“These additional measures are boring,” but essential, he said, particularly in Hawaii, where the state’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs told a local television station that it was in the process. to investigate the high cost of rentals listed as as much as $ 600 per day.

Instead of chasing yourself, you can use AutoSlash, which uses coupons and discount codes from car rental companies to sort through search results that it claims would take consumers a long time. The free service also uses things like wholesale store and airline loyalty program memberships and affiliations with organizations like the American Automobile Association and AARP to find deals.

The service then tracks the rental to make sure it remains the best value for money, emailing travelers to rebook if the price drops.

Alternatives to traditional rental cars

There are, of course, public transport alternatives to renting a car, including carpooling services, bike sharing systems, and public transportation.

For those seeking the privacy and control of a car, Turo acts as Airbnb for cars, allowing individuals to list their vehicles for rent on the platform, where choices range from older $ 20 subcompacts. per day to luxury cars like a Lamborghini in Miami for over $ 1,000 a day. Vehicle owners set conditions for things like daily mileage limits.

“In the summer when we started to see people eager to get out of their homes, we saw a boom in local travel and local destinations,” said Andre Haddad, Managing Director of Turo. “The local travel boom has been good for our hosts because people needed cars to get to these destinations and fewer planes.”

For Justin Villa and Meagan Malcolm-Peck, Turo is a side gig through which they rent five Jeeps in the Denver area, which cost between $ 73 and $ 98 per day (they also have a sturdy pickup truck for $ 184). After an initial three-month crash at the start of the pandemic, business was stable with drivers and rental periods extended beyond weekends. They encourage customers to rent about a month in advance.