Best car rental sites 2024
Which vehicle-hire firm offers the best blend of usability and keen prices?
There are plenty of reasons why drivers might need to hire a car. It could be you’re travelling to the other end of the country and it’s quicker to fly, but you need transport at the other end. Or perhaps your usual vehicle is off the road. It might also make sense for you to rent something big for the odd trip rather than drive a large car all year.
Hiring a conventionally engined motor for longer trips could also make sense for electric car drivers who want to avoid pricey public charging and long waits.
There are plenty of companies who will offer to rent you a vehicle, but which should you consider? We dug deep into some leading firms’ websites to see which offers the most choice at the best prices and makes the booking process as straightforward as possible.
How we tested them
We checked the total cost of a day’s mid-week rental for two classes of car from eight websites offering hire from Birmingham Airport in seven days’ time.
We looked at the most affordable car they were able to offer for those who just needed the cheapest transport, in addition to a seven-seater car for drivers who required a bigger vehicle for a special trip.
Used - available now
2020 Mercedes
GLA
21,872 milesAutomaticPetrol1.6L
Cash £17,400
2020 Honda
HR-V Hybrid
45,467 milesManualDiesel1.6L
Cash £13,500
2020 Volkswagen
Golf R
53,674 milesAutomaticPetrol2.0L
Cash £20,200
2019 Mercedes
GLC
51,509 milesAutomaticPetrol2.0L
Cash £22,900We looked at the cost of any car insurance waiver or other extras and the price of adding a young driver.
The website’s ease of use and the number of locations offered by the company were also considered in our final reckoning.
Reviews
Hertz
- Rating: 5 stars
- Price: £69.49/£130
- Website: hertz.co.uk
The price for the cheapest car isn’t the lowest here, but Hertz’s website is easy to use, and the charges are clear.
There’s a huge choice too – on the day we tried, a Vauxhall Corsa was around £3 cheaper than a smaller Kia Picanto, and the seven-seat option was a Renault Trafic minibus with an automatic gearbox. It’s not the poshest form of transport but it’s great value at £130 a day.
Adding a young driver over 21 is a reasonable £45 a day, and taking the excess to zero is £29.99.
Click here to book a Hertz rental car...
Europcar
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Price: £61.26/£330.49
- Website: europcar.co.uk
Europcar’s cheapest day rate was one of the lowest in this test, and upgrading to a bigger Vauxhall Corsa cost just £1.19 extra per day.
The website is easy to use too, with filters to help narrow down your search by size or price. Zero-excess insurance adds £37.91, but upgrading to a seven-seater is pricey. The cheapest offered was £330.49 with an auto at a whopping £497.56.
Paying online brings discounts and means you can cancel up to 48 hours before the hire.
Click here to book a Europcar rental car...
Drivalia
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Price: £48.99/£330.49
- Website: drivalia.co.uk
Drivalia has keen prices, but for our airport rental the office is off site and accessed by a free shuttle.
The generic website and mileage limit of 100 miles per day are off-putting too, but the value is unbeatable. A Fiat 500-sized car is £48.99 per day, and there’s even an option for a ‘Mystery’ car at £58.99. As for seven-seaters, a Citroen C4 SpaceTourer is £266.99.
The insurance options are confusing though, with the £39 ‘Super Relax’ option not including cover for tyres and glass.
Click here to book a Drivalia rental car…
Alamo
- Rating: 4 stars
- Price: £70.22/£191.75
- Website: alamo.co.uk
The Alamo site is clearly aimed at US customers and is sorely in need of an update, but it does at least have filters that are easy to use.
The cheapest car – a Toyota Aygo – looked decent value at £70.22, and the seven-seaters on offer included a Vauxhall Zafira at £191.75 or a Ford Galaxy for just £2 more.
There’s no provision for young drivers at all though.
Click here to book an Alamo rental car...
Enterprise
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Price: £106.71/£203.04
- Website: enterprise.co.uk
We liked the clarity of the Enterprise site, but the cost for the Toyota Aygo was high, at £106.71. It looked more competitive for seven-seaters at £203.04 for a Vauxhall Zafira. It still has a £100 excess and doesn’t include roadside assistance – that’s an extra £12.
Click here to book an Enterprise rental car...
Budget
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Price: £63.67/None
- Website: budget.co.uk
As with the Avis site, Budget’s web pages have no filters, and the number of cars is limited. There was no seven-seat option. The cheapest Fiat 500 was £63.67, with unlimited miles. There’s no mention of the excess insurance at the booking stage, but it adds £35 per day to the price.
Click here to book a Budget rental car...
Avis
- Rating: 3 stars
- Price: £71.86/None
- Website: avis.co.uk
Avis and Budget are part of the same group, but the prices differ. Avis looked more expensive at £71.86 for a Fiat 500, comprehensive excess cover was cheaper at £22.47. If you need that, the overall cost was lower. It costs £48 extra for a 24-year-old, but there’s no seven-seat option.
Click here to book an Avis rental car...
Sixt
- Rating: 2.5 stars
- Price: £126.97/£227.98
- Website: sixt.co.uk
The cheapest car from Sixt is a Peugeot 308, at £126.97 for the day. At the other end of the scale, a seven-seater is £277.98, but it’s a van-derived Volkswagen Caddy. You’re limited to 200 miles too. Excess insurance is £29.47, and taking the driver’s age down to 24 added £95.58.
Click here to book a Sixt rental car...
Verdict
We’d recommend heading for the Hertz desk first, because it offers great choice and competitive prices for cars and add-ons. Europcar looked good value too, but lost out because the insurance excess and seven-seater were pricey. Drivalia offers the keenest prices but has fewer – and less convenient – locations.
- Hertz
- Europcar
- Drivalia
Have you recently hired a car from any of the companies above? Let us know about your experience in the comments below...
