When planning your vacation, most tourists are usually preoccupied with planning their flight and accommodation, as well as which attractions to visit while on their stay. While all of these are important, many tourists forget to consider how they are actually going to move around after they arrive at their destination. While using public transport can be cheap and handy, not every city in the world has an extensive network of buses and trams, and even then, you cannot get to every spot in the city with just commuting. You can always get a taxi, but those can be pretty expensive. That's why more and more tourists decide to simply rent a car, which can be easily done with the use of one of the many car rental services out there. You can plan early and book a car even before you venture out on your trip, which will save you the stress of figuring everything out while you should be relaxing. Moreover, you can save some money if you pre-book your car rental. However, since there are so many car rental services around, we have prepared for you this handy list of Top 15 Best Booking Sites for Budget Car Rental, which lists some of the top service providers around.
Rentalcars.com
Rentalcars.com is one of the most used websites when it comes to booking sites for budget car rental services. You can select your options of preference and the dates of when you want to rent the vehicle, after which you can read through real user reviews and feedback to help you make the decision of which car to rent. Rentalcars.com cooperates with companies all over the world, as well as with private car owners, to bring a wide variety of car choices that you can select from. If you need an off-road vehicle for a trip to the rough countryside, you will definitely find it here, as well as some urban cars for a city excursion.
Kayak.com
While Kayak.com might seem similar to many other car rental services out there, they actually provide a variety of other options and services to choose from. For example, you can also search through available flights, accommodation, vacation packages, and even other means of transportation, such as trains or boats. You can everything you need to book for your trip on this single, handy website, which allows you to filter the matches to your needs and even suggests the best deal. When it comes to renting a car, Kayak makes the entire process easy and fast, as it has a handy tool that predicts the price of the car you're looking for, based on the current prices, as well as the demand and availability.
Budget.com
Budget.com offers simplicity and ease of access, as their search engine for car rentals requires just a few clicks to get you started. All you have to do is enter your pick-up location and the date, and the website will provide you with a choice of available cars to pick from. You can find some additional features on the website as well, such as discounts for Amazon users or packages for business owners. Budget.com also has a loyalty program, the members of which get the benefits of additional discounts and free upgrades, as well as car insurance. You can also appoint an additional driver, with whom you will be able to switch behind the wheel whenever one of you gets tired.
Hertz
Hertz offers their service in a variety of worldwide locations, which you can see listed on their website. A simple search window on the top of the website allows you to pick the location you’re interested in, as well as the pick-up date and the return date. While you can book the rental as a guest, without having to go through the hassle of registering, we recommend making a member account, which might net you some additional benefits. Hertz also runs a Gold Plus Rewards program, which allows you to skip the line when waiting for a rental. You can also gather points, which you can then redeem for free rentals or free upgrades to your vehicle of choice.
Alamo
With low rental rates and handy interface, Alamo is one of the largest booking sites for budget car rental services out there. Similarly to many other car rental providers, Alamo uses its own Alamo Insider program, which you can join for a guaranteed five percent discount off the price of your rental. You also get access to more advanced reservation settings, which allow you to customize your vehicle to your liking. Alamo can even bring the car straight to the airport you will be arriving at, so you don't have to go through the hassle of picking your vehicle up from a remote location. Moreover, Alamo has kiosks at most major airports in the United States, where you can book your rental in a manner of minutes.
AutoRentals.com
AutoRentals.com is a metasearch engine, which works similarly to the way TripAdvisor looks through available online offers to bring you the best deals. When comparing the prices, AutoRentals.com looks through more than 24 booking sites for budget car rental to find what you’re looking for. You can select out of over 20 available car options, and the search engine will provide you with a handy list of what is currently up for grabs and what is the most affordable option. AutoRentals.com covers most of the major cities in the world; however, the prices sometimes exclude taxes and fees, so make sure to read the fine print carefully to not overpay.
Auto Europe
Auto Europe has one of the best rates for their service when compared with the other major competitors on the market. Auto Europe is also widely renowned for its great customer support, which is helpful and ready to resolve any problems or doubts you might have with your booking. The company rents almost two million vehicles every year around the globe, which gives Auto Europe the means of being one of the most affordable booking sites for budget car rental out there. Moreover, if you happen to find a better offer, Auto Europe will reimburse you the difference, if the two offers share the same conditions of renting. Should anything happen during your rental, Auto Europe has a 24/7 call center, which is toll-free.
Sixt
While most people think of car rental as being expensive and snobby, Sixt makes the service affordable and comfortable to use. If you’re looking for a quick ride, Sixts’s chauffeured rides can get you from point A to point B quickly – all you have to use is a simple smartphone app. You can even plan a whole route with multiple stops, which can be used for sightseeing a city on your trip. Or maybe you want to go shopping in a few different locations, but don’t want to go through the trouble of driving from shop to shop? Sixt has got you covered, as you can use one of their chauffeured rides to go through all your favorite shops, and your driver will wait for you at each one. Furthermore, you can choose the type of car you want to be driven around with, from budget options to expensive, luxurious cars.
Avis
Avis is a huge car renting company, which even owns a few of smaller rental services and metasearch engines out there. You can use their handy online check-in to guide you through the process of renting the vehicle, which will save you a lot of time, as it only takes a couple of minutes and you do not have to move from your comfortable couch. After you input all of the relevant information, you will then be shown a list of available options. Once you pick the car you want and fill in all the detail, you can print the contract and go to the rental location at your city of destination, which is usually at the major airports. With the contract printed out, you will be able to skip the line and receive your car immediately, after which you can go explore the unknown!
EuropCar
With worldwide coverage and largely positive online reviews, EuropCar is one of the leading car rental service providers in Europe. They are one of the many budget car rental services, which focus on bringing the lowest prices to their customers, which means you probably shouldn’t expect incredible service or luxurious rides. Some of the reviews online mention the faulty customer support system, which often takes long time with resolving an issue. The best way of using EuropCar is to use an external search engine, like Auto Europe, which will take care of any problems, but the price will still stay cheap.
Thrifty
While Thrifty’s website might look a little date when it comes to its design, don’t judge the book by its cover, as Thrifty is actually one of the more reliable booking sites for budget car rental out there. Thrifty guarantees their best rates, and if you happen to find a better deal with exactly the same terms and conditions, Thrifty will not only match the lower price, but also give you an additional 10% discount off the base price. Thrifty also hosts a loyalty program in which you can earn miles and points, which can then be used in exchange for various rewards. They also make use of various other loyalty programs, such as miles from a range of airline companies.
Expedia
Expedia handles all of the travel planning for you, as it allows you to search for available car rentals worldwide and compare prices. Moreover, you can even book your flights with Expedia, and even find your accommodation, all of which feature customer reviews and opinions to give you a clearer image of what you’re booking. When it comes to car renting, you can find a simple search engine on top of Expedia’s website, in which you fill in the location details and date. You can also choose your car type preference, or leave it blank to see all the available options. Expedia also provides free cancellation, which means your purchase will be reimbursed if something happens and you won’t be able to make use of it.
Lastminute.com
If you've been reading the article carefully, you will already know how a metasearch engine works. Lastminute.com is exactly the same, but features a massive choice of major brands all over the world, including Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Alamo, Budget.com, Thrifty, and many others. You can easily book your car on the Lastminute.com website, which features a simple search window with the usual information to fill in. After you click search, you will be presented with a list of available cars, with the best deal highlighted. After you book your vehicle, you can easily manage your booking on the website, where you can postpone or cancel your booking if you need to.
Trip.com
Trip.co belongs to the largest Chinese online travel agency, Ctrip. Recently, Trip.com introduced an international car rental service, which can be used in over six thousand cities all over the world. Trip.com features an easy to use search engine, where you put in the location and date details, as well as your residency and age. The website’s algorithm will then show you the available choices, which you can browse through to find the perfect car for you. Trip.com features free cancellations and no additional credit card fees, as well as a 24/7 customer support which is ready to address any issues you might have with the service.
