Prom Car Rentals: How To Choose the Right Car

Prom is a special night for everyone who attends. Young adults get dressed up, take their dates to nice dinners or dancing, and everyone celebrates the end of high school and the onset of maturity. So, it’s no surprise that lots of young men and women like to rent special cars for prom to complement their suits or dresses. Nothing says “style” like showing up in a hot new car for a special night.

But since prom is so important, not just any car will do. You wouldn’t want to show up at your date’s house to take them to prom in a beaten-down Nissan Altima from 2003, right?

Let’s break down how you can choose the right car for your prom car rental to “wow” your date and your classmates when you finally arrive!

Define Your Budget

First and foremost, you wanted to figure out any budget limitations you have for your prom car rental. 

Prom nights can already be pretty expensive, as you have to pay for:

• Your suit or dress
• A corsage or other accessories
• Food, if you and your date will be eating out instead of eating at the prom’s location
• Other things, ranging from gifts to pictures and more

On top of all that, it might also cost you something to attend prom itself depending on the policy of your school. Because of these factors, you may not want to splurge too much cash on a car rental for prom since it’s just one night. Perhaps some of that cash could go to other things, like saving for college or a new laptop.

But there’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to budget. Some teenagers really want to make their prom night something special, and they may have some budgetary assistance from their parents. In that case, the sky’s the limit! Our advice is simply to define a budget before you go shopping for a great car rental so that you know what you can reasonably afford.

What Car Type Is Best for Prom?

Naturally, you’ll want to choose the right type of car for your prom night. As noted above, dull vehicles or commercial vehicles (like the van your father uses for his business) aren’t the best choices. You might as well borrow your parents’ cars in that case.

Instead, you’ll want to go with exotic or classic vehicles, including:

• Cars of an earlier make and model or an earlier generation. Some of these can be rented for as little as several hundred dollars for a single night out, especially if you know a collector or someone who owns such a vehicle instead of an agency.
• Sports cars, including convertibles (a particularly nice touch if your prom date is scheduled for nice weather and you can take the top down).
• “Exotic” cars like Ferraris or other European models. Note that these cars can be pretty expensive, and you’ll deftly want to be careful driving them!
• You can’t go wrong with a limousine, especially if you and your friends want to pool your cash together to rent a limo for a single night of fun. This can be a great way to be budget-friendly while still enjoying the high life before you all head off to college.

Check the Features and Seats

Are you going to prom with just yourself and your date, or are you bringing a larger party around? In the latter case, a limousine is probably the best choice. But you can also get away with larger vehicles like fancy trucks or cars that have at least four seats for you, your date, and two other people.

You’ll also want to think about the features or inclusions the car has, including:

• The music setup: does the car have a subwoofer and/or stereo so you can blast music as you party?
• What’s the fridge situation? If you are renting a limo, does it come stocked with food and beverages, or are those extra?
• Are the seats warmed if your prom happens to take place on a particularly cold night?
• And so on…

Since you’re going to the trouble of renting a car for prom, you might as well dive deep into your rental options and see what each has to offer. Generally speaking, the more features and inclusions the rental car comes with, the more expensive it will be. Keep this in mind if you are trying to keep to a relatively tight budget.

Consider Parking Availability

Lastly, pick your car for prom while considering the parking availability for the prom venue. Some prom venues are very cramped when it comes to parking spaces, so larger vehicles like trucks and limos might be really hard to swing.

If you’re renting a limo for the night, you’ll need a place to park it while you and your friends party inside the prom venue. But if you don’t have a place to park the limo, you run the risk of a ticket or another infraction. Even worse, if you park your limo or another fancy rental car in a sketchy area, the vehicle might get stolen, and you’ll be on the hook for way more cash than you originally thought!

Because of all these possibilities, it’s only a good idea to rent a car that you’re sure you’ll be able to park. Standard-sized, stylish classic or European model vehicles are favorites for this reason, as they fit in standard parking spaces (provided that you get to prom on time, that is).

Should You Pay for Insurance?

When renting a car for prom, you’ll be offered the opportunity to insure your vehicle. It’s always a good idea to do this.

The risk of your fancy prom car getting stolen might be high depending on where your prom takes place and what car you rent. On top of that, prom nights are full of teenagers who may not have the best driving experience. If you get into a fender bender or a more serious wreck with one of them, you don’t want to be on the hook for thousands of dollars’ worth of damage.

Insurance from your rental agency will certainly be a little pricey upfront, but it’s well worth the peace of mind and financial security you’ll get in exchange. Of course, you can also simply hire a limousine and a driver to take you and your friends around town, but that’s much more expensive than renting a limousine and driving it yourself.

A Night To Remember

All in all, renting a car for prom is a great idea if you want to impress your date, chauffeur you and your friends around to places after prom, or simply splurge on the most fun, exciting day of the year! But remember to keep each of the above factors in mind so you choose the perfect car for your prom’s parking situation, your budget limit, and your party size.

Not sure where to start your search? Fortunately, Advantage has a host of luxury vehicles that might be perfect for your prom date, including several sports cars and convertibles. Even better, when you rent a car from Advantage, you’ll enjoy discounted rates and maximum schedule flexibility.

Sources:

Prom: How much do teens spend?! | USA Today
Oscars 2015: Secrets of the limo drivers | BBC
How Many Different Types of Limousines Are There? | WRCBtv