Recommended Car Rental Companies in the U.S.
Enterprise
Introduction:Enterprise Rent-A-Car is the largest car rental company in North America, with more than 6,900 branches worldwide. With more than 700,000 vehicles, you can find the company's service stations within 15 miles of the United States. Not only in the U.S., Enterprise has service stations at over 200 airports in Canada, Ireland, Germany and the UK. Prices are universal, reasonable and service is good.
Hertz
Introduction:Hertz is the world's largest car rental company and has been providing quality rental services for over 90 years. Operating in approximately 150 countries worldwide, Hertz is committed to providing quality car rental services to business and leisure travelers. The chain has many stores, good service and good cars, but prices are high.
Avis
Introduction:Founded in 1948, Avis has more than 3,000 branches in the United States. Together with Hertz and Enterprise, it is the top three car rental companies in the US. It supports online booking and the car can be returned from out of town. The procedure is also convenient and the price is slightly cheaper than the other two.
Alamo
Introduction:Founded in 1974, Alamo Car Rental offers low rental rates and a hassle-free customer experience in the most popular destinations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Asia. Moreover, customers of Alamo USA can book in advance and choose the type and class of car rental according to their needs. Alamo has the best reputation amongst budget car rental companies. If the car rental budget is tight, Alamo is a good choice. Moreover, Alamo has become the official car rental company of Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort in the United States.
National Car Rental
Introduction:National Car Rental is an internationally recognized car rental company with more than 1,500 service stations around the world, catering to the daily rental needs of airport regulars in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia.
Thrifty
Introduction:Thrifty offers car rentals at 1,000 locations in 70 countries worldwide. It mainly does high-end car rentals, which are relatively new and expensive.
Dollar
Introduction: Dollar has nearly 300 stores and franchises in the United States. Economy is the choice for many business trips. The cars are in moderate condition, affordable for his price, and slow and efficient.Dollar's prices are arguably the cheapest of these companies, going for the affordable route.
Summary:
General recommendation is to go with a reputable American company such as Hertz, Enterprise, and Avis. These companies are basically all over the country, the airport has a pick-up and drop-off place, very convenient for travelers.
When you want to be cheap, you can use the three second-tier brands introduced above, such as Alamo, National, Dollar and Thrifty. Cheap is cheap, but many times the cars are **** enjoyable and the service may be worse.
The process of renting a car in the United States
Pre-rental material preparation
Chinese driver's license.
It is recommended to have a minimum interval of 1-2 years from the first license and to provide an English version. It is recommended that the driver's license comes with a secondary page just in case.
English Translation of Driver's License
There are many different versions of translated driver's license requirements available online. Generally speaking, you don't necessarily need to download an English translation of your driver's license from the rental car company as long as it is available. However, if the car rental company you choose provides a template for translating your driver's license, use the template provided by the official company. The English translation of your driver's license can be translated in black and white, not in color; be sure to keep the image of your driver's license on the translation clear.
International credit card (Masterxard or Visa) in the driver's name
You'll need a credit card that supports international payments to cover the deposit for the rental car, which is usually around $200, but can be higher with some companies. The recommended credit limit is over $500.
Global (satellite) positioning system
It is recommended that you have your own GPS and Google Maps on your cell phone. It is easy to use for real-time navigation because if you want to rent a car in the US and want to
: Pick up the car
1. The main driver should bring all the relevant documents to pick up the car and make sure that the international credit card in the main driver's name (MasterCard/Visa/American Express) has enough credit limit. Generally speaking, depending on the car model, the rental deposit is US$500~3000. It is recommended that the main driver carries two international credit cards in his/her name to ensure that there is enough available amount for the pre-authorization freeze of the vehicle deposit.
2. If you are picking up the car early with the store's permission, please return the car at the same time in advance, otherwise the store will charge you an additional rental fee based on the store's price (usually an extra day's rental).
3. If you have an extra driver, make sure to show the relevant information and register at the store, otherwise the insurance will be invalid if the extra driver has an accident while driving.
Pick-up location: Pick up the car at the agreed time, the pick-up location may vary.
If you are traveling by air, pick up your car in the landing city. Pickup is at or near the airport. The airport will have a car to take passengers to the car rental company's airport office free of charge.
If you don't book your car online in advance, you can rent a car directly at the airport office and complete all the booking and pickup procedures. The cost may be higher than pre-booking.
If the pick-up location is in a city where you live daily, just take a taxi or walk to the rental office to complete the pick-up.
Check with the attendant about the areas in which the vehicle can be driven; rental car companies impose restrictions on individual states or countries.
4. Upgrade: When you pick up the car, the company's service staff may ask if you need to upgrade the model. This is the time to ask if the upgraded model is the original price or an increase in price. In some cases, car rental companies will give customers free upgrades, while others will promote upgrades, which require additional costs. So be sure to check the situation with the service person when you pick up the car.
5. Check for scratches: Once all the documents are in order, the service person will lead the renter to the parking lot to pick up the car. Both the renter and the service person need to check the vehicle. The service person needs to register the exterior scratches, the amount of oil in the car, and whether the necessary equipment is complete. So, if you find any problems with the vehicle when you pick it up, be sure to inform them promptly. Out of the parking lot, the renter will be fully responsible for any damage to the vehicle, except for renters who buy full coverage insurance.
6. Keep all contracts and documents.
: Returning the car
1. Usually when you arrive at the return store, the staff will check the car on the spot, make a note of it and print out a statement. You should double check if there are any extra charges.
2. If you are going to return the car yourself after hours, it is a good idea to check with the rental company in advance to see if it is possible to return the car after hours; if it is, the store will usually ask you to park the vehicle in a designated area of the dealership and lock it. You'll need to record the gas gauge number and mileage, and take photos of the gas gauge, odometer, and exterior of the vehicle. (Take care to turn on the time display function of your camera to prove the time you took the photos); then put the car keys in the key/storage box. But you need to take the risk from the time you return the car to the store's opening hours.
3. Remember not to smoke in the car or you may be charged for cleaning the vehicle!
4. If your fuel policy is "pick up and return", please be careful to keep your fuel ticket within 5km of where you return the car, as the dealership may ask you for it to ensure that the tank is full.
5. After returning the car, it is recommended to keep all contracts and receipts in a safe place for a period of time. If there are no violations during the rental period, the deposit will be automatically unfrozen and returned to the main driver's credit card, usually within a month.
Choosing a Car Rental Model in the United States
Car rentals in the United States are generally per class. The classes are, in order from smallest to largest: economy sedan, compact sedan, mid-size sedan, standard sedan, full-size sedan, mid-size SUV, standard SUV, full-size SUV, 7-seater business car, and high-end luxury cars (convertibles, sports cars, etc..) . Most non-luxury cars on the market can be rented through car rental companies.
Generally speaking, the larger the model the more expensive, the price difference between full size and below is very small, so full size will be the best value-
Car Rental Insurance in the United States
Collision Damage Waiver/CDW:This type of insurance covers the rental car, and will pay for the damage to the rental car if there is an accident. It is highly recommended to purchase.
Third Party Liability Insurance (Supplemental Liability Insurance/SLI):The rental car companies have basic liability insurance in their agreements, which covers the other party in the event of an accident (if you hit someone, the medical expenses come out of the liability insurance). Rental car companies will often want to sell you an additional liability policy, which is that the basic liability policy may not be enough to cover the other party's medical expenses due to a major accident, etc. Whether you buy this or not varies from person to person.
Personal Accident Insurance/PAI):It covers your medical expenses after an accident. If you already have personal safety insurance, this is not necessary.
Personal Effects Coverage (PEC):If personal belongings are stolen from a rented car or damaged in a traffic accident, this covers the corresponding loss up to a certain limit. Usually, this type of insurance is included in PAI.
Roadside assistance insurance (RP):For example, if your rented car has a flat tire, loses its keys or breaks down on the road, this insurance will cover the cost of requesting support.
Fueling a rental car in the United States
What are the gas prices in the United States?
The price of gas in the US fluctuates with international oil prices and is usually around $3-4 per gallon. Diesel will be cheaper than gasoline. It is usually more expensive to fill up on the highway and at airports. Also, even on the same street, the price of gas can vary from station to station, even by a wide margin. It is advisable to look for more and get gas. Americans
What kind of gasoline is available?
There are three types of gasoline in the United States: regular, mid-grade (or premium), and premium (or advanced).
Regular: stands for 85~ 88 oil (equivalent to 90 in China). Regular cars can add regular;
Mid-grade (or Plus): represents 88~ 90 oil (equivalent to China's 93);
Premium (or Supreme): represents oil above 90 (equivalent to China's 97).
The higher the grade of gasoline, the better the quality of the oil.
How do I get gas in the United States?
There are two ways to refuel in the United States: manual refueling and self-service refueling. Note that New Jersey and Oregon only have manual refueling. The main ways to pay for gas in the United States are to pay in cash and to pay by credit card. Usually pay by credit card, know the local zip code. If you want to use a domestic credit card to fill up the tank, remember to plug it in quickly and enter "00000" after the system confirms it. Some gas pumps do not recognize domestic credit cards, so we recommend that you use relatively simple and convenient cash payment, and some gas stations will have discounts for cash payment.