How to get the best corporate car rental deals

Organizations that rely on business travel often look to reduce their outgoings by taking advantage of corporate flight discounts. However, if your employees are regularly using car rentals, you should also be looking for the best corporate car rental deals. 

Most car rental companies offer corporate car rental rates since it helps them retain loyal customers, while companies like yours can enjoy lower car rental rates and knowing that you have a reliable business car rental partnership.  

Here, we’ll go through several tips to help you get the best corporate car rental rates for your business travel needs. 

How corporate car rental rates work

Car rental companies often offer excellent savings opportunities for companies with employees who are regular business travelers. 

Most car rental companies offer corporate car rental deals to regular business travel customers. Rental companies often offer corporate customers a variety of car rental packages that include different levels of service, and varied corporate car rental rates. 

Usually, corporate car rental packages or programs are customized for each company and their transportation needs. Some even offer reporting tools to help companies fulfill their duty of care obligations.

Companies can also access corporate car rental discounts by participating in car rental company loyalty schemes. In addition to lower corporate car rental rates, and depending on the level of loyalty program chosen, companies can earn credits for free rental days, customize their checkout processes, free upgrades, access unlimited mileage, improved pick-up and drop-off terms, and guaranteed vehicles when they need them. 

How to land great corporate car rental rates

Accessing corporate car rental rates helps you keep costs low. Here, we explore some of the ways businesses can take advantage of corporate car rental deals when employees rent a car.

1. Use a travel management platform 

A comprehensive travel management platform helps your organization’s travel manager book and track business travel. Some of these platforms will have a travel inventory of car rental companies, and since they’ve already formed strategic partnerships with car rental companies, will have access to various corporate car rental deals. 

2. Choose the best corporate credit card 

When choosing a corporate credit card for your organization, take a look at what kind of renters' insurance and coverage applies to any corporate cars your employees will hire. This can reduce the amount you spend on insurance, but many corporate credit cards also offer corporate rates and perks on accommodation for business travel, corporate flight tickets, and travelers insurance, so it’s worth checking out which provider can lower your overall travel costs. 

3. Be loyal to your rental company

Car rental companies will more often than not offer loyalty schemes, points, and lower rates to companies who frequently hire cars from them. These points can be used for future bookings and used as a way to get better corporate car rental pricing. 

4. Compare car rental companies and rates

Don’t give up after your first search -- compare car rental companies and their car rental programs before settling on your final choice. It’s good practice to reach out to multiple car rental companies and explain your needs. Often, they will try to price match or go lower than the companies who have already given you quotes. 

Plus, many car rental companies offer special promotional deals for new customers, such as lower rates for six months. 

5. Don’t shy away from negotiating 

Negotiating, haggling -- whatever you want to call it -- sometimes this is one of the most effective ways of getting better corporate car rental deals. 

Make a list of the rental car companies that offer the type of service you need. Call them, and emphasize how much business you can offer them, which will let them know how beneficial it would be to have a corporate account with you. Any deal you’re offered should be compliant with your corporate travel policy, and you’ll need to check that there aren’t any hidden service fees, waivers, cancellation fees, or change fees before entering into any formal agreement.

How to use TravelPerk for optimized corporate car rental management 

When you use TravelPerk as your corporate travel management platform, you have access to an industry-leading inventory for renting cars for business travel. We have partnered with leading providers like Avis, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz, National, and Sixt, and you can compare each provider within the platform to access the best rates for your company. If you want to choose any other car rental company, you can submit a booking request via our Concierge service. 

This reduces the amount of time you spend platform-hopping to compare the best prices on corporate car rentals, but it also helps you narrow down the best options for corporate car rental deals. You can also select long-term car rental for over 28 days, and select VAT-friendly car rentals (car rental options with deductible VAT).

Plus, TravelPerk also offers a VAT recovery service. Businesses lose billions each year due to unclaimed VAT on travel costs, but our VAT recovery service can help you save up to 25% of your annual travel budget with our VAT calculator that offers an accurate VAT refund estimate.