If you’re going on vacation somewhere and plan to stay a while, long-term car rental can be a wallet-friendly way to get around. Whether you rent or lease, having a car on hand gives you flexibility to travel when and where you want, particularly if you’re staying somewhere with poor public transport. Here’s my guide to getting the most out of a long-term rental car.
Why book a long-term car rental?
Renting a car for a holiday or business trip is common practice nowadays. For a trip lasting a few days or a couple of weeks, a short-term rental is a quick and easy transport solution. In almost every city and airport, you’ll find a huge range of rental cars to suit most budgets and needs. From flashy convertibles to cheap and cheerful city cars, there’s a rental option for everyone.
How long can you rent a car for?
Every company has a different policy when it comes to the duration and terms of a long-term car hire agreement. Typically, rentals fall into the long-term category if they last from 28 days to anything up to three months. Although more and more rental companies now offer four, six-month or even year-long rentals.
Rent a car for a month
Long-term rentals start when you rent a car for a month or 28 days. These are great for longer holidays like extended road trips, the longer rental period brings down the daily cost. You can book a cheap car rental for a month just like you would a short-term rental. If you’re looking for cheap long term car rental, most companies will let you extend your car rental as you need to and even swap your car for another.
3-month long term car rental
If you need to rent a car for three months, you’re also getting into the realm of short-term leasing. This gives you options. Leasing a car for three months may work out cheaper than renting, but it gives you less flexibility. Using a car rental company will likely cost a little more, but for that price, you get far less paperwork and the ability to extend the rental and swap your car. You’ll find different deals and discounts to meet your needs, so you can choose which works best for you.
6-month long term car rental
More and more rental companies are extending their long-term rental periods to six months, especially for business fleets. As with three-month rentals, this gives you the choice of a standard long-term rental or a short-term lease. The same benefits and pitfalls for a three-month rental versus leasing apply to six-month rentals too. Read on to find out more about the pros and cons of renting versus leasing.
Long-term car rental vs. short-term car leasing
If you need a car for longer than a few months, you face the question of whether it’s better to rent a car or lease one. Generally speaking, long-term car rental includes rentals of one to six months. Longer duration, and short-term car leases become an option for anything up to 24 months.
As I’ve explained above, there’s plenty of flex within these timeframes. Indeed, more and more rental car companies are offering longer rentals to compete with leasing companies. This is a good thing for the consumer, as it gives you more choice.
What are the benefits of long-term car rental over a short-term lease?
What are the benefits of short-term car leasing?
How much does long-term car rental cost?
The cost of long-term car rental can vary wildly depending on lots of factors. The location, how long you’re renting for, what mileage is included and what type of car you want. Then there are the rental companies themselves, with some charging far less but without much in the way of customer service.
How much does it cost to rent a car for a month?
On average, I’ve been finding long-term hire cars priced from around $380 a month at the cheapest end of the scale. Bigger, more reputable hire companies generally charge substantially more than smaller local ones.
How do you find cheap long-term car rentals?
Which companies offer long-term car rental?
All major car rental companies including Sixt, Enterprise, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Avis, offer long-term car rental. Make sure to check the details of every policy to make sure you’re getting the right deal. Pay particular attention to the type of car to make sure it suits your needs and if there are fixed mileage allowances. Companies often offer discounts if you book online rather than over the phone.
Conclusion
Getting a long-term rental car comes with lots of benefits. It makes getting around easy, and removes the hassle of car maintenance and insurance. If you’re going to be somewhere for three, six, 12 months or longer, renting a car offers convenience and mobility without the hassle of leasing or buying.
Before you rent a car, long or short term, there are plenty of things to consider. From the best way to pay to knowing what to do in an accident, KAYAK has guides to help.
