Car Rental Average Daily Price Up $35 Just Since December 2019
And it’s not going to get better in 2022, sorry to say.
- Prices to rent a car in the U.S. hit record highs at the end of 2021, and it doesnt look like 2022 will provide a lot of relief.
- After a big selloff of rental car fleets in 2020, the rental agencies have been slow to increase the size of their fleets because new-car production dramatically slowed down in 2021.
- Here’s one number to note: According to travel website Kayak, the average daily rental price in December 2019 was $46. In December 2021, it was $81.
The specter of rising prices won’t take a vacation. Prices for rental cars have been high for long stretches of the pandemicwe last wrote about the trend in Octoberbut the new year doesn’t seem like it will bring any immediate relief.
The problem lies in the fact there just aren’t as many rental cars available these days, caused in part by a large selloff of rental cars in the early part of 2020 as the pandemic started. That selloff hasn’t been replaced by new vehicles entering the rental fleets. According to Auto Rental News, a trade publication that tracks the industry, the U.S. car rental industry added just over 725,000 new vehicles to their fleets in 2021, a 9 percent drop compared to 2020. But compared to the times before the pandemic, it’s a more major drop, around 58 percent.
Can I Use My Car Insurance For A Rental Car
Yes, you can use your own car insurance for a rental car as long as your trip is for personal travel. Your personal coverage limits and deductibles will apply. If the trip is for business, your personal auto insurance policy might not cover any type of damage or injury unless you have commercial coverage. However, your company may have a commercial auto policy that can cover the vehicle.
If you travel to Mexico or Canada, your personal insurance may or may not cover rental cars in those locations. Its a good idea to speak to your agent to find out before you go. Generally, standard auto insurance companies in the U.S. dont cover rentals abroad, so it may be wise to purchase rental car insurance in that situation.
Why Are Airport Car Rentals So Much More Expensive
The price difference might not just be the car rental companies trying to take advantage of weary air travelers. Generally, the car rental companies arent even the ones pocketing most of the 26% excess.
Most airports charge rental car companies to operate on their site. Fees vary by airport, but they are often intended to cover costs that the airport fronts, such as shuttle, cleaning and security services. Sometimes, airports simply say this fee covers the right to do business.
For example, San Francisco International Airport charges rental car operators 10% of gross receipt revenue from airport customers. SFO also charges a $16 transportation and facility fee per signed rental car contract.
Besides airport-imposed fees, some states levy tourism fees on cars rented from hotel and airport locations .
Most rental car companies pass these costs on to renters.
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Youll Pay Only For The Days You Need A Car
Depending on the nature of your trip, you might need to rent a car for only a few days. Say youre headed to Colorado, where you plan to spend a couple of days downtown in Denver before driving out to the Rocky Mountains.
If youre flying into Denver International Airport, you could pay $10.50 to take the Denver airport rail to Denver Union Station. Say you were staying at The Westin Denver Downtown, which is just a 10-minute walk from Union Station. It charges $35 per day for parking .
Do You Need Rental Car Insurance
If you already have car insurance for a personal vehicle, you probably dont need rental car insurance. If you dont already own a car with insurance, rental companies automatically cover the bare minimum in your state. However, if you want more protection, or if you are traveling abroad or for business purposes, you might need to get rental car insurance.
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How To Find A Great Car Rental Deal
Well take care of finding the lowest price for you, but heres what you can do to make sure you get the best deal:
Book Early
Prices generally rise when it gets closer to the starting date of your trip. Book ahead to save and dont worry, you can always make changes or cancel for free if your plans change.
Pay Attention To Reviews
See what previous customers have to say about the rental company. Choosing a company with a score of 8 or higher is recommended.
Keep the Deposit in Mind
You will have to leave a deposit when you pick up the car. In the rental conditions, you can see how much it will be. Make sure you have enough credit available to cover it.
Know the Fuel and Mileage Policies
Avoid costly fees by knowing how much mileage is included in your rental and what the fuel policy is.
How Much Does A Rental Car Cost
Having a lot of choices when trying to book rental cars can be convenient, however, too many choices can also be confusing. With the many options available in the market today, making the right decision can be daunting and tiring. One of the most confusing issues concerns the rental car cost. The issue can be tricky because there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. However, a few factors can help us find a reasonable cost of a rental car in Toronto, Ontario.
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How Much It Really Costs To Rent A Car
Each time I hire a car, the cost of car rental seems to become more complicated and the car rental companies continue inventing more subtle ways to squeeze more money from you at every point of your journey. Having rented cars all over the world a huge number of times, here is my complete guide to how much it costs to rent a car.
A typical total cost of renting a car is $30 per day. This price depends on a large number of variables including the location, insurance, extra fees and charges and your choice of car. Extra costs such as prepaid fuel or GPS can make a significant increase to your final price.
To understand exactly what affects the cost of your car rental, let’s jump right into the detail.
Variables That Affect The Cost Of Renting A Car
The total price of renting a car depends on a number of variables that in the majority of cases increase the amount you will have to pay.
Here is the full list of things that affect the cost of your car rental:
- Location – country and city you are renting the car in
- Dates during which you rent
- How long in advance you book
- Premium location surcharges
- One way rentals affected by drop off location
- Type of car you choose
- Car insurance
- Extras to go alongside your rental
- Petrol costs
- Whether you are paying direct or using a broker
- Payment method
- Your age and personal details
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The Perfect Car For Winter Driving
Fix also notes that if you dont have the appropriate, winterized vehicle that will carry you and yours safely on a snowy, icy, cold, and potentially dangerous winter road trip, consider renting a truck or an SUV for your unlimited mileage car rental needs. Check out these remarkable winter road trips to plan right now.
Where You Drop Off
Dropping off your car at a different rental location than the one where you picked it up will probably cost you extra. That’s true whether you’re doing a cross-country trip or staying within the same town.
National Car Rental refers to this situation as a one-way car rental and the extra charge as an inter-city fee or drop charge.
National typically doesn’t charge an inter-city fee for a one-way rental between airport locations.
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How Much Does It Cost To Rent A Car For A Day Some Things To Consider
Maybe you need a little more than a standard economy car though. Maybe you are going up to the ski mountain for the day and need a SUV to ensure a safe trip. How much will it cost? SUVs do cost a little more than economy cars to rent for a day. The range can be anywhere from $65-$100 a day, simply depending on the size of the SUV. Also keep in mind that SUVs are typically less economical on gas, meaning it may cost a little extra at the pump.
Pickups, vans, and luxury vehicles all far under the same price range, going from $85-$120 if you rent a car for a day. The increase in cost accounts for the increase of options and comfort in the vehicle as well as the maintenance of the car by the rental car company. Even if you only rent a car for a day, the wear and tear on rentals adds up, and as this level of car is more expensive to purchase, a replacement would also be more expensive on the rental company.
Depending on the distance you are driving for the day or what your destination is, you may find that the costs to rent a car for one day are not beneficial to you. An alternative would be to hire a taxi or even seek out public transportation if it is available .
This may also be a better option for you if you are under the age of 25. The rules used to be that you could not rent a car under 25, but that is no long the case, however the price of renting a car under 25 is a little bit higher and may not be beneficial to you.
Prepay To Take Advantage Of Cheaper Rates
The majority of car rental companies offer you the choice of paying at the point of making the booking or paying at the desk when you pick up the car.
Unless you really think there’s a good chance your plans will change and you can cancel without penalties, the prepay option wins every time. It can be as much as 20% cheaper than paying on arrival and has the benefit of your car being pre-allocated at busy times. This can make your check in much quicker and guarantee the right class of car without the need to argue.
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Where You Pick Up
Renting a car at the airport is incredibly convenientand significantly more expensive. If you are flying into a large city that has easily accessible public transportation options, ride share services, or taxis, consider looking for rental car deals outside the airport. You might save much more than the taxi fare.
Part of the greater expense of an in-airport car rental is a concession fee that some companies charge to cover the amount they must pay to the airport for having a rental counter there. For example, Thrifty may charge you that concession fee, and Budget may charge both concession and facility fees at airports.
Our Recommendations For Auto Insurance
At the end of the day, its more economical to get a full coverage car insurance policy from a reputable provider than to pay for rental car insurance regularly. Many of the industrys leading providers like Geico and USAA offer coverage that can apply to rental vehicles when you travel within the U.S. To find coverage that works for you, we recommend comparing car insurance quotes from multiple providers.
Compare car insurance quotes
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The Route You Take Can Make A Lot Of Difference To The Car Rental Price
The route can affect your price in 3 key ways:
1. One way car rentals can significantly increase your rental cost. In most cases your price will have an extra one way rental fee added to it. The rental company will claim that it’s to cover getting the car back to the original location but in truth that will never actually happen and the extra fee goes straight into the profit column.
If at all possible, try to avoid one way rental itineraries.
If you can’t avoid it, try not to plan routes that cross multiple states or, even worse, multiple countries. In Europe, the extras can be very high. In other countries you will often not be able to drop off in a different country, but you may have to pay a big premium to drive there for part of your rental.
Top tip: If you are doing a one way rental, check every major rental website and ignore our advice above by checking the biggest locations such as those at airports. This works well if you are booking close to the time when you are going – some rental companies will have cars that have to make their way back after the previous one way rental in the opposite direction.
Check all the prices, including the special cars and you might just find a bargain. We once drove a very nice Mustang GT from Memphis over to Savannah in Georgia for a lower price than the cheapest compact car. The car had Florida plates, so we were clearly doing the rental company a favour in taking it most of the way back!
Hidden Fees And Additional Costs
Car rental companies also charge hidden fees that affect the cost of the rental. They build some of these fees into the cost of the rental. Others may appear on statements several months after the rental period. These fees include:
- Renting a car at the airport costs more than renting at an off-site facility. This is because the airport charges fees like an airport concession fee and a customer facility charge that the rental car company passes on to the consumer.
- Some companies place an authorization hold on the customers debit or credit card. This charge, which ranges from $150 to $500, gives the rental car company some protection if the renter damages or fails to return the vehicle. The company releases the funds within a few days after receiving the rental car back in acceptable condition.
- Many companies charge a cancellation fee to renters who cancel their reservations less than 24 hours before the rental. If the renter paid for the rental in advance, the company would refund the payment minus the cancellation fee.
- Renters who damage the interior or exterior of the vehicle must pay for the repairs. However, some renters end up paying for damage caused by previous drivers. For this reason, renters should thoroughly inspect the vehicle before driving it off the lot, take pictures of visible damage and alert an employee.
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Usaa: Low Rates For Military Families
If USAA insurance was available to all drivers, we would have ranked it in first place. Drivers consistently find cheap car insurance and great service from the company. So, if you are a military member or if youre a member of a military family, it can be a good idea to get a car insurance quote from USAA. The company scored 890 out of 1,000 points in the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Auto Claims Satisfaction StudySM for customer satisfaction during the claims process. USAA also has an A++ rating from AM Best and an A+ rating from the BBB.
In our rate estimate analysis, we found that full coverage policies from USAA cost about $1,013 per year, on average. This was the lowest cost out of any leading provider we researched.
Factors That Determine How Much It Costs To Rent A Car
The cost to rent a car depends on a lot of factors, including your age, the type of car you want to rent, your pickup location, the day of the week you pick up the car, and the number of days you’ll have the car.
Because of the many variables, it’s a good idea to take the time to comparison shop among several different car rental companies. Keep in mind that renting a car is a lot like shopping for an airline ticket in many respects. Prices are constantly changing, even from minute to minute, so if you happen to catch an extra-low price, don’t hesitate to book the offer, because you probably won’t see it again even an hour later.
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Whether Or Not You Refuel
It always pays to drop off your rental car with the same amount of gas it had when you picked it up. It is an inconvenience for rental companies to refuel their vehicles they have to send an employee to a gas station and waste time when the car could be out and about and making money for them. That’s why if you don’t return the car refueled to the agreed-upon level, the rental car company will charge you for refueling, inflating the cost you pay for the gas by several dollars a gallon.
Rental Car Cost In Toronto Ontario
Several factors affect the cost of renting a car, including your time frame. To close good car rental deals, you have to pay close attention to every detail. So, if you are looking to find the best rental car in Toronto and the surrounding suburbs and cities, you have come to the right place.
City Car and Truck Rental is a reputable and experienced rental car company offering our services to satisfied clients for a long time. We have a diverse fleet of top-of-the-line vehicles for your pleasure or business needs at the best rates. We are an independent rental agency dealing with budget car rentals of the highest quality.
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