12 Mistakes People Make When Renting A Car

Renting a car is such a commonplace aspect of travel in the U.S. that you’d think the process is foolproof. But people make plenty of mistakes ― and end up paying handsomely ― when it comes to rental cars.

“Renting a car is frequently that purchase that tourists think about less ― with flights and hotels always being the primary concerns ― when in reality it is a purchase that can break the budget, especially now with the serious shortage in the number of cars available nationwide to rent,” said Alan Fyall, the Visit Orlando endowed chair of tourism management and associate dean of academic affairs at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

“This doesn’t (and shouldn’t) have to be the case if tourists invest the same amount of time and due diligence as they do with flight and hotel purchases,” he added.

To help save people valuable time and dollars, we asked Fyall and other experts to share the common mistakes travelers make when it comes to renting a car. From overpaying on add-ons to forgetting to check the car before leaving the lot, here are 12 costly rental car errors ― and some advice for avoiding them in your future travels.

“These days, the biggest mistake with a car rental is simply not locking it in with enough lead time, or assuming it will be $30 per day like in the ‘old days,’” said Summer Hull, director of travel content at The Points Guy. “These days, a car rental may cost more than your flight, so don’t leave that step for the end of the process.”

Start early, do your research and snag a deal early on. Just make sure the booking is flexible.

“It is a mistake to book a rental car that does not include free cancellation,” said Phil Dengler, co-founder of The Vacationer. “I recommend booking your rental car as far in advance as possible so you at least have something secured. As it gets closer to your trip date, rental car prices often go down. Continue to check prices because you can probably find a better deal.”

“The biggest, and most expensive, mistake is where tourists pay for expensive extra car insurance when more often than not it isn’t required,” Fyall said. “Many major credit cards have insurance built in to their purchases (American Express is as good as any) while your regular car insurance premiums also often include some flexibility with rental cars.”

So before you pay for rental car insurance…