How to Find the Best Car Rental Sites

Find the best site to rent a car (Photo: another car image by Slobodan Djajic from Fotolia.com )

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Items you will need

• Computer Internet access

Step 1

Research rental car agencies. The first stop in finding the perfect rental car for your needs should be consumer research firm J.D. Power and Associates. Its website (JDPower.com) provides satisfaction ratings for all of the major international rental car firms based on thousands of customer surveys. The firm offers scores in such categories as Overall Satisfaction, Costs and Fees, and Rental Car, on a scale of one through five. It also rates the reservation, pick-up, and return processes and even the shuttle/van services of each company.

Step 2

Choose a company. Now that you ve picked a rental car agency you want to deal with, go to their website. Find the right car for your needs (compact, economy, luxury, etc.) and check its availability for dates you need it. Read the fine print. How much are taxes and fees? What will you be charged if you don t return the car with a full tank of gas? Do your homework. This is an important step in the process of researching the best site to rent a car, but it isn t necessarily the final one.

Step 3

Shop around. Prices on rental cars can vary wildly from site to site, and the agency s own website may not provide the best value. Check out the car you ve chosen on travel websites such as Travelocity.com or Expedia.com. Often you can find the same vehicle for a lot less.

Get an even better deal. If you re really looking for a bargain, go back to Steps 1 and 2 and research a number of different options. If price is your main consideration and you decide you can live with several of the agencies, your best option may be a site like Hotwire.com or Priceline.com. Neither company will reveal the rental car agency until you ve committed to the reservation, usually at a deep discount.

Try an independent agency instead. There are plenty of independent car rental companies out there as well--although finding them may take a little more work. A good place to start is CarRentalExpress.com, which has access to over 300 independent agencies worldwide.