Car Rental - Brokers or Direct?

[Cruiser Elite]

Very rarely do I rent cars in Australia and have zero allegiance to any company - so bearing that in mind what are general thoughts on using a broker / comparison site v booking direct with a company?

I did use vroomvroomvroom earlier this year when in PER and it seemed pretty good

 

[VPS]

I use vroomvroom quite a lot as a comparison and then will often compare them with the websites of the particular companies. Previously I found vroom vroom very competitive but lately I've found using Thrifty with the motoring association discount has been the cheapest for me. Qantas cars are sometimes good but had troubles if you want to do something out of the ordinary.

 

[Jacques Vert]

I use easyrentcars.com - there prices are good and you can earn miles with KrisFlyer and many other programs.

 

[Austman]

so bearing that in mind what are general thoughts on using a broker / comparison site v booking direct with a company?

It's a bit like using a travel agent to book an airfare.

They might be able to get good prices and possibly even better options. But when things go wrong it's when the crunch might come.

Similarly to airlines, the actual car rental companies might say deal through your booking agent.

If it's a similar price, I'd deal direct.

 

[juddles]

I did use vroomvroomvroom earlier this year when in PER and it seemed pretty good

Again, much like airline online travel agents, vroomvroomvroom is great in general, but does not always show you the best price. If you have any flexibility at all, check with the car company direct for specials including such things as "free days" (ie certain cars may have 3rd day free, etc etc).

And I know everyone has had their own experiences, but after 100's of pain-free happy Hertz/Budget experiences over the past few years, I am always happy to pay them a few dollars more than competition

 

[theblank]

they are not brokers, they are just Travel Agents.
When it comes to collect the car, the rental company staff couldnt care less how you booked it.

several times I got deals for around half the price what it would have cost me direct, because of such things like free tank of fuel and additional driver. Not once did the staff mention the price was too low or anything like that.

 

[NM]

I was just looking at rental options in NZ (AKL) and comparing various pricing sources. Best deal I have found so far is via my RACQ membership and Thrifty. This same discount is available to most AU-based auto clubs (RACV, NRMA etc.). Next best seems to be EasyRentals for the same Thrifty vehicle. Huge difference from the regular rates from the major rental companies. I am looking specifically for a 4WD/AWD as will be above the snow line at times, and Rav4 seems the likely option.

 

[kpc]

I use rentalcars.com to search all the options quickly esp. if renting OS. Then i look at the website directly of the car / rate I want but that seems rarely cheaper than rentalcars.com. Earlier this year I had an issue with the car rental agency insisting I had to pay extra insurance so I paid and complained to rentalcars....they immediately refunded me and sorted it out with the car rental agency. In Oz, i just use the entertainment book to get a discount from one of the majors. Thrifty is good as additional drivers are free for NRMA members and in Uluru a few years back, we had 4 drivers.

 

[Scarlett]

I like DriveNow as a consolidator for domestic hire car bookings: having prices displayed in a matrix format is so much more user friendly! (remember when wotif was still a decent place to search for hotels...)

Internationally, have used rentalcars.com, vroom3, autoeurope and HolidayAutos at various times, usually shopping around to find a car at a decent rate in some less popular places, or when I want to book a car within walking distance of my planned accom.

For NZ, I've found I just go direct with Pegasus as best price for slightly older model cars. Have used multiple times and always fine.

This year looks like I'll be hiring in Oman, Colombia, Aruba, Curacao, Costa Rica and LOTFAP... suppose I should get an IDP .

 

[Dr Ralph]

I like DriveNow as a consolidator for domestic hire car bookings: having prices displayed in a matrix format is so much more user friendly! (remember when wotif was still a decent place to search for hotels...)

Internationally, have used rentalcars.com, vroom3, autoeurope and HolidayAutos at various times, usually shopping around to find a car at a decent rate in some less popular places, or when I want to book a car within walking distance of my planned accom.

For NZ, I've found I just go direct with Pegasus as best price for slightly older model cars. Have used multiple times and always fine.

This year looks like I'll be hiring in Oman, Colombia, Aruba, Curacao, Costa Rica and LOTFAP... suppose I should get an IDP .

Appreciate this post @Scarlett

I spent several hours yesterday looking to book a car in the US for 30+ days later this year. rentalcars.com $200 US cheaper than anything I could come up with. Including running the exact same booking directly through the web site for the named company.

I assume no problems with this broker?

 

[esseeeayeenn]

It is actually also worth checking the Qantas website.
I have saved hundreds of euros on cars in France by booking through Qantas instead of directly through Avis.

 

[Dr Ralph]

It is actually also worth checking the Qantas website.
I have saved hundreds of euros on cars in France by booking through Qantas instead of directly through Avis.

Qantas website wont allow me to book a car for more than 30 days!

 

[Scarlett]

Appreciate this post @Scarlett

I assume no problems with this broker?

rentalcars.com is part of the booking.com, priceline, kayak, agoda group, so definitely a major player.
I've had no issues using them: cars as booked or larger, payments by CC fine, etc. Never used their insurance or had an accident, so no visibility of issues there.

 

[Ktan89]

I normally use rentalcars.com to book international hires too. However, after reading some reviews, im going to try www.economycarrentals.com for a 9 day CA rental this April. It was cheaper and went through the same Alamo company.

 

[NM]

Appreciate this post @Scarlett

I spent several hours yesterday looking to book a car in the US for 30+ days later this year. rentalcars.com $200 US cheaper than anything I could come up with. Including running the exact same booking directly through the web site for the named company.

I assume no problems with this broker?

For USA car rentals, check netflights.com. They are UK based and offer deals tailored to that market's needs which are much the same as Aussies when renting in the USA, including full insurance cover and additional drivers. Have found them to be a good option with good pricing when considering the insurance cover.

 

[JohnM]

For USA car rentals, check netflights.com. They are UK based and offer deals tailored to that market's needs which are much the same as Aussies when renting in the USA, including full insurance cover and additional drivers. Have found them to be a good option with good pricing when considering the insurance cover.

I just looked at Netflights. The age range field tops out at 65.

Reantalcars.com requires anyone over 69 to enter their age. It then says that some of the renters may apply a surcharge.

 

[tgh]

For those who use rental brokers, do you have to sign up for the contract including showing licence , passport and processing a card ... on pickup ?

 

[theblank]

most of the time I used rental car TA's the deal is to pay the Rental Company direct, only a small deposit is paid to the TA.
At the end of the day what can go wrong?

and each time my bookng is veritable on the rental car website.

 

[Isochronous]

It is actually also worth checking the Qantas website.
I have saved hundreds of euros on cars in France by booking through Qantas instead of directly through Avis.

That's a good tip actually - I've been pleasantly surprised that Qantas Cars and Qantas Hotels have been quite capable of throwing up good deals more than you would expect.

 

[VPS]

Appreciate this post @Scarlett

I spent several hours yesterday looking to book a car in the US for 30+ days later this year. rentalcars.com $200 US cheaper than anything I could come up with. Including running the exact same booking directly through the web site for the named company.

I assume no problems with this broker?

Not sure about the USA but in the UK Hertz had very good rates for more than 30 days but you couldn't just book online you had to email I think - my memory is a bit vague but I remember I got a good deal.