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Renting a car is rarely a fun activity. For many of us, it means we’ll devote time to finding the right price, deciding which features to add, and debating the cost and need for extra car rental insurance.
Thankfully, finding the right price doesn’t have to be difficult. There are tons of websites out there that claim to offer the best prices — but do they really? If you’re short on time or just want to get down to the nuts and bolts, we’ve given you a quick overview in the “Pros and Cons” section for each website listed here.
So, let’s get to it — here are 12 of the best websites to use to book your next rental car.
There are lots of benefits to booking directly through your car rental agency’s website. Many rental agencies have loyalty programs, and you can often choose to earn airline miles instead of car rental agency points (though there may be recovery fees associated).
However, they don’t always have the cheapest prices, and if they do, it would take a while to search through all of the sites to find out who has the best price.
Even if you intend to book directly with a car rental agency, it’s often a good idea to do a quick price search on a metasearch site or online travel agency to make sure you’re getting a good deal.
Hot Tip: To maximize your next car rental, consider using a credit card with rental car insurance included to minimize your out-of-pocket costs. Outside of insurance, there are other reasons to use a rewarding card such as a travel credit card. Some of our favorites include: The Platinum Card from American Express, American Express® Gold Card, and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
Expedia is a tried and true OTA that has been around since the 1990s. It’s a popular place to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and cruises.
The site is easy to use with lots of filtering and sorting options so you can quickly find exactly what you’re looking for. You can quickly see the lowest price option for each category by using the Great Deal filtering option.
Plus, you can earn points in the Expedia Rewards program when you book an eligible car. This is a great way to participate in a loyalty program even when you’re not booking directly through a car rental agency.
Expedia also lets you bundle your car rental with a flight and/or hotel in a package, which will generally save you money.
Pros:
Cons:
Hot Tip: For more information, check out our detailed guide to using Expedia to book flights, hotels, cars, and more.
Momondo is a metasearch engine, similar to Kayak, that shows prices from lots of different online travel agencies. You’ll never actually book your trip on Momondo — instead, you can use the site to search for the best prices, then you’ll get transferred to that rental agency or online travel agency to book.
While not necessarily a problem, Momondo will often transfer you to an obscure booking agency. Of course, that’s not a negative in and of itself, but you’ll need to understand that things like customer service, fees, or policies may differ from a company you’re more familiar with.
Pros:
Cons:
Hot Tip: When comparing car rental prices from one website to another, it’s always good to click through all the way to see the final price. Many websites don’t display taxes and fees until the last page, so you may think you are getting a great deal when, in reality, you’re just looking at a base price that doesn’t include taxes and/or fees.
Like Momondo, Kayak is a metasearch engine that shows you prices on other websites in 1 spot. It’s a great way to quickly search for cheap car rentals, flights, and hotels.
Kayak has lots of ways to filter and sort your results, including a map so you can find a rental car by location and a policy filter so you can focus solely on cars that offer things like free cancellation or unlimited mileage.
If you end up choosing to book through Kayak, be sure to create an account and log in to see Private Deals which can save up to 35%.
The featured price you see on Kayak is often the “pay now” price. If you click on the dropdown arrow next to View Deal you’ll be able to see other options, including which websites offer a “pay later” price.
Pros:
Cons:
Hot Tip: For more information check out our complete guide to booking travel with Kayak.
Orbitz is another huge website that’s been around awhile and is used quite a bit to book flights, hotels, and rental cars.
It’s got great filtering and sorting options and you can see only the lowest-priced options in each category by selecting Great Deal. That feature may sound familiar as it’s also available on Expedia. Many of these online travel agencies are run by the same companies and can appear almost identical. However, prices can vary among the sites, so it’s always good to check a few different ones to get the best price.
If you decide to book a rental car through Orbitz, be sure to create an account and sign in so you can see Insider Pricing which can save 10% or more on car rentals.
Hot Tip: Orbitz has its own rewards program, Orbitz Rewards, in which you can earn Orbucks when you book flights, hotels, packages, and activities. Orbucks can then be used to save money on a hotel stay. Unfortunately, you can’t earn or redeem Orbucks on car rentals through Orbitz.
Pros:
Cons:
Hot Tip: For more information, check out our detailed post about booking travel with Orbitz.
Priceline gained fame from the “Priceline Negotiator” and the “Name Your Own Price” tool. While those tools brought opaque bookings to the forefront, both have since been eliminated.
You can, however, still get good deals on opaque bookings (one in which certain details are hidden until after the transaction is complete). If you don’t have a car rental agency preference, check out one of Priceline’s Express Deals. With these rentals, you won’t know the exact agency until after your booking is complete, but they can be a good way to save money.
Another type of opaque booking you’ll find on Priceline is called Supplier’s Choice. With this type of booking, you’ll know the exact car rental agency you’ll be renting from, but you won’t know what kind of vehicle you’ll get until you pick it up.
Regardless of what type of car you choose on Priceline, be sure to create an account and log in so you can see VIP pricing. This is an easy way to save up to 20% (depending on your membership level) on your car rental.
Hot Tip: For more information, check out our detailed guide to Priceline.
Pros:
Cons:
Bottom Line: No matter where you book your rental car, be sure to use a credit card with car rental insurance included. One of our favorites is the Chase Sapphire Preferred card because it offers primary insurance. That means you don’t need to submit a claim with your existing insurance before making a claim with them. For more information, check out our detailed post about maximizing your car insurance with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
Skyscanner, like Kayak, is a search engine, so when you find your car rental you’ll be transferred to another site to complete your booking.
While Skyscanner can offer good pricing, it’s hard to get much information about the rental, other than the price, at first glance of the search results. You have to click through on each result to find out basic information like the car rental agency.
Pros:
Cons:
Hot Tip: For more information check out our complete guide to using Skyscanner.
Travelocity is a popular website used to search for cheap hotels, flights, and rental cars. While it’s powered by Expedia, pricing can be different on each site.
Like some other sites (Expedia and Orbitz), you can filter your search results to only show the lowest-priced option in each category, called Great Deals.
When scrolling the search results you can quickly see which options offer free cancellation and which ones are non-refundable. That information can be very handy since travel plans can change so much these days.
Pros:
Cons:
Hot Tip: For more information, check out our detailed post about using Travelocity to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and more.
Hotwire is another site that offers opaque bookings, called Hotwire Hot Rate deals. You won’t know the rental agency until after the booking is complete, but Hotwire states that it will be from one of these companies:
Pros:
Cons:
Hot Tip: For more information, check out our detailed guide to using Hotwire to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and more!
The first thing you’ll notice when searching for a rental car on Costco Travel is it includes only 4 major rental agencies — Alamo, Avis, Budget, and Enterprise.
The search results are displayed in an easy-to-read chart that highlights the cheapest price for each car type in red.
The downside is that you have to be a Costco member to book a car through Costco Travel. However, if you’re renting a car as part of a vacation package, a Costco Shop card is often included in the deal, which can cover the cost of a membership. Plus, if you’ve got an Executive membership, you can earn 2% back on all of your Costco Travel purchases.
Pros:
Cons:
Hot Tip: For more information, check out our in-depth guide to Costco Travel.
Fortunately, the best Amex credit cards also offer a travel booking service. You don’t need to hold an American Express credit card to use Amex Travel, but it can sometimes get you more benefits.
Renting a car through Amex Travel is very similar to other sites. It even offers a type of opaque booking where you won’t know the type of vehicle you’re getting until you pick it up.
If you select a “pay now” price you’ll be able to use Membership Rewards to pay for your rental car. While it’s great to have the flexibility to pay with points, you’ll only get 0.7 cents per point in value, which is terrible. We value Amex Membership Rewards at about 2.2 cents each, so you’re getting less than a third of the typical value you could get by instead transferring your points to the Amex travel partners.
Pros:
Cons:
Hot Tip: For more information, check out our complete guide to using American Express Travel to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and cruises.
Rentalcars.com is a search engine that’s owned by the same company that also owns sites like Booking.com. Priceline, and Kayak, and as you can imagine, it specializes in rental cars.
What we liked about this site is the easy-to-read search results that quickly showed things like free cancellation and whether the deal was a “pay now” or “pay later” price.
Rentalcars.com also offered opaque deals that are often a good way to save money if you’re not particular about the type of car or car rental agency you’re getting.
Pros:
Cons:
Hot Tip: Interested in getting status, fast? Check out these rewards cards come that come with elite car rental status.
AutoSlash is a bit different than other sites. To get a rate quote on a rental car you need to submit all of your rental criteria plus your contact information. Then you’ll receive an email with your price quote.
It only takes a minute or 2 to request a quote from AutoSlash. One of the unique things about this site is that it will ask you about what types of credit cards and loyalty programs you have in order to get the best price.
Pros:
Cons:
In the following price comparisons, I was looking for the absolute cheapest price available, regardless of the rental agency, type of car, or cancellation policy.
Example 1: A weeklong rental from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
Example 2: A 3-day rental from Miami International Airport (MIA)
| Website | Example 1: Weeklong Rental | Example 2: 3-Day Rental |
| Amex Travel | $484.55 | $151.35 |
| AutoSlash | $466.18 | $137.64 |
| Costco Travel | $504.81 | $199.13 |
| Expedia | $401.81 | $85.80 |
| Hotwire | $428.82 | $138.06 |
| Kayak | $502.24 | $120.93 |
| Momondo | $428.82 | $120.93 |
| Orbitz | $401.81 | $135.38 |
| Priceline | $421.92 | $137.64 |
| Rentalcars.com | $467.82 | $137.64 |
| Skyscanner | $323.53 | $154.05 |
| Travelocity | $401.81 | $85.80 |
As you can see from these examples, prices are all over the map. Skyscanner offered the best price by far on the week-long rental in example #1 while Expedia and Travelocity tied for the best price on the 3-day rental in example #2.
Costco Travel had the highest price in both examples.
Hot Tip: For more tips, check out our guide to saving money on rental cars.
Finding the best price on your next car rental doesn’t have to be hard if you know where to look. These 12 websites can help you easily search through the options to find the best price for your next car rental. Which site you ultimately use is up to you — some offer a better search function, some offer a rewards program, and some are just easier to use.
Try out a couple of these sites when you’re searching for your next rental to find which one works best for you.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
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Katie has been in the points and miles game since 2015 and started her own blog in 2016. She’s been freelance writing since then and her work has been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure and Forbes Advisor.
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20 comments
Tea Marrows
February 07, 2020
Thank you for gathering all of this information and making it available in one place. I’m sure it was a lot of work. I’d like to share some comments regarding AutoSlash. I have no affiliation with them other than being a satisfied customer.
In your description, you wrote: “To get a rate quote on a rental car you need to submit all of your rental criteria plus your contact information.”
Perhaps that should be revised to read:
“To get a rate quote on a rental car you need to submit all of your rental criteria plus an email address.”
Since AutoSlash needs nothing more than a valid email address so that they can send you a link to your rental quote, stating that you need to submit “your contact information” may be taken the wrong way. I use an email address that I use on any site where I do not want to reveal my identity.
In addition, there is one big advantage with the AutoSlash process that perhaps should be added to the list of “Pros”. Once you receive the first email with the link to your quote, you can receive an updated quote every 6 hours, just by clicking the link. All of the original rental details are retained so you don’t have to enter any of it again. As I’m sure you know, rental rates change almost hourly, so having a simple method for finding the best deal at any given time is great. When I plan a vacation, I will click my link at least once a day for weeks. If I don’t like the new quote, I simply ignore it. I have saved as much as 30% off my original quote just by clicking the link on a regular basis. Since all AutoSlash quotes are unlimited miles, free cancellation, pay later deals, I will cancel and re-reserve multiple times – sometimes with the same rental company for the same car but for a lower price. AutoSlash essentially acknowledges my method by stating on their website: “Most of our customers end up paying much less than their original reservations.”
Finally, AutoSlash will do something that I’m not sure other rental car sites do: They will track your reservation and notify you if they find a better deal. Granted, in this case, you will need to provide more contact information so they can track the exact reservation that you made. You can instead choose to “track” your reservation anonymously like I do, by requesting a new quote whenever you want just by clicking the link in the email.
The AutoSlash process has never failed to work for me or anyone that I have recommended them to. I currently have a reservation with Budget for a Standard Elite SUV, 7 passengers, 7 days in Bozeman, MT for $406. Unlimited miles, free cancellation, pay later, spouse drives for free. I have not been able to come within $100 of that price at any other site. I have 3 months before my trip. I won’t be surprised if I find a better deal through AutoSlash by then, just by clicking the link every now and then.
Thanks for listening!
Tim
February 21, 2020
Don’t forget to perform a local Google search for your travel location such as: “cheap rental cars in (insert city)”. If you are willing to scroll past the huge ad budgets and national brands, on pages two or three you can find great deals from the small, local operators.
For instance, in Oklahoma City there’s https://KalidyExotica.com. They have great rates on current-model Kia’s, but what’s really cool is their line of exotics – in Oklahoma City! Who knew?
Harry Bennett
February 26, 2020
Choosing a car rental service is never easy. All these mentioned car rental services are good. I have tried services of the few mentioned. But none of these services operate in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is one of the popular travel destination. A service I found very good enough was LA Exotic Rentals. They are considered one of the Premium Car Rentals in Los Angeles. You can easily book ride by visting their website https://laexoticrentals.com/.
colin
February 29, 2020
Definitely check for small car hire places where ever you are offer great value. In Australia you generally can’t use a pre-paid credit card and you must be over the age of 21. If your 21 you may incur an extra charge. For small car hire companies this is worth a look at. http://www.carhirebookings.com.au/car-hire-australia/new-south-wales/sydney-airport-car-hire/
Marc Jones
April 21, 2020
Rentcars.com is a newcomer and a great product, very good rates and they offer a member get member program that gives $20 off for new rentals.
Emilio
May 29, 2020
For anyone looking to rent a van in the Canary Islands, https://xtravans.com/ is a new company with many advantages. Perfect for moving or shipping companies.
A.C. Wilson
October 03, 2020
Another issue with non-airport (“off-site”) car-rental offices is that they often have very limited hours. Outside of busy touristy downtowns, Monday-Friday 8am-5pm, Sat 8am-noon, closed Sunday seems to be typical. A few of them also lack after-hours drop-off facilities. Many are also in the business of renting small trucks and cargo vans.
AutoParts Miles
April 08, 2021
Nice article!
Fala Bosman
April 22, 2021
Great site and tips! Thanks for sharing. I’ve recently been looking for a luxury car rental in Dallas texas for my next family vacation as we’re shall go on vacation to a resort in Dallas. We have searched some top attractions, restaurants, shopping centers, and also car rental companies as well. In there we plan to hire a luxury car near the end of the trip for around 3 days, we hope anyone here can give us some recommendations for the good one.
MG
May 27, 2021
The fact that Turo was left out makes this article obsolete. I’ve been saving hundreds on car rentals for years. I’m guessing you’re getting a kickback from the companies you mention.
Jarrod West
May 27, 2021
Hi MG,
Glad you love Turo! As you know, Turo is a peer-to-peer rental platform instead of a traditional car rental company, which means that the rental car insurance provided by many of the travel rewards credit card we cover here at Upgraded Points do not cover Turo rentals. That said, you and every other traveler should continue using whatever works best for them! Thanks for reading!
BklynProf
May 27, 2021
When booking a rental car that will be driven by two drivers it is important to know the “extra driver fee”. The cost varies depending on the state/country of the rental, the car rental company and the other memberships that you have. From what I have gathered to rent a car in France you don’t pay an extra driver fee if you are a gold member of Hertz (although their rental costs are usually the highest in France) or with Alamo or Enterprise if you are a Costco member. Depending on the length of the rental, it might be worthwhile to get the membership to avoid the extra driver fee. The AARP discount also includes not having to pay the extra driver fee for a spouse but only in the US. Renting a car, especially abroad, is much more complicated than it appears and this is one fee that you might not realize will be charged until you are at the rental desk.
Bob
May 27, 2021
No where does it mention that you can search for current coupons and discount codes which can be used on the Rental Car specific web sites. I regularly use discount coupons and codes from searches on Chrome at Avis, Alamo and Hertz and in many instances can beat Priceline and Expedia quite significantly. Hertz calls these PC codes, and Avis calls these AWD. Each rental car company has different initials to identify these codes.
I usually start my rental inquiry with Priceline and book with them adding my rental car agency membership number on the Priceline site for Enterprise, Hertz, Avis etc.. and then I find the rental record at the rental car company and choose the option to modify my rental using codes whenever I find them. i.e. I have a Hertz rental at HSV this summer for two weeks. I booked via Priceline after an Autoslash search. Then I located my rental contract at Hertz.com and tried several codes which I found. My rental cost thus far has been reduced over 40% and I have still 6 weeks to try other new codes I find. it takes some effort but the payback on longer rentals is huge.
KB
May 27, 2021
Through Costco Travel, I was able to book a hotel and car for a week in July in San Francisco for about the same price as a hotel alone. I kept looking for the total to adjust, after adding the car, but it was legit! You just have to book it as a package.
Andy
May 27, 2021
Great article. I love when Costco Travel adds on the cash card bonus to the already low prices.
Tom James
June 16, 2021
Thanks for sharing a great list of car rentals!
ChapelHillBets
July 25, 2022
While I don’t rent cars that often, my loyalty is with Enterprise for two reasons: transparency in booking (you see the total including taxes and fees right up front), and ease of rental (always quick and easy, and they couldn’t be nicer, and many times I’ve been upgraded for free on the spot when I go to pick up the car.
Melbourne Taxi Booking
February 02, 2023
In this article, we’ll look at where to go online to get the greatest rates on automobile rentals. In order to help travelers discover the best bargain possible, it compares the best travel booking websites side by side, detailing the features and benefits of each. The content is well-organized and contains helpful information.
Rajasthan Tour Travels
May 30, 2023
Insightful travel blog: captivating destinations, valuable tips, inspiring adventures. Kudos!
Ella Beth
July 21, 2023
Thanks Katie Seemann for the great sharing on rent car. I found the information very helpful and informative. I especially liked the tips on how to find the best price on a car rental. I will definitely use these tips when I rent a car next time.
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