Best Apps for Car Rental

The best apps to rent a car

We’ve put together a list of the top six apps to use to rent a car:

Enterprise

Key features:

• More than 9,500 car rental locations to access.
• Narrow your search with location and vehicle filters.
• Book long-term rentals.
• Save rental details to make future reservations faster.
• Make changes to your rental reservation, including extending the length of your rental.
• Change rental pick up or drop off day or time.
• Find branch details, including address and phone number.
• 24/7 roadside assistance.
• Manage your Enterprise Plus account, including viewing your rewards balance, updating your account details, and redeeming points for free rental days.

Availability: Android, iPhone

Apple Store Rating: 4.9/5

Google Play Rating: 4.7/5

Our verdict: Enterprise may be one of the most well-known car rental services, so it’s no surprise that their app is also one of the best. You can do essentially everything you need within a few clicks, including making, viewing, and modifying your reservation, getting directions or roadside assistance, managing your Enterprise Plus account, and more. The app works with more than 9,500 Enterprise locations worldwide, and you can choose from a variety of cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans depending on your needs.

Other Enterprise features include Enterprise ReadyPass, which provides early check-in and expedited service at an airport, and the Complete Clean Pledge, ensuring your car is clean and sanitized when you receive it.

Pros	Cons
High customer ratings.	Rewards points can be difficult to earn.
Built-in roadside assistance.	Long-term rentals can be pricey.
More than 9,500 locations.	Must pay for additional drivers.
Can make and manage your reservation, get directions, and more in the app.
Ability to manage your Enterprise Plus account and earn/redeem rewards.
Well-known, strong reputation, and great customer service.
Variety of vehicles to select.
Easy to search and use.

Alamo

Key features:

• Log into your Alamo Insiders account to save 5% off base rates of pay-later reservations.
• Easily find rental locations near you.
• Variety of vehicle filters to narrow your search.
• Save rental details for fast and easy reference later, including pick-up and drop-off times, current car information, directions back to your rental branch, closest gas stations, and more.
• Check-in prior to picking up your vehicle, adding details like driver’s license information and date of birth to make rental smoother and faster.
• See mileage info associated with the car, how many people it can seat, and how many suitcases it will hold (with Android app).

Availability: Android, iPhone

Apple Store Rating: 4.9 /5

Google Play Rating: 4.8/5

Our verdict: Drive Happy with Alamo Rent A Car is the mobile app that allows you to search for, book, and manage reservations, save rental details, check in early, and even get discounts when you log into your account. While base prices are slightly higher than other companies, there are a variety of specials and discounts you can access.

In the app, find directions to your rental pick-up and drop-off locations as well as local gas stations, and the ability to easily filter your search for available vehicles ensures you find the right one for you. Plus, they offer 24/7 customer service.

Pros	Cons
High customer reviews.	Not as many vehicles to choose from compared to other companies (80 vehicle class options).
Accelerate Check-In makes your check-in process faster and easier.	Fewer rental locations worldwide (1,100+).
5% discount for using Alamo Insiders loyalty program.	Slightly higher base prices.
Complete Clean Pledge includes strict sanitizing procedures.
Last minute specials and other discounts available.
Use Plan Ahead Specials to save on your next rental.

Turo

Key features:

• Find cars in more than 5,000 cities.
• More than 1,500 makes and models to choose from.
• Have your car delivered or pick it up from your host.
• Multiple protection plans available.
• Become a host and share your own vehicle.
• Turo Go allows you to find, book, and unlock cars instantly through the app.
• Setup only takes a few minutes.

Availability: Android, iPhone

Apple Store Rating: 4.8/5

Google Play Rating: 4.9/5

Our verdict: Turo is the AirBnB of rental cars – whether you are taking a road trip, need to run some errands, or are planning a special night out, you can browse the world’s largest peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace for a vehicle of all occasions and budgets. Find a location and date, browse the cars shared by local hosts, and book through the app with contactless check-ins. Choose a protection plan and have the car delivered or pick it up from the host, completely skipping the counter.

Car owners are vetted so you can trust where you’re getting the vehicle from, but the experience isn’t always consistent. Plus, you may face a variety of fees that can surprisingly increase the price.

Pros	Cons
Free cancellation (up to 24 hours before your trip).	Some restricted availability.
Get your vehicle delivered to you or pick it up.	Must meet certain requirements.
Cheaper rates (starts at $25 per day).	Extra fees including Turo trip fee, Turo young driver fee, and other extras.
Physical damage protection and liability insurance included.	Other potentially unknown costs, including reimbursement bills and cleaning fees.
24/7 customer support and roadside assistance.	Must pay up front.
Skip the check-in counter.	Experience isn’t always consistent.
More than 10 million community members offering their vehicles.
Can become a host and share your own vehicle.
Vehicles available for pick-up and drop-off 24/7.

Hertz

Key features:

• Find the nearest host location, save your login information for easy access.
• Reserve, change, and update your reservation.
• With the Find Parking feature, find parking garages, compare prices, and reserve a parking spot (iPhone only).
• View upcoming trips, rental history, membership status, and track your points.
• Access mobile-only offers.
• Roadside assistance.

Availability: Android, iPhone

Apple Store Rating: 4.8/5

Google Play Rating: 4.3/5

Our verdict: Hertz is another one of the biggest names in the car rental industry, and with thousands of locations worldwide, it’s easy to find a rental when you need one. Eliminate the need for airport counters and tedious check-ins by making reservations and modifying them directly through the app.

Get information on all Hertz locations worldwide, and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards members can check their status and get access to exclusive content (including a customized profile). Mobile-only offers and roadside assistance make the Hertz app perfect for saving money and ensuring you’re protected while on the road.

If you’re an iPhone user, you can even get help finding parking.

Pros	Cons
Well-known, trusted, and respected brand.	Additional driver fees.
Discounts available.	More expensive for shorter trips.
Free pick up and drop off.	Variety of hidden fees and charges, such as for gas or insurance.
Parking assistance (for iPhone users).	Quality of service can vary.
Gold Plus Rewards members get access to exclusive content and benefits.
Thousands of locations available, especially in airports.
App is easy to navigate and manage rentals.
Roadside assistance available.

Kayak

Key features:

• Search hundreds of travel sites with a tap of the button, at the budget you need.
• Book hotels, flights, and rental cars in the same app.
• Mobile-only rates, private deals, and other discounts and money-saving offers.
• Save searches to your Watchlist to get alerts on when to book at the best price.
• See travel plans offline, get automatic flight status alerts, and more.

Availability: Android, iPhone

Apple Store Rating: 4.8/5

Google Play Rating: 4.6/5

Our verdict: If you’re looking for an all-in-one travel planning app, Kayak is a good choice. Search hundreds of travel sites for hotels, flights, and rental cars within the same app at any budget. And, when you use the mobile app, you may get mobile-only rates, private deals, and other discounts, keeping money in your wallet to spend on your other trip wants and needs.

Get deal alerts, view your travel plans, and more; however, because this is a third-party app, you may face challenges if you need to cancel or modify a reservation and you may face additional fees.

Pros	Cons
Low overall price.	Occasional bugs within the app.
Searches the largest number of sites (including Expedia, Priceline, RentalCars.com, and others)	Booking through third-party may cause difficulties with cancelations or modifications.
Book hotel, flights, and rental cars within the same app.	Potential fees.
Easy-to-use search.	No loyalty program.
Large selection of vehicles.
Mobile-only savings.
Trip planning available.

Priceline

Key features:

• Exclusive VIP and mobile-only discounts on hotels, flights, and rental cars.
• Check trip details any time.
• Get trip updates and reminders.
• Choose from thousands of published-priced domestic and international itineraries.
• More methods to book, so you have a better chance of landing a deal.

Availability: Android, iPhone

Apple Store Rating: 4.8/5

Google Play Rating: 4.7/5

Our verdict: While the Priceline app doesn’t offer as many features as their website, we included it on our list due to it being easy to navigate and the exclusive VIP and mobile-only deals and discounts. Plus, with 24/7 customer service, you’ll have someone to help and answer questions when you need it. And, the app combines the functionality to plan entire trips, including hotels and flights, so it’s a one-stop-shop for your vacation.

Pros	Cons
290 car rental brands.	Searches fewer rental car companies than other third-party options.
More than 28,000 car rental locations to choose from.	Booking through a third party may cause difficulties with cancelations or modifications.
Book flights, hotels, and cars in the same app.	Bundle offers are often not cheaper than buying services separately.
Mobile-only deals and offers.	Priceline Name Your Price is not available within the app.
24/7 customer service.
Easy-to-use search function.
Car rentals are available in most major airports worldwide.

Tips for booking rental cars with an app

If you’re using a mobile app to book a rental car, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

• Be familiar with features that may be important, and take advantage of them.Not all apps are created equal. Some offer mobile-only deals and discounts, loyalty programs, the ability to book more than just a car (such as a hotel or flight), roadside assistance, navigation assistance, and more. Some of these features may be more important to you than others, especially depending on how often you rent a car. Knowing which you may use can help you choose the right app.

Then, be sure to take advantage of those features after you book your car, such as setting trip alerts, using GPS functions, and others.

• Know what type of car rental you want.Have an idea of the rental length, the type of car you want, pick-up and drop-off locations, and other rental details. Some apps can search more types of cars and have more locations, or offer more flexibility, compared to others.
  

• Consider a search aggregator app. If you want to rent from a more traditional agency, a rental car search consolidator (like Kayak and Priceline) can likely search the most cars, locations, and deals to get you the best price. This can save you time and money.

• Reserve as early as possible. The closer you get to your trip, the fewer make and model options you’ll have access to, and the daily rates may be higher.

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