Summer car rental prices can scorch your business expense report. Daily fees can run into three digits, but they don’t have to. Here we’ve gathered our favorite tips to help you to get the best car rental savings this summer.

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  The lowest daily rental rate isn’t always the best deal – Taxes, airport surcharges, licensing fees and a host of other mandatory fees over and above the rental rate can vary widely between car sizes, car companies and rental locations. We provide the total estimated cost of the rental including all fees so you can make an informed choice.

• Rent from a city location – Car rental companies pay airport surcharges – concession recovery fees, customer facility charges, etc. – for the privilege of using airport property. These fees are passed on to the renter and can amount to 10% of the rental. You can avoid airport surcharges by picking up your car from a downtown rental station. You’ll need to compare the cost of transportation from the airport, but many business hotels have car rental delivery onsite and you can likely return the rental car to the airport without a drop-off fee and avoid return transportation costs.
• Use discount numbers – Car rental companies offer corporate discounts (CD) of to a plethora of organizations. Undoubtedly you belong to one of them. If your company doesn’t have a CD with a preferred rental firm, your professional, civic or college association may have one.  Covington also has corporate discounts with all major rental companies for our clients to use. Be sure your profile is updated with all of your CD numbers so your Covington advisor can use the most advantageous one.

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  Rent smallest car practical – Generally, smaller cars cost less than larger cars. Unless you require a specialty vehicle like a four wheel drive or van, reserve the smallest vehicle that will suit your needs. Because other cost conscious customers also go for the lower prices, there is a reasonable possibility that the location will not have the small car available, in which case they will happily give you a free upgrade. You get a larger car for the original price.

• Choose the right refueling option – Many rental companies give you the option of prepaying a tank of gas at the rental company’s prices (in which case you want to return the car empty) or start with a full tank and return with a full tank. Prepaying is convenient but you must buy a full tank. If you don’t drive far you are paying for gas you didn’t use. For short trips, refueling yourself may be more economical, but not as convenient. Local gas prices are often lower than the prepay fuel price, but avoid gas stations near airport as they may actually be higher. And if you don’t return the car full, rental companies charge a premium to top it off – up to $9.00 a gallon. That can be very expensive for a large tank returned empty!
• Decline optional insurance – At $10-20 per day, the Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) is expensive and technically, it’s not insurance. It is only a release from liability for damage, barring gross negligence, and often has exclusions and a deductible. Many credit cards include rental car coverage or you may be covered by personal or corporate insurance. Be sure to verify alternate coverage and inspect the car for pre-existing damage before leaving the lot if CDW is declined. Personal Effects Coverage (PEC) and Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) are other optional coverages that are likely covered under your homeowners or personal medical policies, respectively. Again, check your existing policies to make an informed choice.
• Let us do the work – Covington’s travel advisors have the resources to search the many rental options, saving you valuable time – and we all know time is money.

Please contact Covington Travel’s expert travel advisors for all your car rental needs.