How to Save Money On Your Car Rental

Hiring a car adds unmatched freedom to your holiday trip. However, you shouldn’t spend a fortune to enjoy a car rental. Travel costs can quickly add up, and car rental costs can take up more than half of your budget. Unfortunately, finding the best deals on car rentals is a different ballgame than finding low hotel rates and airfares. You should consider the following ways of lowering your car rental expenses.

1. Start comparing prices and book early

Car rental prices of different car hire companies fluctuate a lot depending on several factors. The best place to begin is to compare the prices of different agencies, which can easily be done using different platforms.

Simply enter your travel dates, pick-up location, and other details to the website. The platform will provide a list of car agencies, available car types, and prices. Once you’ve compared car types and prices of various agencies, you should book early. Most car rental companies, including Hype London, operate their fleets according to demand.

Therefore, you should book in advance to have a car reserved. Like other hospitality businesses, the cost of car rentals increases during peak season. You can save a a great deal of money by booking in advance. This ensures that you get a car at a great price. If you are booking online, take advantage of cashback browser extensions, such as Wikibuy and EBates.

 

2. Don’t book from the airport

Even though most car rental agencies have their locations at airports, you should avoid booking your rental car from these offices if possible. Renting a vehicle from the airport is more expensive in most cities because it is the entry point for most visitors. Local laws often add some taxes and surcharges for airport rental, which agencies transfer to your bills. Picking a rental car at the airport adds between 10% and 25% to the total costs. Consider taking a taxi or public transport to your hotel before requesting for the car to be delivered.

 

3. Understand your insurance needs

Most people spend a lot on per-day insurance fees charged by rental companies. You might be overwhelmed by the variety of options provided by rental agencies. However, you can avoid paying more by checking with your car insurance provider to confirm if they cover rental cars.

You should also consider paying for the car rental using a credit card, as it provides primary rental car insurance. With this, you can decline the collision damage waiver, as the card protects you from any vehicle-related damage and theft.

 

4. Avoid the bells and whistles

You should avoid other extras that can increase the overall cost. Among them include:

• Instead of using GPS, download and save the maps of your destinations for offline use

• Opt for self-drive options if you won’t be traveling longer distances

• Create your preferred playlist and download audiobooks and podcasts to avoid the cost of a satellite radio upgrade

• Ditch the company's electronic toll responder for your EZ pass toll responder

 

Endnote

Other ways of reducing car rental costs include;

• Compare daily vs. weekly rates

• Take advantage of the discounts you are entitled to

• Picking and dropping the vehicle at the same facility

• Take advantage of car rental memberships and loyalty programs, such as AARP and Costco

While rental cars add a lot of fun and other benefits to your trip, you shouldn’t break the bank. The tips mentioned above can save a few pounds off your car rental deal.