The Essentials

Rental Car Tips

June 21, 2021

Have you tried to rent a car lately?

During the last 14 months, many rental car companies sold off much of their fleet to reduce costs when demand was almost nonexistent.

Now, with a surge in travel, demand for cars far exceeds supply. And the costs are skyrocketing. I’ve seen some daily rentals for compact cars for as much as $441 a day. You could lease a car for a month for less than a third that amount.

But if you still need to rent a car, here are some tips. Rent locally and not at the airport. Always return the car full of gas. And watch out for daily mileage caps and excessive drop-off charges.

And don’t just take an email from the rental company as a real confirmation of the rental. Call the rental car location, speak to a manager and verbally confirm. Then, email a confirmation back to them.