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Original poster

Over £1,000 for car rental in America?!?

56 replies

kelce · 19/10/2023 22:33

I've been searching quotes for a 2 week car rental in America over early January and they're coming up over £1.2K!!!

Does this seem ludicrous to anyone else?

The pickup and drop off locations are different which is probably increasing costs slightly but still!!

Is there another solution here I'm not thinking of?

OP posts:
RememberWhy · 19/10/2023 22:38

Sounds about right, actually.

Loverofoxbowlakes · 19/10/2023 22:40

Different drop off/pick up points will make a huge difference.

We hired a mustang 10 years ago and it was £600 for a week, sounds about right. What are you wanting to hire, where from/to and when?

DisputeInsurance · 19/10/2023 22:40

£85 a day? Sounds ok

drspouse · 19/10/2023 22:40

Try Alamo, we've found them best value in the past.

HamBone · 19/10/2023 22:41

Yes, it sounds right, unfortunately
I hired a car in the UK earlier this year, same pickup/drop off place, and it cost hundreds. It’s got really expensive.

LittleMy77 · 19/10/2023 22:42

Sounds about right unfortunately. We often rent a car when we go to see family; costs about $700 for 5 days, once you include taxes etc

lljkk · 19/10/2023 22:42

3 weeks unlimited mileage that doesn't sound bad. £400/week and I bet you don't want a little car either.

Original poster
kelce · 19/10/2023 22:42

It just seems mad when I could buy a decent used car here for 5K - this is just for two weeks!

OP posts:
yogasaurus · 19/10/2023 22:42

Different pickup/drop off massively affects price, sounds about right. We paid similar this year.

Saschka · 19/10/2023 22:44

The pickup and drop off locations are different which is probably increasing costs slightly but still!!

That will probably have doubled the price, tbh. One way car hire costs a fortune because somebody has to take the car back to the original location.

poolcrew · 19/10/2023 22:46

Sadly that's about right. We live in the US and it's so expensive to hire a car. Apparently a lot of inventory was sold around Covid times so there aren't as many cars available. A lot of my friends use Turo, but I've never used it myself and don't know if it's viable for people who don't live in the US for insurance purposes

lljkk · 19/10/2023 22:48

ah nuts, you did say 2 weeks.
What size car are you after, OP.

I have never dared risk it, but... so many times I have been at car hire counter & people rock up & hire on the spot, no booking ahead at all. I wondered if it's possible to get a better deal that way. Sporting every possible accent & broken English (so foreign licenses galore).

Also, I managed last hire to get a tiny little car, the sort of car I WANT. Online they only offer you medium & large cars, and then when you turn up they try to "free upsize" you to an even larger monstrosity. This pisses me off, so much. Why aren't the little ones offered at proper budget prices?!! There was a whole fleet of nice little cars with Alamo when I arrived in Florida, none having been listed when I booked. I probably "overpaid" for a small car since larger is what I booked. I wonder if I only booked on arrival if I could get the little car at little car prices.

drspouse · 19/10/2023 22:50

It might be possible to just rock up if you live in the US but not if you only have UK insurance.

SeaToSki · 19/10/2023 22:53

if you are renting at an airport, see if you can get a taxi to a location off airport, there is usually an airport convenience fee. Then try a reseller like expedia. Then hunt for coupon codes for a discount. Then see if you adjust your dates slightly it can help, and lastly always return to the same location if at all possible..

SabrinaThwaite · 19/10/2023 22:57

drspouse · 19/10/2023 22:50

It might be possible to just rock up if you live in the US but not if you only have UK insurance.

Of course you can just rock up to a car hire counter and hire a car in the US. Rental includes basic insurance.

OP - have you tried carrentals.com (a broker) for car hire?

As a trial, I put in 2 weeks in January, pick up LAX and drop off SFO and was getting from around $50 per day for a mid size, plus taxes to give about $900 for 2 weeks.

Tarantella6 · 19/10/2023 23:00

The US is usually really cheap for car hire compared to Europe. Last Feb we paid about £500 for 10 days, one way rental. What are you hiring, a limo?!

Crikeyalmighty · 19/10/2023 23:04

We are in US at moment for 9 days- car for a week ( electric Volvo XC 40) is $710 including full cover- we use SixT and find them very good. Only $200 deposit too in our case.

We could have had a lesser car for $520

EconomyClassRockstar · 19/10/2023 23:04

I have been to the UK a few times this year and it has cost me about $700 a week for a bog standard Kia or Vauxhall so that sounds pretty normal.

LeonBlack · 19/10/2023 23:07

We used Hertz this August and had a Chevrolet (4 people). I think it was about £850 all in for 2 weeks. It’s definitely more expensive to have 2 locations.

Sunshineandrainbow · 19/10/2023 23:11

No it doesn't as I looked last year for 3 days in Dublin and it was 600. I was shocked

SabrinaThwaite · 19/10/2023 23:14

I’ve recently booked France for a few days in November with different pick up and drop off locations for £50 a day (which is still quite a lot) with excess waiver included. You do need to shop around.

Lizzieregina · 19/10/2023 23:16

I paid €1800 in Dublin for 2 weeks in July.

I’m actually surprised at the US cost though as they used to be quite reasonable. Of course, nothing is reasonable any more!

Aria999 · 19/10/2023 23:32

@SabrinaThwaite rental in the US does not include basic insurance or at least not normally. (I live in the US).

You can pay through the nose to get it from the car rental company but otherwise you can end up fully liable for the car and for any damage or injury to third parties.

I accidentally had a completely uninsured hire car for about half a day when we first moved out here until I realized this.

This is increasingly true in the uk too for the cost of the car but I think in the uk the rental company has to cover the 3rd party insurance.

SabrinaThwaite · 19/10/2023 23:47

Aria999 · 19/10/2023 23:32

@SabrinaThwaite rental in the US does not include basic insurance or at least not normally. (I live in the US).

You can pay through the nose to get it from the car rental company but otherwise you can end up fully liable for the car and for any damage or injury to third parties.

I accidentally had a completely uninsured hire car for about half a day when we first moved out here until I realized this.

This is increasingly true in the uk too for the cost of the car but I think in the uk the rental company has to cover the 3rd party insurance.

As a tourist it does include the basics - CDW, 3rd party liability, SLI and theft. In some states there is no excess either.

It’s different if you’re a US resident hiring in the US (been there, done that).

Aria999 · 19/10/2023 23:51

@SabrinaThwaite interesting, thanks for clarifying!

How do they tell if you are a tourist, is it just if you are resident in a different country? (I was technically a uk resident at the time, I hired the car from a US company in the US but on my uk driving license and address).

I feel like I have spent many hours researching this stuff only to be still uncertain.

I have taken to booking cars in the uk through Alamo.co.uk as they offer free excess protection but through Alamo.com you have to pay for it.