A car rental is a good option for when you only need a car for a short duration, while traveling to a different city or town on vacation, or well, if your current automobile ends up in the shop for repairs. It’s easy, quite painless, and also quite affordable. Every city and airport will have the bigger name agencies like Avis, Enterprise, Hertz and Budget offering car rental services. There is unlikely to be much variation in the pricing between the agencies, although different places will have slightly different specials and promotions.

Use the internet to research and make reservations, either directly with the car rentals company, or through third party aggregators. You can also pick up the phone and call the nearest company, or just show up at their office as a walk-in and get started on the process. However, if you are particular about the kind of car you’d like or have specific needs (child’s car seat or restraints, GPS navigation system, etc.), then it would pay to set up the rental in advance, so you can ensure you get what you need.

Car rentals have various levels of cars, encompassing subcompact, compact, medium size, large size, full size, premium, SUV, convertible, truck, van, minivan and more. The cheapest will be subcompacts, the smallest cars, and there will be progressive leaps in pricing as you go up the chain. Convertibles, town cars, and other premium models will be expensive, but they do offer the thrill of driving a particular luxury car. Sometimes you will have the choices of what car you want within a category. If the rental agency has many options, you can choose the make and type.
Insurance is a must to drive a car in the United States, so if you don’t have your own, then the car rentals company will sell you insurance at an additional cost. The rental agency will advise the purchase of comprehensive coverage that will cover collision damage and loss damage, should you get in an accident or have the rental car stolen. Check whether your credit card offers any primary or secondary coverage for when you’re renting a car – the insurance costs do add up.