If you’re planning a trip abroad and want the freedom to explore at your own pace, renting a car can be a fantastic option. But it can also come with a lot of hidden costs and confusion. If you’ll do it right, it might even reduce the entire cost of your trip. By renting a car, we got to explore places that otherwise we would never get to see! We took scenic drives that were absolutely breathtaking, so overall it’s a great way to travel. Over the years, I’ve learned how to save on rentals without compromising on reliability.
Before we go into the details, here are a few places that we traveled with a cheap car rental:
- In Cyprus we rented a car for for only 10 euros a day. We found it through a website called Papam Papam, which is by now our preferred car rental website.
- In Italy we rented a car for 30 euros per day. We found it through a website called Rentalcars.
- We used a really cheap insurance that was 6 euros per day through a website called carinsurent. And we really found it useful – they paid us back in full when we claimed after a car accident so you can count on them.
Here’s my personal guide to finding cheap car rentals – without falling into tourist traps.
Start Your Search Early – and Don’t Be Afraid to Book
Prices on car rentals tend to rise as your travel dates approach. If you already know your destination and dates, don’t wait. Book something early – even months in advance – and make sure the offer includes free cancellation!
This way, you lock in a good rate and still have the flexibility to cancel if something cheaper pops up later. Most major booking platforms allow free cancellation up to 48 hours before pick-up while some don’t ask for any prepayments at all! Making it a no-brainer step with no risks.
Use a Price-Tracking Tool to Catch Better Deals
Here’s a trick many travelers don’t know: even after you’ve booked, prices can drop. And if you booked with a free cancellation, you can rebook at the lower price.
To make this easy, I recommend using a price-watch service. If you’re booking Paapm Paapm or any other car rental platform, forward your confirmation email to box@paapmpaapm.com. If the same car becomes cheaper, you’ll get an alert with a link to cancel and rebook. It’s totally free – and yes, I use it myself.
Choose the Right Location for Pick-Up
Picking up the car at the airport is usually more convenient, but it might also come with extra airport surcharges. If you’re staying in the city and don’t need the car immediately, check if it’s cheaper to pick it up from a downtown location a day or two later, once you actually need it.
On the other hand – don’t get tempted to cheap airport car rental offers without checking the details. Some offers might show up for rental offices located away from the airport. It is great if you’re ok with taking the shuttle and the extra effort, so you’ll find cheaper options, but if you travel with kids and you just want to get started, filter the offers for actual in-terminal offers. Sometimes they call it “Car Rental Center” so opt in for both:
Bonus tip: Avoid one-way rentals if possible. They often carry high drop-off fees, especially between countries. How to tell? Run another search with the same drop off location and check how much cheaper it got. If you think you can return the car to the same office it will usually make it much cheaper and open up more rental options, rather than narrowing your options down to rental agencies with offices in both your desired pick up and drop off locations.
Understand Insurance Options (It’s Important!)
One of the trickiest parts of renting a car is figuring out insurance. You’ll usually see two types:
- “Zero excess” or full coverage from the rental company – This means if something happens, you don’t pay anything out of pocket. It’s easy but usually more expensive. They might call it SCDW which is the same.
- Third-party insurance (reimbursement) – This is often cheaper. If there’s damage, you pay the rental company and then file a claim with your insurance provider to get reimbursed. It works well and I recommend it because it usually provides a wide coverage than what the rental companies do and it is even cheaper, like 5 times cheaper!
They have the cheapest prices, around 6 $USD a day instead of 25-45 $ at the rental desk.
If you rent a car for a week or more, insuring the car through the agency rather than online could end up costing you hundreds of dollars. But again please read how it works and make sure you’re ok with the reimbursement process.
If you take the reimbursement insurance, like I recommend, in a case of any damage, you would have to pay the agency and then send the invoice to the insurance company to get your money back.
Whichever you chose – both options have pros and cons. If you go with such a third party insurance, keep all documents, including damage reports and receipts – you’ll need them for the claim.
Also, some (mostly American) credit cards include collision damage waiver (CDW) excess waiver if you pay for the rental with the card. Call your card company to check what’s included.
Document the Car’s Condition – Every Time
Don’t skip this step, no matter which insurance you took and how nice the car looks. When you pick up the car, walk around and take photos showing all angles – including tires, roof (yes the roof!), bumpers, and interior. Do the same when returning it. P-l-e-a-s-e be thorough and take closeup photos of every tiny scratch. It is always better to be on the safe side and you can always delete the photos a month after returning the car.
This protects you from being charged for pre-existing damage or scratches you didn’t cause.
The one thing people overlook is to do the same when returning the car. I heard of many travelers which skipped this step on return and a few days later got an email saying there’s a new defect with the car and they are charged for it. So please do it once again during car return, even while the agent checks the car too.
Check for Cross-Border Restrictions – during reservation!
Planning a road trip across countries? Not all rental companies allow this, and many charge extra for crossing borders.
Always read the terms carefully during reservation and don’t wait to ask the rental desk – it will be too late if you need to cross a border and you’re not allowed to do so.
Consider Driving a Manual (If You Can)
In many parts of Europe and Latin America, cars with manual transmission are significantly cheaper. If you know how to drive one this can save you 20 to 30% on your rental.
That said, don’t take risks. If you’re not confident driving manual, go with automatic and look for deals in advance.
Be Smart with the Fuel Policy
Most rentals operate on a full-to-full policy – you get the car with a full tank and must return it the same. If you forget, they’ll charge you inflated prices for refueling.
So before returning the car, stop at a gas station close to the drop-off location. Save the receipt just in case (save it even for a month after you finished the rental, just in case they complain later).
Skip the Extras (Unless You Really Need Them)
Things like GPS units, child seats, or roadside assistance might seem convenient, but they add up quickly. Instead:
- Use your phone for GPS (just bring a car mount).
- Bring your own car seat if traveling with kids (if allowed).
- Check if your travel insurance or credit card already covers roadside assistance.
Use google maps, why use anything else?…
Great websites for searching car rentals
I would always go for a website that lets you compare all the prices from all companies. I think it’s the easiest and most effective way to find the cheapest prices without a lot of effort!
PaapmPaapm has become my main website I use the most for searching car rentals. They compare from all the different agencies and present the best offer. You could also filter your search results by the type of car, manual or automatic, and more.
After viewing your filtered results I pick the option “price low to high,” and pick the company that has the cheapest option with the best reviews.
Another plus side for renting through those websites is that you could cancel for free up to two days before the trip.
We once had to cancel a month in advance. We were already charged but once we canceled we got the money back in the account a few business days after.
Keep in mind that PaapmPaapm only let you compare between the prices, and you make the actual order through the agency.
It’s also recommended to go straight to the company’s website and see if there is a cheaper way while ordering directly through their website.
3 thoughts on “How to find cheap car rentals”
You have a fantastic capability to engage with your readers intellectually.
Thank you
Thank you for the list of parameters to consider when renting a car. It’s interesting that manual cars are typically less expensive to rent in comparison with automatic. I’ll have to keep this in mind when I travel.