What can you expect to pay for a rental car? This depends primarily on three factors; Your age, the location which you are renting from, and the type of vehicle which you rent.
Right off the bat, know that just as insurance companies typically charge drivers under 25 more for coverage, rental firms also typically levy extra fees for those under this age. For instance, a quick search of Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s website revealed an average total price of slightly over $80.00 for rental of a compact for an over 25 driver in Manhattan. But for drivers under 25, the total price for the same vehicle at the same location jumped to slightly under $110.00 dollars per day. Tip: If your party contains a mixture of people over and under 25, you will definitely want to rent the car in the older person’s name if possible.
Location is another factor, some towns are simply pricier than others. For instance, the compact that costs you about $80.00 per day in New York from Enterprise will run you more like $50.00 per day in Houston, on average from that same franchise. Obviously however, there is usually little you can do to change which city you rent your car from. One step you can take to save money though, is to NOT rent a car directly from businesses located at the airport terminal if possible, which will typically be steeper. Instead, take the airport shuttle to a rental franchise located outside the airport grounds. Some airports even have additional taxes for car rentals tacked on to whatever the rental company charges.
Finally, car type will obviously have a strong bearing on price. Sorry boys, the GT Mustang is just going to plain cost a great deal more than the Honda Civic.
Probably the best way to find the best possible price and avoid getting hosed when renting a car is to do an internet search at “best deal” type websites. According to a 2003 study by Consumer Web Watch, Orbitz typically had the lowest car rental costs. Runners up were Travelocity, Expedia, Dollar, and Alamo. If you travel and rent frequently, another good step is to join a frequent renter’s club. offered by nearly every major rental company, to take advantage of discounts.
Some companies may or not charge more to authorize additional drivers. Spouses are typically not charged extra. Thus it is highly suggested that any couple traveling be “man and wife” as far as the car rental agency knows.
A final factor to consider are insurance costs. If you have an auto insurance policy that covers liability on rentals, you can usually have any insurance fees the rental company would otherwise charge you waved.
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- How Much Does It Cost to Transport a Car?
