Top 7 best websites for car rentals (for leisure and business travel)

Whether you’re about to book a road trip across America, a six-week trip to Europe, or a weekend away in Canada, renting a car can be a cheap and convenient way to explore your destination at your own pace. 

That said, combing through the choices that come up during the car rental search process can be a bit overwhelming—Does the final price include car rental insurance? Can you return the rental car at a different location to where you picked it up? 

Before you hit the road, we’ll sift through the details and frequently asked questions to break down the best car rental booking sites for both business and leisure travel.

To help you make the best choice and better compare the best car rental companies, we searched each site for a 3-day midweek car rental in New York for dates two weeks out from the time of writing. We’ve included comparison details for these searches within each section.

Ready? Then fasten your seatbelts and let’s dive into the details to help you book the best car rental for your next trip. 

1. TravelPerk: Best overall car rental website for business travel

Unlike leisure travelers who might prioritize the cheapest rental cars, business travelers have different needs. As well as a frictionless and reliable booking experience, business travelers are looking for flexibility, stellar customer support options, and exclusive negotiated rates.

Catering for all these needs and more, TravelPerk is one of the few car rental booking websites designed explicitly for business travelers. TravelPerk offers the widest selection of corporate rentals and rates and enables business travelers and travel managers to book car rentals, flights, accommodation, and save money with its all-in-one travel platform.

Working with reputable brands like Avis, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Europcar, Hertz, National, and Sixt, TravelPerk quickly finds you the best car rental deal possible. And if you're eyeing another provider, don't fret: a quick chat with their support team can make it happen.

And that's not all. You can also easily manage travel itineraries, business expenses, and VAT refunds. In fact, companies that book through TravelPerk have access to a VAT recovery solution, helping them save up to 25% of their annual travel budget for travel throughout Europe. 

Sample Pricing: 

Rates for our search started at €82/day for an estimated total of €164 for the entire rental period.

What’s Included: 

• 3-day rental for a midsize sedan 
• Insurance coverage and liability protection
• Cancellation policy
• Unlimited mileage
• VAT recovery solution

Best overall car rental websites for leisure

2. Discover Cars: best overall website for detailed rental car price comparisons

If you’re a stickler for the nitty-gritty details, Discover Cars is a great car rental search engine that offers up a huge amount of information once you’ve inputted your search criteria. 

The search results page instantly gives you the option of selecting different car types—from small vehicles to luxury cars and SUVs— to help you further narrow down your search. You’ll also be able to view detailed renting conditions, including which options offer zero deductibles, zero emissions, and whether you’ll need to pay an upfront deposit.

Key Features: 

• Customers can filter their search to see rental results for instant confirmation options, online check-in, and zero-emission cars.
• 24/7 multilingual customer support. 
• Car rentals are available in over 10,000 locations throughout 145 countries.
• Customers can buy car insurance directly from Discover Cars.
• A shuttle service is available for off-airport car rental locations.
• Modify dates, times, locations, driver details, and car type, and add upgrades up to 48 hours prior to your scheduled pick-up time.

Sample Pricing:

Rates for our search started around $89/day for a total car rental price of $267 for the three-day trip for a car rental. The cheapest car rental result was from Dollar Car Rental, with Thrifty Car Rental and Hertz offering similar prices. 

What’s Included: 

• Small, 4-door hatchback
• Unlimited mileage
• No fees for cancellations made 48 hours before your pick-up time 
• Loss damage waiver with zero deductible

3. Car Rentals: best car rental booking website with comprehensive search filters

Owned by online travel agency Expedia, Car Rentals offers up a broad range of search filters that help you easily customize your search parameters. 

During our search, we had the flexibility to filter based on 11 different car types, car capacity, customer recommendations, total price, and even the specific pick-up location within the particular New York neighborhood where we wanted to collect the vehicle. 

Plus, if you’d rather pay later and not provide your credit card details upfront, Car Rentals provides several rental options where you can reserve some cars with just your e-mail address, full name, and address. 

Key Features: 

• A broad range of filters, including customer ratings, online check-in options, and neighborhoods. 
• Easy website navigation. 
• Customers can access live chat support.
• Car rentals are available in over 29,000 locations throughout 197 countries.

Sample Pricing: 

Rates began at $68/day and a total rental price of $203 for a non-refundable, Economy Special deal. Hertz, Budget, and Alamo were among the cheapest car rental providers for our search. 

What’s Included: 

• Unlimited mileage 
• 2- or 4-door automatic car of unspecified model
• 100% refund on any insurance purchased if you cancel before pick-up time

4. RentalCars.com: best car rental website with a user-friendly interface

RentalCars.com is a car rental search engine owned by the same company that owns aggregator sites like Booking.com, Priceline, and Kayak—however, rather than searching for package deals, RentalCars.com specializes only in rental cars. 

For those who want a straightforward booking experience, RentalCars.com’s user interface is a breeze to use. Rather than making you dig around for the important details, the uncluttered and easy-to-read search results make it easy to understand what each car rental deal offers, including “pay now” and “pay later” prices. 

Key Features: 

• Price match guarantee.
• Free cancellations on most bookings.
• Car rentals are available in over 60,000 locations.
• Customer support is available in over 40 languages.

Sample Pricing: 

Based on our search parameters, the cheapest rental option began at around $68/day for an estimated total of $205. Budget Rental Car offered the cheapest option for a 3-day midweek rental in New York. However, we were only able to select JFK International Airport and LaGuardia Airport locations for pick-up and drop-off.

What’s Included: 

• Free cancellation 
• Ford Fiesta or a similar small car
• Unlimited mileage
• Collision damage waiver with zero deductible

5. VIP Cars: best car rental website with live chat support

VIP Cars is an international car rental broker that works with over 500 car rental suppliers all over the world. While you might not find the cheapest deals on this car rental website—VIP Cars provided us with the most expensive quote among all the websites on this list—it’s a great option for those who want a strong customer support function.

Particularly valuable for globetrotters exploring a foreign country, VIP Cars’ round-the-clock support team is accessible via email, live chat, and exclusive phone lines designated for different countries.

Key Features: 

• All-inclusive pricing that covers collision damage waiver, theft waiver, airport surcharges, and taxes.
• No booking fees. 
• 24/7 customer support is available via phone, chat, and email.
• Lowest price guarantee. 
• Car rentals are available from over 20,000 locations worldwide. 
• Booking forms can be accessed in multiple languages. 

Sample Pricing: 

Rates began at $108/day for an estimated total rental price of $326. The cheapest car rental results for our search were Economy and Compact deals from Hertz. 

What’s Included: 

• No fees for cancellations made 48 hours before your pick-up time 
• Unlimited mileage
• Chevrolet Spark or similar model

6. Rental24H: best car rental website for younger drivers

Renting a car when you’re under 25 can sometimes prove to be extremely expensive. In fact, many car rental companies outright refuse to provide rentals for those below the age of 25.

Rental24H not only allows renters under 25s to rent a car, but they also work with car rental agencies to offer affordable rental options. In cities across the USA like Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Seattle, you can rent a car via Rental24H for as little as $6/day.

Key Features: 

• Cheap car rentals for young drivers under 25 years old.
• Users can compare results from over 850 car rental companies. 
• Car rentals are available in over 170 countries and 7,000 cities.
• Best price guarantee.
• Flexible cancellation with every booking.

Sample Pricing: 

Rates began at around $98/day for an estimated total rental price of $293. The cheapest car rental providers for our search were Hertz and Budget. However, we could only select JFK International Airport and LaGuardia Airport as pick-up and drop-off locations.

What’s Included: 

• No fees for cancellations made 48 hours before your pick-up time 
• Unlimited mileage
• Zero excess and third-party protection included in the price
• GPS included 

7. Rent Cars: best car rental website to earn cashback

For those who travel often, rewards programs that enable you to earn cashback on rental cars are a great way to cut costs on future journeys.

RentCars is a car rental site that allows you to compare options and earn up to 10% cashback when you book with them directly. The cashback gets tucked away in a digital wallet for you to use whenever you decide to book your next rental car within the next 12 months.

As well as a great cashback option, the search results pages are very detailed and offer a good range of filters including total price range, car type, and suppliers to help you refine your car rental search.

Key Features: 

• Eligible bookings offer up to 10% cashback.
• Users can compare over 200 car hire companies.
• Car rentals are available in over 160 countries and 7,000 cities. 
• Customer support is available seven days a week.
• Users can take advantage of SunPass, a prepaid toll system to save time while traveling.

Sample Pricing: 

For our search criteria, daily rates began at around $79 for an estimated total rental price of $239. The best deals on offer came from Dollar Car Rental and ACE Rent A Car.

What’s Included: 

• Unlimited mileage
• Car hire company fees included
• No amendment fees
• Chevrolet Spark or similar model

Wrapping up the best websites for car rentals

The seven car rental websites on this list are a great place to start if you’re looking for a reliable car rental service for your next trip.

It's worth highlighting that we intentionally excluded travel aggregator websites like Expedia, Kayak, and Booking.com from our lineup. While these aggregators cover a broad range of travel options—including flights, car rentals, and accommodation—they might not fully satisfy your particular car rental preferences, offer the best perks, or give you access to loyalty programs.

Opting for dedicated car rental platforms provides you with a more personalized and efficient experience that’s more customized to your specific travel requirements. Whether you're gearing up for a leisurely vacation or a busy work trip, these dedicated car rental websites offer the tools to ensure you’ll enjoy a smoother, more personalized journey.