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Sixt offers the cheapest monthly car rental. Thrifty, Hertz, Dollar, Avis, and Budget also offer some of the best long-term car rental rates
Cheapest Car And Renters Insurance
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If your car is in the shop for long-term repairs or you’re moving to a new area for a few months, a long-term rental may be the best option. All major rental companies offer long-term rentals at discounted rates. Some offer discount rates after one month while others require two months or more for the discount. We at the Auto Guide team compared the best rental car companies and rank our top picks for long-term rentals below.
Our team compared long-term rental rates for various companies in Orlando. We looked at monthly rental costs from agencies at Orlando International Airport (MCO) and also non-airport locations in the Orlando area. Overall, long-term rentals cost an average of $1,603 per month. Rents from MCO are slightly more expensive ($1,632 per month) and non-airport locations are slightly cheaper ($1,602 per month).
You can sometimes save money by paying up front, but we found that most agencies don’t offer this option for long-term rentals.
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According to our rental rate study, Sixt, Thrifty and Hertz have the cheapest long-term car rentals. Below, you can see various popular agencies ranked by long-term car rental price. This average represents the cheapest vehicle for each quote and includes unlimited mileage. You’ll get higher prices for minivan, SUV or luxury car rentals. All costs here and elsewhere in this article include taxes and fees:
Below, we’ve extracted individual quotes from each provider. You can see that the cheapest vehicles vary by car rental company and location. We were surprised to find pickups to be the cheapest long-term rental cars from some agencies, although you’ll pay more for fuel if you choose an agency.
Some companies like Thrifty and Hertz charge cheaper car rental rates in non-airport locations. Smaller agencies may only have locations at international airports — this applies to dollars in our analysis. Also, Avis and Budget are the only agencies that offer discounted rates for long-term rental payments:
Sixt, Thrifty and Hertz are the top three companies to compare for long-term rentals, based on our pricing data.
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Ranked sixth overall as the cheapest long-term rental company. While other companies have different rates for neighborhood and airport rentals, we found that Sixt has fairly similar rates for both types of locations. Six rentals cost $1,184 per month at MCO and $1,220 per month in the neighborhood.
Thrifty offers cheap long-term car rental rates. The company is owned by Hertz but offers its own experience and rates. Our team found rates as low as $1,087 in neighborhoods in Orlando. At the airport, Thrifty charged $1,497, which is still cheaper than the industry average. Thrifty’s cheapest long-term rental vehicles are compact cars and mid-size sedans.
Hertz is another affordable option for long-term car rentals. Its discounted rates start with reservations of 63 days or more. There’s a caveat, though: Hertz is only cheaper for non-airport locations in our analysis. The company charged $1,104 in monthly rent for the neighborhood. But the price to rent at MCO rose significantly to $1,709.
So, shop around if you want to rent from Hertz. The good news is that the company has so many locations (over 10,000 worldwide) that you can find airport options almost anywhere.
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We have to mention Sixt a second time because it offers something unique in the industry: car rental subscriptions. A Sixt+ subscription allows you to pay a monthly rate for a vehicle at 39 locations in major cities.
Membership requires an upfront payment of $199 and monthly subscription payments starting at $649 for the midsize sedan. You can get a Jeep Grand Cherokee for $809 or a BMW X3 for $869 a month. These prices include 1,000 miles for free. You can increase the mileage limit up to 2,000 for $60 per month. Either way, Sixt+ is a great deal if you need a long-term rental at one of those locations.
Another option for long-term car rental is Turo. The car sharing marketplace hosts listings from thousands of vehicle owners across the country — and many of them are open to long-term rentals. Here are some of the monthly rental rates our team has received on Turo:
Be aware that the cheapest cars you find on Turo will be older. Rental companies typically provide cars that are up to one or two years old, but vehicles on Turo can be up to 12 years old.
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Things you can do to get cheaper rental options include calling the rental company, adjusting your pickup date, and checking rates on travel sites.
Many rental locations have limited weekend hours, so you’ll have more options if you’re flexible with your pick-up and drop-off dates. Rental demand around busy seasons or holidays can also influence the rates you find. Check prices for different dates if you can go without a rental for a few days of your trip.
Online forms don’t always reflect all the long-term car rental deals a company offers. Some companies have special agents dedicated to helping tenants with unique needs. Before you book a long-term rental online, try calling a few companies. You can set up recurring monthly payments instead of paying for everything up front.
Rental companies offer a lot of extras that aren’t always necessary. You can waive the Damage Waiver (LDW) if you have full-coverage insurance. You may want to consider turning down roadside assistance because it may be cheaper to get coverage directly from AAA or your insurance company.
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In many cases you can save hundreds per month by using a non-airport rental location. It’s definitely worth shopping around at non-airport locations to see if you can get a better deal. Some smaller companies only have airport locations, he said, and other companies offer cheaper rates at airports.
You can often find cheaper rental car rates from travel sites like Priceline and Travelocity than from rental agencies. However, not all travel sites can rent for more than 30 days. For example, Expedia did not allow us to select a rental for more than 30 days. On the other hand, Travelocity and Priceline did. Both companies paid us the same $999 for a month’s compact car rental.
Whether you want to go on a month-long road trip or have your car in the shop for an extended period because it needs a new engine, you can get a long-term rental from any major rental company. Our team found the cheapest options from Sixt, Thrifty and Hertz, but you should compare rates from other companies as prices may vary depending on your situation.
According to our rental car price analysis, Sixt is the company with the best long-term car rental rates with an average price of $1,202. Other agencies like Hertz and Thrifty also offer some of the cheapest monthly car rentals on the market.
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Our analysis shows that monthly car rentals start at $1,603 on average. This can vary greatly depending on the type of company, vehicle and rental location. You can often save money by avoiding airport hassles for long-term rentals.
Turo is a safe platform for short-term and long-term rentals, but you should still be careful. Watch out for phishing scams asking for your login information. Also, since this is a public market, be careful when approaching strangers and take photos of any damage to the vehicle.
Depending on your situation you may be able to get a short term lease of 12 months from some dealerships. However, with a short-term lease you will pay a lot for vehicle depreciation in the first year of ownership. That’s why dealers offer a three-year lease as the traditional term.
Most companies offer discounts when you rent a car long-term from one month. Therefore, it is usually cheaper to rent a car for a month than for four individual weeks. Be aware that one-way rentals will cost more regardless of how long you rent.
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Because customers depend on us to provide objective and accurate information, we have created a comprehensive rating system to rank the best rental car companies. We collected data to rank several car rental providers on five key ranking factors. The final result was an overall rating for each provider, with companies scoring the highest. Navigating the confusing maze of cheap rental car insurance can often feel like deciphering an ancient script. So
