop a Pin on the Closest Gas Station
Filling up the tank of a rental car before returning it is relatively common knowledge. However, rental car agencies have gotten creative in selling topping off the tank during the rental car checkout process.
My last agent was so positively bubbly about positioning the tank top-off upon return as such a helpful and convenient feature that I almost accidentally signed up for it.
Though before I initialed away, I stopped her and had her break down in detail exactly what she was offering, how much I was going to pay per gallon ($10!), and to confirm that, yes, this was significantly more expensive than the going rate at the gas station.
So, do not sign-up for any tank-filling conveniences offered by the rental agency—this will cost you more money.
Better yet, when and if the agent offers you this costly service, right after you kindly tell them no—ask them for the location of the nearest gas station to the car rental return—if you are renting round-trip.
Then, open your preferred mapping app on your phone, and drop a labeled pin on the gas station location to conveniently remember when you can fill the tank before returning the car.
And another pro tip for round trip rentals: at the same time that you mark off the location of the nearest gas station on your mapping app, drop a labeled pin on your rental car return location to make it easy to find at the end of your trip.
13. Learn to Drive Stick
Having the skill and experience to drive a manual transmission vehicle does not matter much in the U.S. rental market, which is flooded with automatic transmission vehicles.
Though for travelers who want to save money on rental cars around the world—stick shift rentals are generally cheaper and more available than automatic ones.
I have no idea how to drive a stick shift car and have no means to learn anytime soon, so I am stuck paying the premium on my international rentals.
14. Join the Loyalty Program
Do you like skipping long lines, getting a second driver for free, and being eligible for complimentary upgrades? So do I. Take five to 10 minutes to join your rental car company loyalty program.
I join the program at every rental car company I rent from. And I benefit from shorter wait times and lower prices, and I get better cars by being a loyalty club member each time I pick up a rental car.
It is 100% worth it for an investment of a few minutes.
15. Check the Rates Again
This tip is my best money-saving one. And I write about it after saving more than $400 on a pre-booked rental because I took the time to re-price my rental car rate for a Montana trip one week before leaving.
As you get closer to your travel dates, especially if you booked your rental far in advance, recheck your rates.
Depending on location and demand, I have sometimes found rates will fall as I get closer to my trip dates. Because many rental sites allow travelers to reserve car rentals without prepayment or inputting any credit card information, it is easy and cost-free to cancel a previous reservation and book a new, more affordable one.
Related Reading
For travelers hitting the road, check out my related articles below that will help smooth your travel and get out the door with less hassle.
- Rental Car Insurance: When You Need It & When You Don’t
- AutoSlash: Why You Will Love It for Rental Cars
- Enjoy the Ride: 12 Tips for Better Family Road Trips
- 49 Things You Need to Do to Plan Your Best Trip (Free Travel Research & Planning Checklist)
- Pack Faster & Better With This Universal Printable Packing List
- 25 Expert Packing Tips to Help You Travel Better
- Pre-Trip: A Practical Checklist to Close the House & Pack
Additional Trip Planning Resources
To further help you with travel planning, I share my go-to resources for every trip below.
Google Flights. My first research stop for affordable flights for every trip. Learn why here.
Google Hotels. Use its “Where to stay” button to discover the best neighborhoods to base your visit.
Booking.com. For hotel and rental bookings, I appreciate its flexible cancellation, candid user reviews, discounts, loyalty program, and easy-to-use interface.
Viator, Get Your Guide, & Airbnb Experiences. Quickly find and book highly-rated tours and activities on these sites.
Google Travel Things to Do & Google Maps. Find more things to do in your destination on Google Travel, then record where you want to visit on a custom Google Maps list.
AllTrails. Love to hike? Me too. I religiously use AllTrails to discover hiking and biking trails and download its offline maps to manage my hikes.
Guide Along. 5-star self-guided audio tours that are GPS-compatible for US road trips and national parks. We loved the Glacier National Park tour.
Insure My Trip. I never travel internationally without trip insurance. Learn why here. My preferred place to shop and compare policies is InsureMyTrip.com.
Plus, check out the 15 travel apps I use on trips, my preferred guidebooks, and my free customizable travel itinerary template, downloadable in four file formats.
About the author: Janice Moskoff is a travel writer and blogger who loves hiking, exploring the world, and reading. She writes to inspire travel-loving families, adult friends, and couples on her blog, Gather and Go Travel. After attending the University of Michigan undergraduate business school and following a career in retail strategy and event management, she returned to focus on her first love—travel. Read her bio, learn how she became a blogger, and discover how to work with her. Sign up for her monthly Discovery Newsletter for travel recs and how-to’s. Or follow her on social media (@gatherandgotravel).
Unlock your travel toolkit! Join my monthly newsletter for 5 free templates to plan, pack, and budget like a pro. Sign up here.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I only recommend products and companies I use. And the income goes to keeping the site community-supported and ads minimal.
Welcome to Gather and Go Travel, a blog inspiring families, adult friends, and couples to explore US and international destinations and to get outdoors. I am Janice, a world traveler to 50+ countries, a travel writer/blogger, and a book lover. Learn more about me, read our story, and how to work with me. Get my latest updates, how-tos, and trip ideas in my monthly Discovery Newsletter.
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13 Responses
Wow, this article was super helpful! I learned a lot of new tips on how to save money and get better cars when renting. The idea of using AutoSlash.com and checking membership sites like Costco Travel for deals is great. I also liked the tip about negotiating for upgrades at the counter and rechecking rates closer to the trip. Thanks for all the useful advice, Janice!
Thank you for reading!
such a informative information . good job
Thank you for reading it.
Amazing and informative content…Thanks for sharing it..
Thank you.
Thank you for your kind words, and thank you for reading.
very happy to see amazing good information on this website. thank you sir.
amazing website great information.
You are welcome, Alex. Thank you for reading.
I just made a checklist based on your unique points. I am planning a family trip in car a long drive trip, these all points are useful and I will keep the things in my list. Thanks for sharing the informative blog with us thanks.
VK, I’m so glad to hear AutoSlash saved you! If I hadn’t seen AutoSlash highly recommended by Frommer’s guidebook for Hawaii, I would have been super suspicious of all of their questions too. However, they are the real deal! And a great resource. And funny about the U-hauls. I read about people renting them as a last resort – hopefully, this is a COVID thing. Once travel solidly bounces back and rental car stocks increase, there won’t be a need for it. We’ll hope for the best!
Hey Janice!
Great article!
At the end of March 2021, we went to Sarasota for spring break. I had just been there ten days earlier and rented a car without any hassles whatsoever. With that in mind, I procrastinated as usual and didn’t get around to renting a car until two days before our trip.
At first, I thought there must be something wrong with my computer because the Expedia search engine never opened the page with all my car choices on it. I reloaded it about three times before finally taking the time to read what it said…No cars available for your requested dates!
I checked every single car rental outfit I could find and there was not a single car in Sarasota. I checked Tampa. Same story, no cars. I checked Orlando and Ft. Myers, still no joy.
I was starting to sweat a bit when I came across Auto Slash (Tip #2). The long signup forms with all of the questions about credit cards seemed sort of fishy, but I was in a bad way and so went along with it. About 6 hours later, I received an email from them with a link to make a booking with Hertz!
Auto Slash rocks and saved my a**!
While on the flight down to SRQ, we overheard the couple next to us talking about how they couldn’t find a car rental anywhere, and ended up renting a U-Haul truck!
Thanks for the great tips!