Renting a car. For renting anything else use the "rental" tag instead.
Renting a car. For renting anything else use the rental tag instead.
Questions tagged [car-rentals]
585 questions
46
votes
6 answers
Should I just not bother to "reserve" rental cars anymore?
In the last few years I have rented from every major rental car agency: Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, National/Alamo, etc.
I notice that in every single case when I get there it is a scramble to "find" me a car. Often they do not have the car type I…
Lemuel Gulliver
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5 answers
Why are round-trip car rentals much cheaper than one-way car rentals?
Why is it much cheaper to have rental cars returned to the same place as opposed to elsewhere?
Never understood this when booking car rentals.
If I want to rent a car, and rent it from Location A, and return it to Location A, the price is…
yuritsuki
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27
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2 answers
Why does the car rental company ask me for my flight information?
Today I received an email from the company where I rented a car asking me for my flight information.
Why do they need it? I'm being a little paranoid but I think that they will charge me more (hidden tax or fee) if I give them the information.
IAmJulianAcosta
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2 answers
What are the practical differences between Avis and Budget?
Avis and Budget are both subsidiaries of Avis Budget Group. When I travel they often share one rental desk at the airport. Running quotes through their respective websites they typically offer the same class of (very dull) car.
The only obvious…
conradj
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votes
1 answer
Why do rental car companies hand you two keys wired together?
Of late, every time I rent a car in the US, I'm handed two copies of the key, connected by an unbreakable wire cable. This makes a big, unwieldy, lump in my pocket. It also guarantees that, if I lose one, I lose both.
Why do the rental companies do…
bmargulies
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3 answers
When renting a car, how to get the exact chosen model and not the similar?
I got tricked last time when I rented a car by being assigned a similar car and not the POLO I wanted.
I even chose the Polo in the list and not the Opel Corsa I got in the end.
What should I do not to be conned next time?
To clarify, I want the…
coz
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Does a flexible date car rental price matrix tool exist?
I know there are comparison rental tools like Kayak and Expedia, but I'm specifically thinking of a tool similar to Google Flight's flexible date matrix, where they'll show you the lowest prices for a matrix of start and end dates.
I've found that…
Johnny
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2 answers
How clean should a rental car be returned?
I have been charged a "vehicle cleaning fee" for a rental car return. The rental car office "believes the car requires more cleaning than usual". I have frequently returned cars much more dirty than this. Are there any norms for how much cleaning…
gerrit
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5 answers
Hertz rental - is it ok to pick up car 2 hours earlier than voucher says?
I booked rental car from Hertz company via AutoEurope. My voucher says that I should pick up my car at Jul 28, 13:00.
But I would like to pick the car up at 11:00 (that's 2 hours earlier).
Can I do that, or I absolutely must come at 13:00? How…
Boring person
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Car rental - Why is "Pay Now" more expensive?
I would think that the Pay Now option would be cheaper, but it's more expensive! The total cost of rental is almost double my flight cost.
Yikes.
So, why the heck would I Pay Now? Is there an added guarantee that my car will be waiting for me? I'm…
Doug
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1 answer
What are the practical consequences of driving a rental car on unpaved roads?
In a related question @Harper wrote the following:
Note that airport car rentals will NOT permit you to drive off paved roads, literally paved roads, read the contract!
In addition, @PeterM mentions the following:
While you may get away with it,…
JonathanReez
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4
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3 answers
Can I return a rental car early?
I see lots of info on the web about late returns of rental cars... but can I return the car earlier than the booked time? What about the previous day? I need the car for about 30 hours -- can I book it for 48 hours and return it at the most…
Max
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4
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2 answers
Rental Fees for Hertz Rewards Redemption
I'm planning to book a rental, and I have some points saved up with Hertz that would cover my trip. When I set up the reservation, it shows the full rental amount, even though I have selected the option to redeem my points. Here's what I'm looking…
mathewb
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Avis gave me a defective car and then charged me for towing. Anything I can do?
I rented a car from Avis. The morning I was supposed to return it, the battery in the car remote died. Unfortunately it was one of the cars that starts with a button press and needed the remote battery to be alive for it to start. I called Avis and…
Opt
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Making a rental car look inconspicuous
Many years ago, I remember that several tourists in Florida were attacked by thugs specialized in tourists. They would crash their car into the tourist's car to make them stop and then, pull a gun. Some victims got killed. Nowadays, rental cars in…
Quora Feans
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