How to Rent a Car for Less

Start with the rental company's own discounts before you search anywhere else

The cheapest rate is often hiding in the rental company's loyalty program or corporate account, not on a comparison site. Hertz, Enterprise, Avis, Budget, and National all run their own discount codes — sometimes 10 to 30 percent off — that don't show up when you search Google or Kayak. Log into your account on the company's website directly, or call their reservations line and ask what codes are running this week.

Your employer, credit card company, or membership organization may have negotiated a corporate rate. Ask your HR department, check the back of your credit card statement, or log into AAA, AARP, or your union website to see what rental codes they list. These rates are real discounts, not marketing language — they lock in a price before you book.

If you don't have a loyalty account yet, create one before you search. You'll get a membership number to enter at checkout, and rental companies often give first-time members an extra 10 percent off their first reservation.

Key Takeaways

• Check your employer, credit card, and membership organizations for corporate rental codes before you search comparison sites.
• Book directly on the rental company's website rather than through a third-party site, because third-party sites cannot always pass through corporate discounts.
• Decline the rental company's insurance if your personal auto policy or credit card already covers rental cars — paying twice is the most common way renters overspend.
• Pick up and return at an airport location only if you're already there; off-airport branches usually charge less and have shorter lines.
• Reserve early but rebook often — prices drop as your rental date approaches, and you can cancel and re-reserve at a lower rate with no penalty.

Book directly on the rental company's website, not through a third-party comparison site

Kayak, Priceline, Autoslash, and Turo show you what's available, but they take a commission from the rental company. That commission sometimes gets passed to you as a higher rate. More importantly, third-party sites often cannot apply corporate discount codes at checkout — the code works on the company's own website but not through the middleman.

Use comparison sites to see what's available and what the ballpark price is. Then go directly to the rental company's website, enter your dates and location, and add your corporate code or loyalty number at checkout. You'll often see a lower total price than the comparison site showed.

The exception is if a third-party site is running a flash sale or a coupon code that the rental company itself is not advertising. Read the fine print to confirm the code works at checkout — many third-party codes have restrictions that don't show until you enter them.

Decline the rental company's insurance if you're already covered

Rental car insurance from the company costs $15 to $30 per day. Your personal auto insurance policy almost certainly covers rental cars, and most credit cards (especially premium cards) cover them too. Paying for both is the single biggest way renters waste money on a rental.

Before you book, call your auto insurance company and ask: "Does my policy cover rental cars?" If yes, ask what the deductible is and whether it applies to rentals the same way it applies to your own car. Then check your credit card's rental car coverage — the Amex Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and many other premium cards cover collision and theft with no deductible.

If you're covered, decline the rental company's damage waiver at checkout. If you're not covered — for example, if you don't own a car and have no personal auto policy — then the rental company's insurance is worth the cost. But most renters are covered and don't realize it.

Pick an off-airport location and return there, not the airport branch

Airport rental locations charge a facility fee, a concession fee, and sometimes a local tax surcharge that off-airport branches do not. The same car at the same company can cost 20 to 40 percent more at the airport. If you're flying in, take a rideshare or rental car shuttle to an off-airport branch, rent there, and return there before you head back to the airport.

This only makes sense if the off-airport location is on your way or close to where you're staying. If the airport branch is five minutes from baggage claim and the nearest other location is 20 minutes away, the time cost may outweigh the savings. But in most cities, there are multiple branches within a short drive, and the price difference is real.

Check the rental company's location map when you search for dates and rates. Most sites let you filter by location, so you can see the price at the airport branch and at nearby off-airport branches side by side.

Reserve early but rebook often as your rental date gets closer

Rental car prices move like airline fares — they drop as your rental date approaches, especially in the final week. Reserve your car now to lock in availability, but check back every few days. If the price has dropped, cancel your current reservation and rebook at the lower rate. Most rental companies allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup, so there's no penalty for rebooking.

Set a phone reminder for one week before your rental date and check the price again. Prices often fall in the final days as the rental company tries to fill inventory. You might save $50 to $100 by rebooking once or twice.

This works best if you're booking far in advance. If you're renting next week, prices may already be at their floor and won't drop further. But if you're planning a trip two months out, reserve now and check back in four weeks.

Choose the right car size and fuel plan to avoid surprise charges

Rental companies charge more for larger cars, but they also charge more for returning a car on empty. If you book an economy car but return it with a quarter tank, you'll pay their inflated per-gallon rate to fill it — usually $5 to $8 per gallon, compared to $2 to $3 at a gas station. The fuel option you choose at checkout matters more than the car size.

At pickup, you have three fuel options: prepay for a full tank (you return it empty), rent it full and return it full (you pay only for what you use), or rent it full and return it empty (you pay their per-gallon rate). Prepay is usually the cheapest if you'll use most of the tank. Return-it-full is safest if you're unsure how much you'll drive. Avoid return-it-empty unless the rental company's rate is competitive with local gas prices, which it rarely is.

Before you leave the lot, take a photo of the odometer and fuel gauge. This protects you if the rental company later claims you returned the car with damage or less fuel than you did.

Avoid add-ons at checkout unless you genuinely need them

GPS, roadside assistance, additional driver fees, and child seat rentals all add up fast. Most phones have free GPS built in — use Google Maps or Apple Maps instead of paying $10 to $15 per day for the rental company's device. Roadside assistance is redundant if you have AAA or if your auto insurance includes it. Additional drivers cost $10 to $15 per day per person and are often unnecessary if you're sharing driving with someone on your insurance policy.

Child seats are the one add-on worth considering if you're traveling with a child and don't want to travel with your own seat. Rental company seats cost $10 to $15 per day, and bringing your own seat through an airport is a hassle. But if you're driving locally and have a seat at home, skip the rental.

Read the fine print on every add-on before you click "add to reservation." Some add-ons are mandatory in certain locations — for example, some countries require an International Driving Permit or a local insurance policy — but most are optional and designed to increase the rental company's revenue, not your safety.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I book a rental car through Costco Travel or Sam's Club?

Costco Travel and Sam's Club negotiate discounts with rental companies, and their rates are sometimes lower than what you'd find on your own. But you have to be a member, and you book through their site, which means you can't layer on additional corporate codes. Compare their rate to what you'd pay booking directly with your corporate code, then choose the lower one.

What happens if I return the car late?

Late return fees vary by company but typically run $25 to $50 for each hour or partial hour you're late. Some companies charge a full day's rental if you're more than a few hours late. Call the rental location as soon as you realize you'll be late — some will waive the fee if you call ahead, and others may have a grace period built into your reservation.

Can I negotiate the price at the rental counter?

Rental company employees have very little authority to lower the price you've already reserved. The time to negotiate is before you book, by finding a lower rate online and rebooking. If you arrive at the counter and the agent offers you an upgrade or a lower rate, that's a bonus, but don't count on it.

Is it cheaper to rent from a smaller company like Turo or Zipcar?

Turo (peer-to-peer car rentals) and Zipcar (hourly rentals) serve different needs than traditional rental companies. Turo is cheaper for multi-day rentals in some cities but charges a service fee and insurance premium. Zipcar is cheaper for a few hours of driving but expensive for a full day. Compare the total cost for your specific dates and duration before you decide.

What if the rental company charges me for damage I didn't cause?

Take photos of the car's exterior and interior before you leave the lot, and keep your receipt. If the company later charges you for damage, dispute it in writing within 30 days and include your photos as evidence. If you paid with a credit card that covers rental damage, file a claim with the card company — they often side with the cardholder over the rental company.