Cheap Car Rental Deals in Irvine, CA $46 | Hotwire (2024)

FAQs

What car rental has the lowest rates? ›

Inspect the vehicle's interior and exterior before signing anything or taking it off the lot. Take photos of any existing damages, even if they're minor. Be sure to tell the rental company what you've found as well so they can't charge you later.

Supply and demand. The world hasn't recovered from the supply chain issues created by COVID yet. Thus, the supply of cars is low. Thus, the rental car companies are competing with consumers for the limited supply.

Generally, rental cars are booked by the day, in a 24 hour blocks. A rental car is booked on the 20th for 5 days. In this example the pick-up time is 8am on the 20th and the drop-off time is 5pm on the 24th.

Enterprise, however, is often more affordable, and its customer service is all around better. However, if you want more airport locations and to choose the type of car you rent, Hertz comes out ahead.

Enterprise offers the largest fleet, the lowest prices, the best rental car loyalty program overall and was also ranked as #1 in customer satisfaction per a study from JD Power. With that said, Enterprise doesn't offer locations in as many countries as Avis, Budget and Hertz.

In general, rental companies want to rent out as many cars as possible, just like hotels want to rent out as many rooms as possible. They'll price cars competitively to increase demand, but when demand is high, they may raise prices to capitalize on it.

When renting a car, it is common for car rental companies to require a security deposit to cover potential damages not covered by insurance. Deposits are typically placed as holds on debit or credit cards.

Traditionally, rental companies update their fleets every year or two because they get big fleet discounts on new cars and have tax and other incentives to sell. In fact, many automakers will buy back rentals at a fixed price within certain time and mileage restraints and sell them as "program cars" on dealer lots.

By considering factors such as the type of car, rental duration, insurance options, and additional fees, you can accurately estimate the total cost of your rental and budget accordingly.

What does Hertz consider a day? ›

Hertz calculates its rental rates based on a 24-hour period. This means that if you've booked a car from 3 pm on Tuesday to 12 pm on Wednesday, you can return the car by 3 pm on Wednesday without incurring any extra charges. This is because you would have had the car for a full 24 hours.

If you select a vehicle with unlimited mileage you can usually put unlimited miles on your rental car over a week. That said, there might be restrictions in place depending on the type of vehicle you choose and the car rental company.

Miami, Florida, is the most affordable city to rent a car in 2023, with the average daily cost of renting a car set at $31.22. Colorado Springs is the most expensive, with an average daily cost of $110. The most popular car rental searches in the US were for Tesla (344,700), Jeep (127,400) and Lamborghini (111,600).

Kyte lets you rent a car online or through its smartphone app. You can choose from a range of vehicle classes, including economy, sedans, SUVs and premium cars like an Audi Q3 or similar. Unlike peer-to-peer alternatives that pitch themselves as 'Airbnb for cars,' Kyte owns its entire fleet of vehicles.