As with so many other travel buys, like the best hotel booking sites and the best airfare booking sites, to find the very best car rental deals you’ll need to cast a wide net. Still, some places tend to do better than others, at least some of the time.

The Best Car Rental Booking Sites in the U.S. and Europe

Here’s a quick roundup of the candidates for best car rental booking sites, based on detailed car searches in both the U.S. and Europe. (Find more details below on the perks and downfalls of each.)

• AutoRentals.com
• Hotwire
• Rentalcars.com
• Priceline
• Expedia
• Low-cost car rental booking sites Alamo, Payless, and Thrifty
• Sixt Car Rentals
• AARP’s discount with Avis, Budget, and Payless
• Auto Europe
• Rentcars.com
• Kayak
• CarRentals.com
• Autoslash

I tested base rental car rates by searching only for economy or compact cars, for a rental period of one week, and only for picking up and returning the car at the primary airports for a number of city destinations in both the U.S. and Europe. All quoted rates (except for opaque rates that hide car specifics until after you purchase their lower-priced deal) are fully cancellable, although some require an advance payment with the option of a refund given upon cancellation. Some vendors offer lower non-refundable rates. All rates include air-conditioning and all U.S. rates include automatic transmission; European rates are for manual since automatic comes at a premium there.

For the most part, the search-and-buy sequence is roughly the same for all car rental booking sites. No one rose out of the mix as especially easy or dropped as especially difficult. Therefore, my comparisons are based almost entirely on my ability to locate the best deals.

AutoRentals.com

Overall, AutoRentals.com is an excellent place to start a search. It’s a metasearch system that displays a matrix of prices for up to 25 model options available through more than two dozen different sources, including a mix of other metasearch car rental booking sites, online travel agencies, and rental company home pages.

Price displays include both the posted daily rate and the all-up cost of the requested rental. The display also indicates which rental locations, if any, are off-airport—which is important. This matrix feature is especially helpful in comparing options quickly.

Pros: Coverage of major cities is worldwide. Once you select an option to check, AutoRentals links you through to the vendor’s web pages to make your booking, and it includes many rental companies and search systems you’ve probably never heard about, let alone would find on your own.

Cons: Some of the “best deals” reported are not actually the true total price; they exclude some taxes and fees. And some are not fully cancellable—they’re either nonrefundable or entail a cancellation fee. This information is not disclosed until well into the booking process, and even then you have to dig for it.

Hotwire

Car rentals on Hotwire offered some of the lowest rates by way of “opaque” rates in most of my U.S. tests. Opaque means that you don’t find out about the rental company until after you pay the nonrefundable price. Given the sameness of cars, however, you risk very little disappointment with an opaque rate. The option to filter by “free cancellation” also gives peace of mind when booking. 

Pros: Hotwire’s leadership in low rates is confirmed by the AutoRentals matrix, where it shows up as the best buy on a regular basis.

Cons: I did not find as many opaque rates for Europe on Hotwire.

Rentalcars.com

Rentalcars.com consistently yielded good prices for my searches, though it didn’t always win every test. The site covers rentals in 163 countries worldwide, with more than 55,000 pick-up spots to choose from. Offering an “I’m flexible” option in the travel dates field gives customers who don’t yet know when they’d like to travel the ability to peruse rental deals within a wider date range, although this functionality may be less important to a car rental search than a search for flights or hotels. 

Pros: As with AutoRentals.com, Rentalcars.com is a metasearch system that makes it easy to compare offers. In some cases it offers opaque rates for lower prices if you don’t mind not knowing the exact car type.

Cons: Because some of the booking sites Rentalcars.com works with may be unfamiliar to you, the site shows user ratings for each so you can decide whether you’re comfortable booking. Unfortunately, some of them don’t have particularly high ratings (in one search, many of the results on page one were from providers rated just 5.9 out of 10).

Priceline

Like Hotwire, Priceline car rentals list opaque rates as the lowest options in many U.S. cities. Although Hotwire posted lower ones more often, Priceline was a winner in some cases. So if you’re looking for the lowest, you have to try both. The search results page has a summary of the best deals across the top for easy browsing. Customers can sort the page by recommended, lowest total price, or car type and refine results with a robust selection of filters from fuel type to cancellation policy.

Pros: The chance of it having the true lowest price. If you already use this site for hotels or airfare, it’s also easy to add on a car (as with the other big search engine booking sites).

Cons: I didn’t find any opaque rates for Europe in my Priceline searches.

Expedia

Expedia consistently offered or matched the lowest or near-lowest rates as frequently as Priceline and Rentalcars.com did. Plus the option to bundle with your airfare or hotel is easy and could save you money (as with other price comparison engines), if you already use Expedia for those, as many do. Like Priceline, Expedia’s search filters are extensive. Toggle on the “great deal” feature to see the lowest priced car currently on offer in each category.

Pros: In almost all cases, rates were the same as through the rental company’s own system. And if you already use this site for hotels or airfare, it’s easy to add on a car.

Cons: Expedia doesn’t seem to offer opaque rates, which is only truly a con if you’re looking for them.

Low-Cost Car Rental Booking Sites

In general, prices directly from low-end renters such as Alamo, Payless, and Thrifty were always less expensive than the top-name rental companies, usually with a difference of $100 or more per week. If you’re just looking for the cheapest car rental website, these are the sites for you.

Pros: The obvious benefit is you’re paying a lot less. But…

Cons: The trade-off is that the low-end outfits and third-party agencies generally don’t include the bells and whistles that top-end company loyalty programs provide. I also sometimes found lower rates on metasearch sites such as AutoRentals.com or Rentalcars.com than I did when booking directly through the low-cost car rental booking sites.

Alamo

Alamo has over 1,000 locations in 92 countries. Although owned by Enterprise, there’s not much resemblance between their initial search pages. If searching by city, Alamo will direct customers to an interactive map that allows them to see all nearby Alamo locations. If customers search for a specific Alamo location, the site brings them directly to the vehicle selection page. My search surfaced a “fits your search” option for an economy vehicle, but also a “recommended for you” option for a midsize SUV that didn’t completely match my search criteria.

Alamo offers a Pay Now and a Pay Later option. Pay Now is typically the cheaper option (about $15 cheaper in a search for Boston economy car rentals) but it comes with a stricter cancellation policy. If you cancel more than 24 hours in advance, you incur a $50 fee—any cancellation with less than 24 hours’ notice will cost you $100. Coupons are also only valid on Pay Later rentals.

Pros: Having the most locations in the most countries of the budget booking set means you’ll be able to find deals at more destinations.

Cons: The free cancellation and coupon policy incentivizes customers to pay the more expensive Pay Now rates.

Payless

Owned by Avis Budget Group, Payless rental cars has 120 locations in 35 countries including the United States. Although laid out similarly to other booking sites, it offers bare-bones filtering options. There’s no option on the initial search page to filter by what type of car you want, and no further filtering options on the search results page.

Payless also offers Pay Now and Pay Later rates, showing higher savings than Alamo—a difference of $38 dollars on an economy car rental. However, the cancellation policy for Pay Now is once again stricter, with customers forfeiting the entire prepaid amount if they cancel their reservation within 48 hours of intended pickup.

Pro: Payless Perks Club members get discounted car rental rates and access to exclusive promotions.

Cons: Lack of filter options makes it difficult to refine search results.

Thrifty

Operating over 1,000 locations in 77 countries, Thrifty is another top budget car rental option. Similarly to Payless, Thrifty offers a member discount if you sign up for an account. Their Blue Chip rewards program comes with perks in addition to discounts, including an additional authorized driver and quicker reservations. 

The search results page shows the daily rate and estimated trip total, where Payless and Alamo only show trip totals. Like some of the major rental dealerships listed above, Thrifty offers opaque rates. Their “Managers Special” rate offers a rental of a “wildcard or similar” at a promised discount price. Opaque rates on electric vehicles are specially flagged.

Pro: Opaque rates can save you even more on top of Thrifty’s already budget prices.

Cons: The opaque rates surfaced in my search were not that much cheaper than the regular deals, and only came up during domestic car rental searches.

Sixt Rent a Car

For European cities, the Sixt booking site is proof that higher-end companies occasionally offer specials better than any other source. At the time of my search, the German company was running a “special” found to be the cheapest option in some cases, but didn’t specify the rental company. Sixt also offers car rental deals in the US, with locations at dozens of major airports across the country.

Pros: Another strong chance of finding the lowest price.

Cons: The grid layout and dropdown details panels on the search results page is not as easy to navigate as the results pages on other sites on the list.

AARP Partners

If you qualify for them, AARP’s car rental partnership with the Avis Group (Avis, Budget, and Payless) promises discounts up to 35 percent as well as a 3% credit toward your next car rental, and in some cases I did find prices lower than those I’d seen anywhere else. The age requirement to join and access these benefits is lower than one may think—anyone over 18 years old can become an AARP member and take advantage of the savings. 

Pros: AARP rates could end up saving you money over all your other options.

Cons: Even with a “discount,” you might not be getting the lowest rate, so you still have to shop around.

Auto Europe

In Europe, Auto Europe generally matched all other sources, including self-described “discounters,” for offering the lowest rates. Think of it as the AutoRentals.com or Rentalcars.com of Europe. Their grid-style search results page makes it easy to compare prices from different rental companies at a glance, highlighting the cheapest deals in each category. However, there’s no option to scroll through all the search results together in one page. 

Pros: I’ve used Auto Europe in the past, and found its customer support to be outstanding. It can also help with difficult rentals, such as finding a rental agency in Ireland that accepts drivers over age 70. It’s a good place to start any European rental search.

Cons: As you’d expect from its name, Auto Europe is best for bookings in Europe. This car rental booking site does offer rentals in the U.S. and elsewhere, but usually won’t get you the best price for them.

Rentcars.com

Rentcars.com is another metasearch system that raises similar results to those search engines that were included in my original tests. Like the others, it manages to dig out some good deals. Like Hotwire, a summary of the best deals in each category is easily accessible at the top of the results page. Customers can also open the interactive map to see all Rentcars.com locations in a given area, making it easy to confirm you’re picking up and returning your rental at the most convenient location. 

Pros: It scans more than 300 rental car companies and confines the search display to the most useful prices.

Cons: As with many other sites, the best prices it finds are sometimes pay-in-advance, including full or partial non-refundability, meaning you need to know ahead of time that your plans are concrete unless you want to lose prepayments.

Kayak

Kayak is best known for airfare metasearch, but it offers a good product for car rentals as well. It searches numerous car rental agencies and booking sites and came up with some of the best prices in my tests. It includes opaque options advertising a “surprise agency” if you’re willing to take a risk.

Pros: The site has lots of handy filters, including “pay now” and “pay at counter” as well as an option to show only hybrid vehicles.

Cons: Kayak works with a wide variety of booking sites, which means you’ll sometimes be pointed to companies you’re not familiar with. Search for reviews before booking with vendors you haven’t used before.

CarRentals.com

CarRentals.com is owned by Expedia, but it didn’t show the exact same results as its parent company in the tests I ran, so it’s worth checking both. (Neither one came out consistently ahead of the other.) However, the search results page is formatted similarly to Expedia’s, with the same extensive set of filters and option to sort by lowest deals on the website. 

Pros: The site has some interesting filter options, including customer rating and the option for online check-in.

Cons: Making a booking through this site automatically signs you up for emails about “special offers,” with no way to opt out until the first email arrives.

Autoslash

Autoslash is a one-stop shopping site for discounts. When filling out your dates, you also check off any rewards programs or memberships you have, and let Autoslash do the searching for you. Within minutes, you will get an email with a link taking you to your best rate.The initial search is broken down into steps, taking customers through a flow of screens asking about their pick-up and drop-off dates, car preferences, frequent flier memberships, credit cards, and more. Unfortunately there is no way to select multiple preferences for your vehicle at the same time (for example, searching for deals on economy and compact cars), so if you want to compare deals across specific categories you will have to run separate searches.

Pros: Ability to search all rewards programs and membership discounts at once. If you’ve already booked through another site, you can enter your confirmation number, and they will let you know if there is a better deal available.

Cons: You may have to pay in advance for the best deal, and you may have to book with a lesser-known car rental company.

The Car Rental Booking Site Gotchas to Avoid

No matter where you rent, you have to check out the terms and conditions of any rental before you make your final purchase. Among them:

• Great-looking deals that are nonrefundable or entail a stiff cancellation penalty.
• Cancellable deals that require upfront payment rather than payment at the end of a rental.
• Best deals that apply to tiny “economy” or “mini” cars that are not practical for anything other than running errands around town.
• Occasional deals with a mileage cap instead of the unlimited mileage you normally expect.
• Supposedly all-up prices that exclude some local taxes and fees.

How old do I have to be to rent a car?

In the United States, you must be at least 21 years old to rent a car in most states. However, many spots in Europe allow car rentals starting at age 18. If renting in Europe, check the policies of your specific car rental service. 

Renting a Car if You Are Under 25 Years Old

Drivers under 25 years old are typically charged an extra daily surcharge and potentially subject to restrictions on what types of cars they can rent. The fees vary by car rental site and can be waived in certain scenarios—for example, AAA member under 25 years old renting with Hertz can have their young renter fee waived.

Rental Car Insurance

Purchasing a Collision Damage (or Loss Damage) Waiver from your rental car provider is the one way to guarantee you won’t be held liable for any damages incurred during your rental period, but it can be expensive. Alternatives include sourcing your own insurance from your credit card or a third-party provider, but gaps in this coverage could leave you in trouble. Read our comprehensive guide on car rental insurance to learn what type of coverage is right for your situation.

Always document existing damage when first picking up your rental car. Fill out a damage from if provided by the company and take photos and video of any notable damage. 

Book a Stay With SmarterTravel Hotels

Now that you’ve found the perfect rental car, you’ll need to find the perfect place to stay. Search SmarterTravel Hotels for great deals wherever your drive takes you.

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Consumer advocate Ed Perkins has been writing about travel for more than three decades. The founding editor of the Consumer Reports Travel Letter, he continues to inform travelers and fight consumer abuse every day at SmarterTravel. Carol McPherson contributed to this story.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2019. It has been updated to reflect the most current information. Sarah Schlichter contributed to this story. Some of the links featured in this story are affiliate links, and SmarterTravel may collect a commission (at no cost to you) if you shop through them. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

The post The 16 Best Car Rental Booking Sites for 2024 appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Get a Better Rate Even After You’ve Booked

When you book a nonrefundable flight and then see a cheaper fare later, you’re pretty much out of luck—but that’s not the case when renting a car. Most car rental companies give you the option to reserve a car without prepaying, which gives you the opportunity to cancel or change the reservation later if you see a better deal.

If you’d rather not spend time continuing to shop around after you’ve made your reservation, AutoSlash will do it for you. You can make your initial booking through the site, or put in your existing reservation code from the car rental company, and AutoSlash will notify you when a cheaper rate becomes available.

Look for Coupon Codes

Before pulling the trigger on your booking, check the car rental company’s website for discount codes to use toward your rental, and also do a Google search for “[car rental company name] coupon code.” Sites like RetailMeNot and SlickDeals often list codes that can save you up to 25 or 30 percent.

Check Rates on Multiple Versions of the Car Rental Company’s Site

When renting in a foreign country, try both your home country’s version of the car rental company’s site as well as the local version. For example, I tested prices for a three-day car rental in Glasgow, Scotland, on both Alamo.com (the company’s U.S. site) and Alamo.co.uk (the U.K. site). The U.S. site quoted me a rate of $207.71 for a small car with a manual transmission, while Alamo.co.uk offered a rate of 158.81 GBP for the same vehicle, just $199.51 at the current exchange rate.

A couple of caveats: First, if the price difference is very small, it might be canceled out entirely if your credit card charges you a fee to pay in a foreign currency. Second, this car rental hack can be tricky if you’re trying to book on a site in a language you don’t speak. Google Translate and other machine translators aren’t always reliable, and you want to make sure you understand the terms and conditions before you book.

Take Advantage of Group Memberships

Are you a member of a group like AAA, AARP, Costco, BJ’s, or USAA? If so, you’re probably eligible for car rental discounts.

The AARP lists partnerships with Avis, Budget, Payless, and Zipcar in its member benefits, while Hertz offers exclusive deals for AAA members. Hertz will also waive the youth driver fee for AAA members between the ages of 20 and 24. Additionally, Costco, BJ’s, and USAA have search engines where you can look for car rental deals from their partners.

Keep in mind that group memberships are just one possible discount and that other, more generous offers are sometimes available. You probably won’t be able to combine both, so don’t simply default to your preferred group rate without shopping around.

Book Your Car as Part of a Package

You can often save big by bundling your car rental into a package with your flight and/or hotel. For example, I priced out a weeklong trip from New York City to San Diego on Expedia and found that the flight would be $495.30 per person and a car rental would be $267, or $133.50 per person. The total cost of booking flights and car separately: $628.80 per person. But when I tried a flight + car package, the cost was just $461.70 per person—less than the cost of the flight alone.

Get a One-Way Rental for Free

One-way car rentals are notoriously expensive, as the rental company often charges a fee to cover the cost of getting the vehicle back where it belongs. But what if you’re actually doing the company a favor by driving it where it needs to be?

That’s the premise of Transfercar, which lists vehicles that need to be moved from one destination to another; if you’re willing to do the driving, you can snag a car or camper for ultra-cheap—or even free.

For example, Transfercar might have an automatic-transmission compact campervan that needs to be driven from Perth to Broome within the next few weeks. You’d be able to drive it for up to eight days for free (including insurance) to help them get the campervan back to where it needs to be.

Join a Loyalty Program

Become a member of your favorite car rental company’s loyalty program, and you’ll immediately enjoy benefits such as skipping the line at rental counters and access to members-only deals—even if you’re not a frequent renter. Most of these programs have partnerships with airlines and hotels, so you can apply points from your rentals toward future flights or stays.

Check Your Credit Card Benefits Before Buying Insurance

Do you really need the pricey insurance the rental car agent is trying to peddle? Maybe not. Many credit cards offer certain types of rental car insurance as long as you pay for your rental with that card. It’s worth calling your credit card company or digging into your card’s terms and conditions to see what coverage you already have. You might also be covered by your own car insurance policy at home.

To learn more, see 9 Nasty Truths About Car Rental Insurance.

Take Photos or Videos of Your Car During Inspection

During your initial walk around the rental vehicle, take out your phone and snap a few pictures or even a video of any dings or scratches. Note that this doesn’t take the place of reporting these issues to a rental company staffer as soon as you see them—but it gives you documentation just in case your rental company tries to charge you after the fact for damages you didn’t cause. For an easy time stamp that proves dings and scratches were there at the time of rental, text the pictures to someone.

Don’t Overpay for Gas

Most car rental companies expect you to return the vehicle with a full tank, and they’ll often give you the option of prepaying for fuel. This is nearly always a terrible deal. Instead, use an app such as GasBuddy to find the cheapest nearby station and fill the tank yourself. Keep in mind that gas stations right near the airport tend to be quite expensive; you’re often better off filling up about 10 miles away.

Follow Sarah Schlichter on Twitter @TravelEditor for more travel tips and inspiration.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2018. It has been updated to reflect the most current information.

The post 10 Clever Car Rental Hacks That’ll Save You Money appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Before you book with that no-name car rental, here are five red flags to look out for. 

Mandatory Insurance

Pretty much all rental car companies will try to get you to pay extra for insurance through them. However, most credit cards offer free rental car coverage, so additional insurance isn’t always necessary. Some cheaper rental car agencies make a profit by requiring you to book their exorbitantly expensive insurance and they will refuse to accept any other insurance.

To avoid this, read the fine print when making your reservation and add in any mandatory fees or insurance to the total cost of your booking to find out if it’s really a deal once everything is accounted for.

No Phone Number (or No One Answers the Phone)

Scammy rental car agencies don’t want to make it easy for customers to contact them with complaints or questions. If a rental car company doesn’t list a phone number—or if you’ve tried calling multiple times during normal business hours and no one ever answers or returns your voicemail messages, this could be a bad sign. 

Payment By Credit Card Not Accepted

A non-recognizable rental car brand isn’t automatically a bad thing—they could simply be cheaper because they have less of a marketing budget. On the flip side, the unknown name could be because the company doesn’t actually exist. 

Amy Nofziger, AARP director of fraud victim support tells SmarterTravel of a common scam in which fraudsters create websites or phone numbers for fake car rental agencies. “Customers would search the internet for good deals on car rental and find these phone numbers or even fake websites,” says Nofziger. “The criminals would then offer a discount if the victim would pre-pay, and always with gift cards, or another nontraditional form of payment.” 

Upon arrival at the fake car rental agency’s address, customers would discover the company didn’t exist, or there was no reservation at a legitimate agency. 

A company asking for payment via gift cards or wire transfers should be a red flag, as consumers won’t have as many payment protections as they would when paying with a credit card. 

Unlimited Miles Aren’t Included

The majority of car rentals include unlimited miles these days—but you’ll always want to verify that your booking does before you commit. Some unscrupulous rental car agencies will set a very low limit for included mileage, and then will tack on high charges for every mile over that—which can cause your final bill to skyrocket.

Consumer Complaints

Odds are, if someone else has been scammed by a bad rental car company, they’ve written an angry review about it on the internet. Before booking with a company that you’ve never heard of, do a quick Google search of the company name to see what type of reviews are out there. Check Yelp for reviews of local branches, and also be sure to read any complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau.

Searching “rental car company name” + scam can also help turn up complaints about suspicious companies. 

The post 5 Red Flags to Watch out for on That Too Cheap to Be True Car Rental appeared first on SmarterTravel.

To celebrate the launch, each property—Stanly Ranch, the Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, and Wildflower Farms—will host an exclusive Mercedes-Benz weekend test drive event. Book a stay to get behind the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG SL or Mercedes-EQ model accompanied by a product specialist, shop Saks’ event-exclusive virtual pop-up store to stock up on road trip essentials, and experience the unique special events held at each property.

Stanly Ranch: Napa, California

Stanly Ranch is a 712-acre resort surrounded by the serene Napa Valley wine country. The ranch invites guests to unwind with regional adventures such as botanical cocktail classes and hot air balloon rides. Enjoy the property’s own sprawling vineyards, interspersed with walking and biking trails, or relax at the two separate on-site spa facilities.

Test Drive Weekend: April 28th-30th

Special Event: Guests are invited to participate in a workshop with fashion brand Lingua Franca, known for their hand-stitched cashmere sweaters and subversive slogans. 

Book Now

Inn at Mattei’s Tavern: Los Olivos, California

Built in 1886 as a stagecoach stop, The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern remains a historic fixture on the Central Coast. Travelers can opt to stay in individual rooms in the Guest House or book an entire cottage, original to the property and restored to bring travelers modern comfort and privacy. While there, don’t forget to book your llama farm tour or grab a bite to eat at paella night.

Test Drive Weekend: May 12th-14th

Special Event: In this two part event, guests will sample local wines from the Santa Ynez region and create their own infused olive oil with ingredients from the inn’s onsite garden.

Book Now

Wildflower Farms: Hudson Valley, New York

With 60 cabins and cottages and 5 luxury suites set on 140 acres, guests will feel totally immersed in the surrounding nature of the Hudson Valley. Experiences at Wildflower Farms are tailored to connect guests to nature, teaching them the art of foraging, cooking with local ingredients, and giving a behind-the-scenes look at their namesake farm.

Test Drive Weekend: June 9th-11th

Special Event: Join fellow guests for a class in floral arrangement or botanical baking with ingredients sourced from Wildflower Farms.

Book Now

When Can Guests Register for the Test Drive Event?

Registration for the test drive event opens April 10th. Guests that do not pre-register will be able to sign up on a first-come, first-serve basis. Special events are open to general hotel guests as well as test drive participants.

How Can Guests Reserve a Car?

Each property will have a fleet of five vehicles in a variety of models, from sedans and coupes to Cabriolets and SUVs. There is no reservation system—cars are available on a first come, first serve basis. Guests simply need to contact the property and fill out a waiver to take out a vehicle, free of charge. 

Perks for Mercedes-Benz Owners

Those lucky few bringing their own Benz on vacation have access to an additional suite of perks. Mercedes-Benz owners receive special benefits during their stay, which vary by property but include amenities like complimentary spa treatments, free room upgrades, credits toward amenities, and more. 

What Other Properties Offer Mercedes-Benz Rentals?

Other Auberge properties within the partnership include:

• Auberge du Soleil, Napa Valley, CA
• Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection, Napa Valley, CA
• Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection, Austin, TX
• The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Resorts Collection, Park City, UT

The post How to Drive a Luxury Car for Free On Your Next Vacation appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Online language platform Preply analyzed data to determine which cities in the world have the worst traffic. 

The study found that New Delhi, India, is the destination with the most traffic—residents here spend an average of 57.37 minutes per day stuck in gridlock.

If you want to maximize your next vacation without spending hours on the road, head to Canberra, Australia, which is the world’s best capital city for traffic, according to the study. In Canberra, the average amount of time spent in traffic per day is just 23.91 minutes per day.

Tips for Avoiding Traffic

Although traffic jams are an unavoidable aspect of city living, there are things you can do to reduce the amount of time spent sitting on the road while traveling.

Utilize Public Transit

Public transportation around the world is generally cheap, and can often be faster for getting around than driving. Before visiting a new city, save maps of the public transportation system offline, and be sure to download any payment apps you’ll need in order to board (or learn how and where to buy tickets so you’ll be prepared when you arrive.)

Time Your Drives

Rush hour varies by city, so learn what local working hours are and try to avoid being on the road during peak commuting times if possible. Rush hour is a great time for a leisurely breakfast or afternoon happy hour as a tourist. Try to avoid scheduling flights that arrive/leave around rush hour, and if you do have to head to the airport during peak traffic times, be sure to build in lots of extra time to get there.

Download Traffic Apps

If you’re in an unfamiliar destination, download a navigation app like Waze that will give you real-time traffic alerts along with alternative routes to beat congestion.  

The post These 10 Cities Have the Worst Traffic in the World appeared first on SmarterTravel.

These small changes to your driving habits, combined with free reward programs, can add up to big savings on gas.

Plan Ahead

Getting lost, backtracking when making multiple stops, and not planning your refueling spot ahead of time—these are all small mistakes that can add up to a big gas bill. Nicole Petersen, a spokesperson for GasBuddy, advises, “Long or unfamiliar trips are the most common time that people waste money on gas, stopping at stations simply for convenience. Things like waiting until the next city over or crossing state lines can save you a lot of money at the pump.”

At home, Ellen Edmonds, Public Relations Manager for the American Automobile Association (AAA) recommends combining errands and getting everything done in one spot or shopping plaza if possible, in order to save on mileage.  

Even if you think you know the way around, mapping out our trip ahead of time (especially if you’re making multiple stops) can help you maximize your fuel economy. 

Increase Your Fuel Efficiency

Going faster might save you time on the road, but it will cost you at the pump. “Fuel economy peaks at around 50 mph on most cars, then drops off as speeds increase, says Edmonds. 

Simply slowing down your highway speeds by 5 to 10 mph can help to increase your vehicle’s fuel economy by as much as 14 percent, according to AAA.  

Pay extra attention to your driving behavior as well. Petersen recommends avoiding “aggressive driving habits like speeding, hard braking and fast acceleration, as they waste gas and can decrease efficiency by up to 40 percent.”

Avoid Idling

At a standstill in traffic? Turn off your engine if it’s safe to do so (and if you’ll be stopped for longer than a minute.) “A car engine consumes one quarter to one-half gallon of fuel per hour when idling, but a warm engine only takes around 10 seconds worth of fuel to restart,” says Edmonds.

Skip Stops and Slowdowns

Some stops are unavoidable, but try to skip any unnecessary stops or slowdowns on the highway. According to AAA, this means:

• Using “fast pass” or “express toll lanes
• Avoiding rush hour when possible
• Monitoring traffic on your route ahead of time and during the trip, and rerouting to a more efficient way as needed

Pass on Premium Gas

Check what type of gas is recommended for our vehicle. If your car only requires regular fuel, splurging for premium will not improve fuel economy and will be a waste of money, warns AAA.

Shop Around for Gas

Plan ahead with your gas stops so you’re not forced to buy extra expensive fuel at the nearest gas station because you’re running on empty. Petersen says GasBuddy typically sees “14-30 cent ranges in gas prices even in small areas.”

There are a few ways you can find out gas prices without driving past stations and checking the signs.

• Search “gas stations” on Google Maps, which displays prices for some stations 
• Use the AAA Mobile App, which shows fuel stops nearby along with gas prices
• Download the GasBuddy app, which displays gas prices on a map

Take Advantage of Loyalty Programs & Gas Cards

Now might be the time to take advantage of those loyalty programs you’ve been avoiding the signs for every time you fill up. These are free programs that give members rewards and discounts on fuel. Some examples include:

• Fuel Rewards, an easy-to-use discount card valid at Shell stations
• GasBuddy, a payment card that can save up to 25 cents per gallon at a number of different gas stations
• BPme Rewards, which gives app users up to 5 cents off every gallon at BP stations
• Exxon Mobile Rewards, simply sign up and then use the app, credit card or just your phone number at the pump to save 3 cents per gallon

Rent a Hybrid Car 

Next time you book a rental car for your travels, make it a hybrid car. These vehicles are usually smaller and fall into one of the cheaper rental categories, plus will require significantly less gasoline than a regular vehicle which can result in huge savings on a road trip.

Almost all major rental car companies offer hybrid vehicles, however, most companies specify that the vehicle type “isn’t guaranteed” and you might wind up with a non-hybrid when you arrive.

If you want to guarantee a hybrid rental, try Turo, a car sharing site where you can pick the specific vehicle you want to rent.

The post How to Save Money on Gas: 8 Easy Tricks appeared first on SmarterTravel.

If you’re searching for a car rental using only the typical online travel agencies and metasearch sites such as Expedia, Kayak, or Rentalcars.com, you may be missing out on a better deal.  These aggregators do a great job of comparing rates with the major car rental companies such as Avis, Hertz, and Budget Car Rental but there are some lesser-known rental agencies or peer-to-peer platforms that you should check for cheaper rates.

Peer-to-Peer Car Rentals

In the age of the sharing economy, it’s not only possible to rent another person’s home or apartment for your vacation, you can also rent someone else’s car. Here are some of the most popular peer-to-peer car rental platforms and how they work.

Turo

One of the most popular peer-to-peer car sharing platforms is Turo where private individuals in cities around the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. put their vehicles up for rent. You can search for cars just as you would on other sites, only the results will give you pictures, details, and reviews for the exact car you’ll be renting rather than just a generic type of vehicle.

You’ll find a wide range of vehicles to choose from and prices can range drastically depending on the type of car you’re looking for, but typically start around $25/day for basic vehicles. And if you’re looking for a specialty vehicle such as a Tesla, Jeep, or Porsche, you’ll typically find a much wider selection on Turo than through a car rental company.

Payment

You can pay for Turo car rentals with a credit or debit card or with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Turo does not accept cash, checks, or cards that are not linked to a bank account. 

Pickup/Drop-off

Since there isn’t a central physical location, hosts determine how the car will be picked up and dropped off in the listing. Many hosts will offer to deliver the vehicle to you though most will charge a fee for this service so make sure to calculate what the total cost of your rental will be including any extra fees.

Insurance

Insurance is a little trickier when booking through Turo than it is with car rental companies. Many credit cards offer insurance protections when you book at rental companies but may not provide that coverage through peer-to-peer networks like Turo. You’ll want to check with your personal insurance provider and your credit card company to find out what it is covered when renting a car through Turo.

Turo sells protection plans which vary by market. In the U.S., the cost ranges from 18% to 100% of the trip cost depending on the level of coverage you’d like to purchase. This can really add to the cost of your rental so you’ll want to make sure to compare the total cost of your rental, including insurance, to determine if a Turo rental will save you money in the end.

Getaround

Getaround is an app that allows you to unlock affordable car rentals in over 800 cities around the world. Its aim is to keep roads less congested and provide convenient access to cars where and when people need mobility. You can rent a car for as little as an hour so if you only need a car for a quick day trip around town, Getaround will likely be the cheapest option. If you’re looking for a full-day rental, you’ll likely find cheaper alternatives.

Currently, you’ll find Getaround cars in over 20 metro areas in the U.S. as well as cities in France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Belgium, and the U.K.. Simply download the app on your Apple or Android device, sign-up with your driver’s license, book a car for the time you need, and you’ll be given instructions on how to unlock the vehicle.

Payment

All payments are processed through the app by using a credit card which must be in the name of the driver. Cash is not accepted. PayPal can be used for rentals in Germany and Austria but it may take up to two days to verify your account.

Pickup/Drop-off

Getaround offers contactless pickup and dropoff. You’ll either be given instructions to find a lockbox with a code to get the car keys or you’ll be able to unlock the car directly from your phone. Exact instructions will be given via the app once you complete your booking. When returning the car, you’ll either need to return to its designated parking spot or park within a ¼ mile radius of the home location in a legal parking spot with no restrictions for 24 hours after the end of the trip. Once the key is returned to its proper location, just end the trip in the app.

Insurance

Basic liability insurance and a standard protection plan is included with all Getaround rentals. If damage to the vehicle occurs, you may have to pay a damage fee up to $3,000 with the standard protection plan. During booking, you can also purchase a Plus protection plan to lower your max damage fee to $250 or a Premium plan that gives you full coverage in case of any incidents.

Local Car Rental Companies

Another way to save on car rentals is to seek out local car rental companies that are not associated with the major worldwide brands we all know. You can try doing a Google Maps search for “car rental” in the area you’ll be traveling and contacting the rental agency directly to get rates.

Of course, this will require some due diligence to find some reviews and you’ll have to be comfortable with a little bit of risk since they won’t be backed by a worldwide brand. But you may find some incredible deals this way and it can be a great way to boost small business in the local area.

Myrentacar.com

If you happen to be traveling in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, or Thailand, Myrentacar.com is an excellent aggregator that finds smaller car rentals in countries such as Bulgaria, Russia, Montenegro, Thailand, Czech Republic, Georgia, Cyprus, Greece, UAE, Armenia, and Turkey.

Like car sharing platforms, you’ll be able to browse results that will show you pictures and details of the exact car you’ll be renting. The rates are usually very reasonable compared to the larger rental companies. I recently used this site to book a car in Montenegro for a month and saved around $500 compared to what it would have cost renting through Hertz.

Payment

You’ll pay a small advance payment to Myrentacar during booking but you’ll pay the balance to the owner when you pick up the car. Most owners only accept cash so be prepared to find an ATM. You can filter your search to look only for cars that accept credit card payments but your options may be limited. You’ll also have to give a refundable deposit upon pickup, which seems to typically be €100.

Pickup/Drop-off

You can choose different locations in the country for pickup/drop-off and the owner will deliver the car to you. I found it really easy to communicate with the person delivering the vehicle via WhatsApp and simply had them deliver it to my hotel. I was also able to return it to the airport where the owner met me to pick up the vehicle before my flight. Changing the pickup/drop-off locations didn’t seem to alter the price too much compared to what these types of one-way car rentals can cost through other companies.

Insurance

All rentals come with 3^rd party liability insurance and, depending on which car you’re renting, you can opt to purchase additional insurance. CDW covers all damages except for glass and wheels. SuperCDW covers all damages above deductibles and there is sometimes also an option to pay for Full Coverage. The insurance rates are very reasonable. In my case, I still saved hundreds of dollars even after paying for extra insurance that I wouldn’t have needed otherwise if I had paid using a credit card at a major car rental company.

The post How to Find Cheaper Car Rentals appeared first on SmarterTravel.