How to rent a car in 2024: the ultimate guide
Renting a car can be complicated. You have to choose the right company and the right vehicle — and there are decisions about insurance, tolls and fuel.
Renting a car can be complicated. You have to choose the right company and the right vehicle — and there are decisions about insurance, tolls and fuel.
It used to be a reliable money-saving car rental trick: Reserve a vehicle at an off-airport location and take an Uber or taxi over. You can easily knock off 10 percent or more in airport fees.
Unfortunately, that loophole is closing.
When Kathryn Stewart rented a car in Munich, Germany, she assumed it would cost $260. After all, that’s what her car rental company had quoted her. She didn’t expect to pay $800 in extra car rental insurance. But she did — and now she wants help with a refund.
Vanamali Tay got into a car accident when she visited San Francisco recently. She’d rented a car through Alamo and thought she had third-party liability protection. But she didn’t, and now she wants help with a $15,000 repair bill.
When Jeremy Epstein rented a Nissan Altima from Hertz in Albuquerque recently, he couldn’t believe the car rental surcharges. Those fees made the extras charged by the rest of the travel industry look like the work of amateurs.
They do. But not for much longer.
Scott Sewell didn’t think the crooked steering wheel on his rental car would affect his drive, but it did. It turns out misaligned steering can and will create a pricey Alamo car rental problem — one that only one person can fix.
Car rental mistakes can be avoided. But you need to know what to watch out for.
Before you click the “book” button on your next car rental, consider what happened to Elizabeth Thorp on a recent trip from Washington to Denver.
Is your name on this list?
It’s a list of the individuals who have supported this site this year. If you’re on it, you’ve already taken a stand, and I’m very grateful for that.
If it isn’t, I hope you’ll consider adding your name.
February saw yet another surge in consumer complaints, with American Airlines, United Airlines and Expedia leading.