Best Rental Car Options
Popular rental car options are available for your travel needs now. Read about the best rental car options near you today.
Popular rental car options are available for your travel needs now. The rental car industry which was turned upside-down for the last two years is stabilizing. Excellent prices on consumer-favorite vehicle models such as the Kia Rio and Toyota Yaris are once again available if you know how and where to find them.
Many rental car companies took significant financial hits due to COVID-19 and supply chain issues. Certain companies have since rebounded and are offering great deals to attract your business. Continue reading to learn which companies earn their places as the best rental car options near you today.
Rental Car Companies - Here’s What Happened
The major players in the rental car industry took quite a financial ride in recent years. This ride began in early 2020 and is just now arriving at its destination. The COVID-19 pandemic caused severe demand shortages, which resulted in massive income losses. Rental car companies were forced to sell off large portions of their fleets to survive. When demand increased again, companies could not manufacture enough product due to a supply chain-related shortage of the semiconductors and microchips required to build the vehicles. This resulted in higher prices, mysterious fees, and a draught in vehicle availability.
Fortunately, several top rental car companies have rebounded and are currently offering excellent deals. The trick is knowing which companies to choose and how to take advantage of those deals fast. Continue reading to learn what models, deals, and prices the best 5 rental car companies have to offer you today.
The Top 5 Rental Car Companies Near You
The top rental car companies in business today are purchasing preowned vehicles with low mileage to accommodate consumer pricing needs. Replenished fleets are also moving into regions where consumer demand is highest. The top 5 rental car providers to overcome the industry apocalypse and bring greet deals back for consumers include:
Enterprise
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is widely accepted as the best option for consumers in business today. Standard models of sedans, trucks, vans, and SUVs are available. Enterprise also offers multiple types of specialty rental vehicles. For example, sporty and intermediate electric automobiles are available for rent. Various hybrid and convertible models are also available. A proprietary “You Click - We Pick” option is also available, which allows consumers to pick their own rates for surprise vehicle model selected by Enterprise based on availability.
Rental requirements include a valid government-issued driver’s license with picture and a credit or debit card. Deposits and proof of insurance might also be required. Terms and additional documentation might vary based on your state and other factors. Be certain to ask about all requirements prior to arriving at your local Enterprise location.
Enterprise rates run approximately $705 per week on average. This rate includes taxes and fees. The company offers a Complete Clean pledge to ensure the cleanliness and safety of your rental during the ongoing pandemic. Cancellations are free if you have not already paid or made a deposit. Various fees including extra charges for drivers up to twenty-four years old are currently waived as well. Enterprise is also one of the companies currently extending Elite Status for applicable customers, which provides perks such as:
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Shorter wait times.
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Discounts.
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Waived fees.
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Free upgrades.
Avis
Avis is another consumer-favorite car rental brand name. This company offers one of the most comprehensive elite status rewards programs in the business today. Perks include:
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Fast checkouts.
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Complimentary upgrades.
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Exclusive pricing offers via email.
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Extra points for Avis Preferred customer who meet minimum purchase requirements.
Rental requirements include valid government-issued driver’s license with picture, a credit or debit card and a possible DMV check form the state where your driver's license is issued. Airport rentals might require additional proof of identification and residence. Accepted documents include a round-trip airline ticket, valid U.S. passport, cellphone/utility bill and bank statement. Additional documentation might also be required and/or accepted.
Avis pricing and rates average to approximately $60 per day. Rebates, discount codes, coupons and promotions are often available online to lower these prices. Avis automatically discounts prices for AARP members as well. This company also provides an excelled app for your smartphone or applicable devices to make the rental process smooth and convenient, even when on-the-go. Extended points, certificates and elite status are also available to qualified customers.
Silvercar
Silvercar was founded by Audi and therefore offers largely Audi models for rent. The Audi A4 sedans, Q5 SUVs, A4 convertibles and Q7 three-row SUVs are all common available options. Silvercar locations are mostly in major cities across the U.S. and their associated airports.
Rental requirements are somewhat convenient and tech-friendly for consumers. The entire process is app-based, which reduces and/or eliminates waiting in lines. Special requests are only available through direct communication with a Silvercar agent after your rental is booked, however. A valid government-issued driver’s license with picture and a credit or debit card are required.
Pricing and rates average between approximately $49 and $89 per day. Discounts might help you obtain rates as low as $20 per day, however. Silvercar also offers a twenty-percent discount to new customers (code TPG20) and thirty-percent discounts for rentals of one week or more (code 30OFF15+DAYS).
Alamo
Alamo rental car concentrates its businesses heavily on airport locations. This means fewer locations are available compared to its competitors. The company is still well-known and trusted among consumers, however, and typically offers lower rates than its competitors.
Alamo offers a sanitization and cleaning policy to what is offered by Enterprise. The Alamo Complete Clean Pledge guarantees its rental vehicles meet top health authority disinfection requirements. Cancelations are free for an indefinite period provided requirements are met. Alamo requires its customers to provide a valid government-issued driver’s license with picture and a credit or debit card when renting.
Pricing and rates average to around $795 for a one-week rental. Multiple discounts are available on the Alamo website, however. For example, Alamo offers the following deals for its customers today:
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Last-minute specials.
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Plan-ahead specials.
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Free upgrades.
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Official and leisure travel discounts for government/military personnel.
National
National Car Rental is popular in part due to its loyalty programs and services for business customers. Leisure customers receive many of these same perks as well, however. National offers some of, if not the best website and app-based rental processes in the business. In fact, the 2019 JD Power survey named the National website and app as first and second place winners in their respective travel industry online portal categories.
Rental requirements at National include a valid government-issued driver’s license and a major credit card only (debit cards not accepted in any state except New York). Customers without a major credit card might be required to complete a cash qualification process to meet National’s alternate payment method criteria. Each location might have different minimum age requirements as well.
Prices and rates are approximately $796 per one-week rental. This price conveniently includes taxes and fees. National is also one of the several companies extending points, certificates, and elite status for qualified customers.
Kyte
While not available in every state, Kyte is available in some of the busiest destinations around the United States. Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, and many more cites are all served by Kyte. Kyte is a rideshare option broker, allowing residents of the city rent their cars to you for a specified amount of time. You can choose daily plans or longer rental periods. Kyte has free cancellation, an option that almost no other car rental company has. They also have flexible return windows and rental term extensions. Add on the option that you can get the rental car delivered and its easy to see why Kyte is a great option if you are in one of there service cities.
