RentalCars.com Reviewed

Searching for a Vehicle

You'll find that getting a search started on the website is quick and easy. When you visit the main webpage, you'll immediately see a box that is marked 'Search for Car Hire.' All you'll need to do is enter in a few details about your rental car needs.

First, enter your desired pick-up location. If you'll need to drop off the vehicle to a different location, you'll also be able to indicate that at this time. Next, you'll need to enter the pick-up and drop-off dates and times and indicate whether the driver is between 30 and 65 years old.

After you've filled in all of this information, just click search and wait while the list of vehicles that matches your search criteria is loaded.

Sorting and Filtering Your Options

After you enter your search information, you're likely to be shown a large number of vehicles. This can make it a bit challenging to find the right car to match your specific needs. To help you narrow down the search results, Rentalcars.com offers different options for sorting and filtering your results.

You'll probably want to start with filtering the results so you are only viewing cars that you're likely to actually consider renting. Along the top of the page, you can filter by vehicle type. Each type of vehicle (intermediate cars, pickup trucks, SUVs, convertibles) is listed along with the number of passengers and bags that it will hold.

The starting daily price is also listed under each vehicle type. You can click on all of the vehicle types that will meet your rental needs to eliminate the other options from the results you see.

One of the other ways you can filter your results is by rental car company. The bar along the left side of the search results shows you all the rental car companies that are included within the search results as well as their starting prices. If you are only interested in viewing vehicles offered by specific companies, you can click on those company names to remove cars offered by other providers from your search results.

Finally, the last way you can filter your results, is by choosing to view only cars that have air conditioning or automatic transmissions. If either of these features are must-haves for your rental car, be sure to select them. This filter is also located on the left-hand side of the page, under the rental car company filter.

Once you have set up your filter, you can also control how the results are sorted and displayed. Right above the results list on the right side, there are two sort buttons.

You can choose to sort the cars by price so you see the cheapest options first. Or, if you'd prefer, you can sort them based on Rentalcars.com's recommendations, so you see the best deals first.

Vehicle Overviews

After you have sorted and filtered your results, it will be time for you to review the different vehicle options that meet your needs. Each entry in the list will include an overview of the vehicle with enough information to help you compare your options and determine whether you'd like to consider a specific rental type.

The overview will include the rental company, the vehicle class/category, a car make/model that will be similar to what you'll be renting, the number of passengers and bags that will fit in the car, and whether the vehicle has an automatic transmission and air conditioning. You'll also be able to view whether free cancellation will be included in your reservation and whether Rentalcars.com views the price as an 'Excellent value.' Finally, you'll be able to view the total cost of your rental, broken down to what you'll need to pay now and what will be due when you pick up your rental.

In the vehicle overviews section, you'll also see a listing for a 'Wild Card.' This is a mystery vehicle that you'll be able to rent for a reduced rate. While you won't be able to see the specific vehicle class or type you'll receive until after you pay, you will be able to view other information including the rental company, the number of passengers and bags that will fit, and other key details about the car.

Selecting a Car and Completing Your Reservation

Once you've determined which vehicle you'd like to rent, click on the 'Select Car' button on the right side of the listing box. Rentalcars.com will display a review of your reservation details and the details about the car you selected. If you confirm that this information is correct, you can complete your reservation.

As you're completing your reservation, you'll also have the option to add collision damage coverage. Especially if your primary car insurance does not include rental coverage, you might want to consider this add-on.

With the collision damage coverage, you'll receive $35,000 in primary coverage to cover damage or theft. You won't need to pay a deductible with the coverage, and all drivers added to the vehicle will be covered.

During the reservation process, you can also select if you'd like to add any extra to your reservation, such as a baby seat or a GPS. If you're planning on having someone else drive the car also, you can also add an additional driver during this step.

After completing these sections, just click on 'Go to Book' on the bottom of the page to finalize your reservation and enter your information.

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