Everyone wants to find the cheapest way to rent a car.
Travel costs add up fast so knowing how to save money on a car rental can mean sticking to your trip budget or not.
As someone who rents cars upwards of 10 times each year, I have tested and reused these tips myself. Collectively they’ve helped me save thousands of dollars on rental cars.
So, in this guide, you’ll find the tried and true tips that I personally use that’ll help you save money on your next car rental. I also share my secret weapon for saving money on car rentals that can be stacked with many of the other ideas listed.
Are you ready to save BIG on your next car rental?
15 Ways Find the Cheapest Rental Car Deals
(+ 1 Amazing Rental Car Hack!)
1. Use an Aggregator to Compare Prices.
Use travel sites like Kayak or Priceline to search your rental car dates. Prices and car types will show up from hundreds of car rental sites so you can compare and choose the cheapest car rental deal that works for your needs.
During the search, you can filter and sort the results based on what you want. Car rental locations vary by destination. In smaller or international places, you might discover a car rental company you weren’t aware of that offers discounts on car rentals over other brands.
As you search, you’ll notice “pay now” versus “pay later” rates. Unless you’re making your car rental reservation within 24-48 hours of picking it up, it’s always better to pay later. This allows you time to look for a lower rate. If you see a better deal, you can cancel and rebook without penalties.
ProTip: When comparing prices on Kayak, be as flexible as you can with your dates, pick up, and drop off times. You might be surprised to find prices go down with a few tweaks.
2. Join Car Rental Loyalty Programs.
Members of loyalty programs can earn rewards or a free day, get free upgrades, and even skip the line when picking up the car. Car rental loyalty programs also alert members to upcoming deals and send member-exclusive promotion codes for additional savings.
As a member, you may also find better pricing when searching rates directly on the car rental company’s website. Even if you do, I recommend choosing a refundable reservation so you can still cancel and book something else if you learn about better rental car prices somewhere else.
3. Reserve the Rental Car Only for the Days You Need It.
If your vacation starts in a major city, there are likely to be hotel shuttles and public transportation options to help you transfer from the airport and get around the city. Not only will you save money on your car rental costs, but you’ll also save money on parking.
Once your itinerary is set to move to the countryside, for example, choose a rental car pickup location from an office in the city (more on this in the next point) and start your road trip.
For example, when traveling to London, I use public transportation while I’m sightseeing around the city. When it’s time to visit the Cotswolds and the English countryside, I get my rental car and go.
4. Choose a Pick-up Location Somewhere Other than the Airport.
Car rentals are the priciest at airport locations because, of course, the majority of visitors arrive at the airport! What’s more, local laws often add specific taxes just for airport rentals, which are added to your bill.
So when you can, it’s wise to avoid airports as pick-up and drop-off locations. Instead, take public transportation into a city or a hotel shuttle to your accommodation and then rent a vehicle from a nearby city location.
When it’s time to return the car, go back to the same location and use public transportation or a taxi to transfer back to the airport to avoid a one-way car rental fee.
ProTip: Do the math if you need to take a taxi from the airport. Will the cost of a taxi still work out to be less than if you rented the car at the airport? Also remember to factor in any parking-related fees, as well, if you need to pay to park the car.
5. Rent Only the Type of Car You Need.
Don’t pay for more car than you need. In many cases, economy cars are perfect. Think about the following.
- How many people and bags need to fit in the car?
- What type of roads will you be driving on?
- What will the weather be like?
There’s no sense paying for a bigger vehicle if it’s just 2 people who each have a single bag. Bigger vehicles also need more gas and those costs can add up especially if you’ll be doing a lot of driving.
As tempting as it is to splurge sometimes, paying for a convertible to drive around Europe in winter will be a waste. Likewise, an economy car is just fine if you’re traveling on your own.
6. Rent a Car with a Manual Transmission.
Particularly if you are looking for the best car rental deal for an international trip, compare search results for both cars with manual and automatic transmissions. You might be shocked by what you find.
As someone who travels to Europe a lot, in particular Italy, I’ve seen firsthand over and over how cars with manual transmissions can be half the price as those with automatic transmissions. In fact, I couldn’t ignore the savings anymore and finally just learned how to drive a manual car.
It wasn’t easy but it was worth it to be able to book the cheapest vehicles and not just be stuck paying automatic transmission prices. Plus, even during the busy summer travel season, vehicle availability for manual cars is rarely a problem since many places outside the U.S. have more manual cars the automatic cars.
7. Do Your Homework on Insurance.
Rental car companies charge high per-day insurance fees. It can feel overwhelming when an agent talks through all the options at the rental counter.
To avoid this and paying more than you need, first check with your own car insurance to see what, if anything, is covered for car rentals.
It’s smart to pay for the car rental with travel credit cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, that includes primary car rental insurance. You can comfortably decline the CDW or collision damage waiver at the rental counter because the card protects you from theft and damage to the vehicle whether you’re in the U.S. or abroad. You’ll also earn 2x the points for travel expenses like car rentals.
Others like the business credit card, Chase Ink Preferred, and airline credit card, the United Explorer Card, also offer primary car rental coverage.
8. Take Advantage of Memberships.
Memberships to organizations like AARP and AAA, as well as stores like Costco offer promotions and rental deals for their members.
Rentals booked through Costco Travel can come with significant savings. AARP members can save up to 30% off car rentals booked directly with companies like Budget or Avis or through the AARP Travel Center.
Airline loyalty programs may also offer a rental car deal. Sometimes, this comes with perks like waiving the fee for drivers who don’t meet the minimum age requirements.
On the other hand, always compare rental prices through airline loyalty programs, especially if they’re offering the chance to earn bonus miles for booking through their program. What seems like cheap car rentals may not actually be the best deal if you look elsewhere.
9. Avoid Additional Driver Fees.
Many rental car companies will charge an additional daily surcharge to add each additional driver. These daily fees can make your seemingly cheap rental car suddenly very expensive.
There are some ways to avoid these fees, though. For example, companies like Enterprise, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Fox, Payless, and National don’t charge extra to add a spouse or domestic partner as an additional driver.
If you have Gold status (or higher) with Hertz, additional driver fees are waived.
In addition, your memberships could help you save a lot of money on these fees. AAA, AARP, Costco, and USAA members can save on these fees when renting with specific rental agencies and booking with a specific member code.
10. Pick Up Your Car on the Half-Hour.
Admittedly, I first heard of this tip from Autoslash (more on them below). So, I tested it out a few times and was pleasantly surprised by rental car savings.
Most people choose a time on the hour to pick up their rental cars. But simply switching this to the half-hour instead. Some car rental companies have lower prices for customers who pick up their cars on the half-hour. As a result, other major rental companies have to compete by lowering their prices.
As these pricing wars happen, you can potentially reap the benefits. So, next time you’re making a rental car reservation, make 2 refundable reservations on the hour and another on the half-hour to compare prices.
11. Check on Possible Discounts.
When you’re searching for the cheapest rental car, keep an eye out for special discounts for specific people.
As a teacher, I always look for or ask businesses if they offer any teacher discounts. It’s a simple way to find out about additional savings and all I have to do is show my teacher I.D. card.
Are you a member of AAA or the Military? Are you a senior? If yes, choose that option when making your advance reservation. Then, keep your I.D. card in your wallet so you can show proof when you pick up your rental car.
Sometimes, you might even consider asking once you arrive to pick up your car. You’d be surprised how many companies offer discounts on rental cars but don’t necessarily make it publicly known.
12. Skip the Bells and Whistles.
Any extras will come with additional fees. It’s better to not pay for them if you can.
Instead of GPS, download and save maps to use offline with the Google Maps app. Prepare music playlists and download podcasts and audiobooks instead of paying for a satellite radio upgrade.
If you have an EZ Pass toll responder at home that’ll work at your destination, bring it.
If you’re traveling internationally where there are tolls or somewhere your own EZ Pass toll responder won’t work, don’t accept the electronic toll responder “provided” by the car rental company. It comes with an extra fee and you’ll end up paying more for highway tolls than just paying for them on your own.
ProTip: Many places around the world with highway tolls accept credit cards. Typically, there’s no need to worry about having enough of the local currency to pay the toll.
13. Fill Up the Tank Yourself.
Refuse the pre-paid fuel option, which allows you to return the car without refilling the tank.
It may be convenient but you’ll pay the rental car company’s refueling rate. Not to mention, the rental car agencies will charge you for a full tank price regardless of how much gas you’ve actually used. Plus, there’s usually a refueling surcharge on top of the cost of fuel.
Instead, use an app like Gas Buddy to find the cheapest gas prices near you and refuel before returning the car. Be sure to pay for the gas with a rewards credit card that earns points, miles, or cashback for gas purchases.
14. Take Photos of the Rental Car.
Before you drive away with your rental car, take photos and videos of the entire vehicle. You want to document the condition of the car inside and out. If you notice anything, be sure to have photo or video evidence to verify that any scratches, dents, or damage were there before you took the car.
Similarly, when you return the car, take photos and videos of the entire car. If some damage occurred that you know about and you’ve refused the CDW coverage because you have other insurance, you’ll need these photos to get reimbursed for the damage.
Having this visual evidence is also extremely helpful when the rental car company claims you’re responsible for some damage and you can prove definitively with visuals that you aren’t. Oftentimes, this happens once you’ve already departed and have no way to see the car again.
But if you can show the exact condition of the car when you left it, then you’re better able to refute these claims.
Photos and videos take just a few moments to do, but I speak from firsthand experience, that it has saved me money because I had the proof.
ProTip: When you take photos and videos, be sure to include the license plate. This way there can be no dispute that it’s the same car. Likewise, I like to show the numbered parking space at the drop-off location so that I can prove that I, indeed, did return the car.
15. Obey All Traffic Laws.
Hopefully, this one is obvious. Speeding, illegal parking, and reckless driving will likely result in tickets and fines, not to mention the danger to yourself and others.
Read all signs and respect all local road rules. It’s not cheap when your rental car gets towed because you parked it in the wrong place or you get speeding tickets in the mail months after your trip.
How to Save on Rental Cars with Autoslash
Autoslash is my secret weapon for saving money on car rental reservations. And for the record, I’m not working with Autoslash in any way. I am recommending their tool because it has helped me save thousands of dollars on my own rental cars over the years. I never rent a car without tracking the price through Autoslash.
Here’s how it works.
Make a car rental reservation with a travel booking site like Kayak. Reservations don’t need credit card information, and you won’t be charged ahead of time.
Once you have completed your reservation, head over to Autoslash and enter your confirmation number and booking details. Autoslash will now track your reservation and search continuously up until the date of your reservation for cheaper prices.
If/When a lower price is found, you’ll get an email with the details.
Nearly every time, I get an email from Autoslash telling me they’ve found a cheaper price. The rate is typically between 15-40% cheaper than what I was originally quoted and, many times, it’s from the same rental car company I previously booked.
Simply re-book with Autoslash and cancel the previous reservation. You can even track the new reservation with Autoslash again and re-book again if the price drops again. I’ve done this sometimes 3+ times to save more and more.
And, on the off-chance, Autoslash doesn’t find a better price, there’s no harm or cost in having Autoslash track your reservation. You have nothing to lose and potentially a lot of money to save!
Cheapest Way to Rent a Car Bottom Line
Rental cars can be a major travel expense but they don’t necessarily have to be. By using the tips and strategies in this guide, I’m confident you’ll be able to reduce any extra cost and find a great deal on a rental car for your next trip!
So, how do you save money on car rentals?
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