MotorBiscuit
Pure Autos
When you think of the cheapest agency to rent a car from, which one comes to mind first? Budget? Dollar? Thrifty, perhaps? No one would blame you considering each of those rental car agencies conveys the word “cheap” in its name. However, NerdWallet conducted an analysis to find the cheapest rental car agency recently and the results may surprise you.
RELATED: Should You Rent a Car in New York City?
According to NerdWallet’s findings, Enterprise is the cheapest rental car company based on a 7-day analysis across multiple destinations. NerdWallet obtained this information by tracking 360 different rental car prices across eight of the most used rental car agencies to find the cheapest rates. According to their findings, National Car Rental was the most expensive, which was followed by Alamo Rent a car.
The three cheapest were Hertz, Budget, and Enterprise – in that order. The rates were found using the cheapest available car option (a small sedan) and included the taxes and fees that a customer would pay when renting the car for a week. As such, the priciest option – National Car Rental – charged an average of $695 a week ($99/day) while Enterprise charged a much lower $480 per week ($68/day).
Here is a table that shows NerdWallets data:
While paying $480 when renting a car from Enterprise sounds like a good deal, that’s still a hefty sum of money to pay to drive a Toyota Corolla around for a week. Keep in mind that some buyers are leasing Corollas for less than $200 per month – but I digress. Fortunately, there are ways to save money the next time you need to book a car for a vacation or a business trip.
Here are a few tips that NerdWallet suggests:
If you’re planning a trip and you find that the rental rates are too expensive, then you can always try alternatives like Turo or SilverCar. Just note that in some cases, these alternative routes may not line up with your schedule, however, they usually yield some pretty good results when it comes to pricing.
Lastly, always remember to shop around and compare pricing when renting a car. Enterprise might be the lowest price rental agency, but the rate can differ at different times of the year and in different locations.
RELATED: What Happens if You Get in an Accident in a Rental Car?