Have you ever noticed the difference in weekly car rental rates from one place to another? They can vary wildly, very wildly. But why is that?
According to car rental companies, the weekly rental rate is governed by many factors.
- The age of the car – cheaper weekly rates for older cars usually lower the cost
- Fuel consumption and engine type – the cost of fuel and the choice of diesel or petrol
- Car type – convertibles, sports models, SUVs, minivans, classic cars, luxury cars
- Car brand – believe it or not, the carmaker’s name can influence the cost
- Season – in touristic destinations, prices decrease out of season
- Location – competition in a location may also determine the cost
- Driver age – cars may incur extras costs for an underage driver
- Insurance and extras – the level of insurance or inclusion of extras will affect the cost
When rental car companies want to determine the price of a car it’s obvious that they will want to set the highest price. The renter will want the lowest price.
Because of this, the rental company will try to set the price as close to a mid-point as possible.
However, they can set the price higher if they don’t want a particular car type or model rented too often. Or, they can set it a little lower if they want to rent it as much as they can and get a better return on investment.
WEEKLY CAR RENTALS – TOP TIP:
One option when shopping for a great weekly car rental deal is to shop using an established rewards programme like Monetha. Monetha has partnered with a huge range of over 800 online stores and services to save you money and give you better weekly rates. Every time you hire a rental car with a service partner, you earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards from top retailers, exchanged for cryptocurrency, or even used to make donations to your favourite charity.
Here is our top of international car rental companies. You may also check our review of the best car rentals in the USA only.
Since 2013 DiscoverCars has been helping its clients rent cars right around the world. Offering simple and straightforward solutions, DiscoverCars can be found in 145 countries around the world.
Working with a far-reaching partner network, that includes Skyscanner, Kayak, and Jetcost, finding the best deals is never a problem. With more than 10,000 locations around the world, their simplistic booking process gives you clarity and peace of mind from the start. And, as a Monetha partner, you’ll earn valuable points with every rental.
Rentalcars.com is a prominent online car rental aggregator that simplifies the process of finding the perfect rental car for your journey. Instead of being a car rental service provider itself, Rentalcars.com excels in helping travelers compare and access rental cars from a vast network of car rental companies and agencies across the globe.
With a widespread presence in 145 countries — more than 60 000 pick-up points, — Rentalcars.com ensures that you can access the ideal vehicle wherever your adventures take you.
Additionally, Rentalcars.com is affiliated with the Monetha rewards program, allowing you to earn valuable points with each rental. These points can be later redeemed for exciting rewards, adding an extra layer of value to your travels.
By aggregating rental options from various providers, WiseCars allows you to easily compare rental prices, vehicle availability, and rental terms, all within a single platform. This approach empowers you to make well-informed decisions tailored to your preferences and travel needs.
What makes WiseCars even wiser is its partnership with the Monetha rewards program. By choosing WiseCars for your car rental needs, you not only get a reliable vehicle but also the opportunity to earn valuable points that can be exchanged for exciting rewards.
According to reviews, car rentals with Holiday Autos are described as simple and straightforward, making them perfect for a hassle-free hiring process. The company’s customers also found the pricing very competitive when compared to booking through the original vehicle provider.
For ease of use, download the Holiday Autos app and start your trip today from any one of over 30,000 pickup locations. The company offers not only cars but also vans, hybrid cars, and motorhomes perfect for holiday getaways. And don’t forget, when you book with Holiday Autos, you’ll earn valuable and redeemable points with the Monetha rewards programme.
Rent a car for as long or as short as you want with Europcar via the company’s easy-to-use app. Plus, when you become a member of their privilege loyalty programme you can save 10% on every rental of 3 days or more.
As Europcar is a Monetha rewards program partner you’ll earn extra points with every car hire. You can then exchange your Monetha points for gift cards from stores like Amazon, Spotify, Adidas, Apple, Nike, and hundreds of others, or swap them for cryptocurrencies and donations to your favourite charity.
If you are from Germany, you may go straight to the German Europcar site.
Auto Europe has been helping travellers find good deals around the world for over 60 years. With a comprehensive range of economy cars on offer, Auto Europe believes that customers don’t have to compromise for lesser quality just because they pay less.
The company is always prepared to be competitive in a cut-throat market. The company understands that its global clients appreciate saving money wherever and whenever possible. They also realise that their clients demand great deals on accessories, an extensive car rental fleet selection, and regular money-saving promotions.
SIXT can be found in more than 100 countries around the world. For daily, weekly, or longer-term rentals, they offer affordable prices and reliable service on a fleet of cars no older than 6 months.
Due to this attention to providing a quality and individually aligned service, you always have access to a fleet of vehicles that suit you best. Whether you need a sports car, a convertible, a limousine, SUV, a van, or a luxury business car, the possibilities with SIXT are endless. And, for every Monetha programme member, car rentals with SIXT come with the bonus of earning valuable points to exchange for great gifts.
Avis is one of the largest and most recognisable car rental companies in the world. The company operates at locations in the USA, South Africa, South America, India, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, and Europe.
Located mainly at major airports – by the way, it’s worth checking out *customer facility charge (CFC) details – Avis is a leading provider to the commercial sector, and services business travellers at airports all around the world. In fact, Avis was the first airport-located car rental firm in the world.
*Note – CFC – Customer Facility Charge – CFC is collected for each rental car transaction or each rental car transaction day. Some airports choose to cap the total CFC transaction days at five or less. In other words, a rental car user will pay no more than five days of CFC at those locations.
Alamo prides itself on offering cheap rental car prices to international visitors travelling to North America. To rent a car with Alamo, there are a couple of customer prerequisites.
Alamo customers should be 25 years or older – if you’re aged between 21-24, an underage rental fee will apply. Customers must have a valid passport and/or a valid driver’s licence (with a minimum of 1-year validity). And finally, rental payments can only be paid using a major credit card.
For weekly car rentals Budget rent a car has established a global reputation for excellence and quality service. Budget has a dedicated executive team for business travelers responsible for providing the best rental deals and services when renting a car.
No matter where you are, Budget has a comprehensive suite of international Budget car rental websites. This means that no matter where you are you’ll receive the same great Budget service that you’ve come to expect and trust.
If you’re looking for a car rental location anywhere across Europe, Buchbinder boasts a network of over 420 locations. Providers of every vehicle type from limousines and minibuses to SUVs and electric cars, Buchbinder are ready to get your European road trip started.
What’s more, for members of the Monetha rewards program, you’ll earn points – along with getting great weekly rates – that can be exchanged for gift cards from some of the world’s top stores, redeemed for cryptocurrency, or donated to charities.
With over 1,300 rental locations worldwide, Dollar Car Rental can provide daily, weekly, or even long-term vehicle hire wherever you need it. Located in over 99 countries you can rent a car the moment you land at the airport or visit one of the company’s convenient downtown offices.
You can even get the great deals using nothing more than a debit card. As their slogan goes, if you’re looking for great value car hire, Dollar makes it easy.
Inspired by a culture of hard work, Enterprise Rent-A-Car continues to wow its fans with success after success. Since its foundation in 1957, the company was forged in the belief of serving its customers as if they were family. The same is still true sixty-five years late.
Having over 8,000 rental locations around the world, Enterprise offers both car and truck rentals for long and short terms. And, as the company grows, it has taken an active role in sustainability, fostering innovations, advanced research, and leading market-driven solutions to problems.
If you’re not aware of Hertz car rentals you’ve probably never travelled through any airport in the world, or if you did, you weren’t paying attention. As one of the largest and most visible worldwide vehicle rental companies, Hertz operates throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
For business, tourism, or any other reason, Hertz offers a comprehensive range of vehicles and rental initiatives such as Hertz Gold Plus Rewards to avail of great deals no matter where you are in the world.
Founded in 1971 in Spokane, Washington, Payless car rentals runs it operations from 120 locations in the United States, Canada, Europe, and South America. With most rental stations located in major airports, Payless is ideally placed to cater for price-conscious business and leisure travellers.
Through a large network of international partners, Payless has the buying power to offer great rental car deals and discounts on a huge stable of vehicles, from fuel-efficient compacts to stylish convertibles.
Ways to Get the Best Deals
Good deals, we love them. Especially when we get one concerning travel of any description. Car rentals are no exception.
But how do you even start looking for a car hire bargain?
We’ve put together a couple of helpful hints for finding cheap car rentals.
- Use an aggregator: By using an aggregator website – like AutoRentals, Kayak, or Priceline – you can quickly search through several car rental companies at the same time and use the filters that suit your travel needs.
- Compare the results: Once you get your results from the aggregator, check them against the original website’s prices. Official car rental websites often have special deals and discounts that don’t appear on the aggregator site.
- Check locally: The big-name companies are usually our first port of call when we’re trying to snag a bargain. One good tip is to check out smaller rental companies in or near your destination. They are often small car dealerships that also operate rental services and can often give great deals – with local knowledge.
- Book an economy car: Rent for what you need, not what you think you need. Unless you’re travelling with a family of 5 and a dog, a smaller economy car will do the same job as a larger gas-guzzling vehicle, and at a fraction of the price.
- Weekly versus daily: Unbelievably, it’s often cheaper to rent for a week than it for a day or two. But make sure you check if there’s no extra charge for returning the car early. And keep in mind, renting cars at weekends is usually more expensive than renting on weekdays.
- Extras: Car hire companies will try to include all kinds of extras, at a cost. The simple rule is if you don’t need it, don’t get it.
- Insurance: Before signing any insurance agreements with a rental company, check if your credit card provider includes car rental insurance – some actually do. Or, when travelling at home, your own car insurance may even cover the rental car.
- Loyalty cards: Many large retail groups offer discounted car rental deals with the store’s loyalty card. The same is true for many official organisations or groups that you may be a member of.
- Number of drivers: If there’s going to be more than one driver of your rental car, you might have to pay extra for that. While it’s safer to have two or more drivers on long journeys, for short journeys be sure you really need to name – and pay for – any additional drivers.
- Pay upfront: Some rental companies offer a discount if you pay for your rental during the booking process.
- Price tracking: Prices sometimes go down as well as up. If you’ve found an online deal that you like, and if the facility exists, you should always track the price for changes. That means that you’ll be notified of any increase or decrease and can respond accordingly.
Conclusion
The hard and fast rule when you’re searching for the best weekly car rental deal is to shop around.
With so many international companies in the marketplace, competition is fierce, and deals are there to be found if you dig deep enough. Use every resource at your disposal – including joining any groups that offer rental discounts, including store loyalty cards, etc.
Your starting point for any deal search should probably be with an aggregator website, which can be used as a base point from which to measure all other deals you find.
FAQs
What day is best to rent a car?
First and foremost, book well in advance if you can. As for what day is cheapest, industry knowledge suggests that Saturdays are the best days to bag a bargain. Weekend rentals can often be half the price of a weekday rental.
But remember, most rental firms have different rates for weekends and weekdays, so it’s important to check.
Is it cheaper to rent a car in advance or on the spot?
Just like flights with airlines, always try to book in advance. Although it happens from time to time – but very rarely – prices always increase the closer to the date you get.
Renting on the spot can see you being hit by all kinds of additional charges; vehicle availability, cleaning costs, pick-up locations, etc.
