How to Find Cheap
Car Rental Rates?

The best tips and websites to get great deals

Have you ever searched for cheap car rental rates on the internet? Always wondering how to save money on your next road trip? Here is some great car rental advice to help you find the best prices.

Book your car in advance

You'll get cheap car rental rates if you book as early as you can. Last minute rentals and high season bookings will usually cost you much more.

By the way, if you find a great rate book it immediately! Car rental prices fluctuate like airline fares... if you miss it you might not find it anymore.

Figure the charging methods

When looking for cheap car rental rates, find out the company's pricing policy. Some rental companies use calendar days while others apply a 24 hour pricing.

In the first case, the company will charge you a full day no matter the time of the day you pick up and drop off the car. For example, if your pick up is April 2nd at 9am and your return is April 4th at 9am you'll be charged for 3 days. If your return is April 4th at 1pm you still pay for 3 days.

In the second case, you pay per hour without noticing it. Now, on the example above, if your return is at a different time you'll be charged an extra day. So, if your return is April 4th at 1pm you'll pay for 4 days. You can try to ask the car rental agency if it is possible to keep it a few extra hours for free but be careful because low cost companies might say yes and then try to charge you for them!

Consider cheap car rental rates for the weekend

Usually a big percentage of the rentals occur from Monday to Friday due to business travel. That's why car rental companies offer better rates during weekends.

However, make sure you ask what a "weekend" is from the rental company staff. Discounts may start on Thursdays, in the afternoon instead of the morning and end on Mondays instead of Sundays.

Try a long term rental

It is often possible to rent a vehicle for a week for the same price as what a 4 or 5 days rental would cost you.

Sometimes companies try to convince you to keep the car for a longer period because you'll get a lower per day price. Bear in mind that if you take any extra (better insurance coverage, additional driver, etc.) you need to add up all those costs to make the final bill.

Dig up discount car rental rates

There are many ways to get a rental car coupon or a rental car discount code.

• If you are a member of a programme (e.g. frequent flyer, hotel chain, etc.) or an association, check the newsletters because they generally include great offers. You can contact the programme or association as well.
• Cheap car rental rates coupons can also be found at the companies' websites.
• Finally, you can also check specialized coupon & discount code websites. Have a look at codigos-descuento.com (for discounts in Spain), rentalcarmomma.com or codes.co.uk

Do your homework: compare prices!

I know. It's very time consuming but in the end you'll get a reward. Actually, it's the best way to find cheap car rental rates. You have two methods to fulfill this task.

The first one is a classic. Grab a piece of paper, a pen and go to the websites of your favorite car rental companies. Select the city, dates, time and type of vehicle. Check the websites one by one. Write down all the quotes you get and pick the lowest one.

The second one is using a booking site or a car rental search engine. They usually gather the rates of a lot of companies and get a commission if you book with them. They are very useful because they compare the rate of several companies for you.

If you are considering this method have a look at ealquilerdecoches.com (check at the bottom of the home page to look in other countries), comparecarrentals.com and argusrentals.com

Are you looking for a car rental? Sevilla offers you some interesting options, especially for side trips.

Find out more about driving in spain.

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