How Much To Rent a Car for a Week?

When you go to pick-up your rental car, one of the most important things to consider is how much it’ll cost you overall. After all, the price of car rental reservations can impact how long you can be on vacation, what type of car you can afford, your destination (Florida, national parks, California, Hawaii, Alaska, and Arizona all have different pricing, for example) refueling, and more. Many Americans need to rent a car for more than a day, and some need a spare set of wheels for even up to a week or longer. That’s why you need to look for good car rental deals from rental car companies. 

So, just how much is it to rent a car for a week on average? Turns out, the answer to this question is a little more complex than you may expect.

Factors That Influence Car Rental Prices

There isn’t any single thing that determines how much it costs to rent a car, whether for a week, a day, or a month. Instead, multiple factors (surcharges, customer facility charge, rental car insurance, higher prices, unlimited mileage, liability insurance, satellite radio usage, conveniences, etc.) can affect the prices that rental agencies charge, both for long-term rentals and for day-to-day rental prices. Let’s take a look at these factors one by one.

Car Type/Age

Firstly, a vehicle’s type and age will necessarily impact its rental price. If a rental agency purchases a relatively new, stylish car for rentals, the agency will then need to charge a higher price for each rental customer in order to pay back the cost of that purchase. Economy cars are the most common when it comes to vehicle supply, and often the cheapest. Exotic cars, like Lamborghinis, fetch even high prices!

In contrast, older, more worn-down cars are probably either completely paid off or are closer to being paid off. Because of this, rental agencies will charge lower prices for such vehicles. On top of that, people are not likely to spend more money on older cars than they will on newer, more desired cars, such as a Jeep Wrangler. It’s important to be aware of this before you get to the rental counter.

Therefore, if you want to rent a car for a week while remaining within your budget, opting for a lesser-known or less popular model is a great way to save some cash. You can prioritize how well the car drives, the number of miles it has, and other, more practical attributes rather than how new or fancy it looks.

Rental Location

Additionally, car rental prices can significantly be affected by rental location. For example, if a rental customer wishes to rent a specific rental vehicle, but the car company has to drive that rental vehicle from one lot to the other, the customer will have to pay more to account for the time and energy needed to make that happen.

Generally, you’ll save money if you rent a car for a week if the car in question is at the lot you plan to pick it up from. Rental agency locations can also impact price – it’s not uncommon to find two of the same car listed for different rental prices from different rental agency locations within the same city.

Different agency spots have different profit margins, different pricing requirements, and even different tax rates. This can all impact how much they charge on a day-to-day or week-to-week rental basis.

Rental Time

Lastly, how long you plan to rent a car will also affect its overall price. When you rent a car for a week, you can oftentimes choose to rent the car for those seven days outright. This will usually save you a little bit of money.

However, if you aren’t sure how long you’ll need the car and rent it on a day-to-day basis, you might pay more in the long run if you end up renting it for seven days or longer. Therefore, it’s usually smarter to plan out your car rentals ahead and book the car for the entire duration of your trip or rental needs.

This is cheaper in many cases because it lets rental companies plan their rental blocks more easily.

Average Car Rental Price in the US

Determining the average rental car price in the US is tough because different sites and sources cite varying numbers. According to the travel booking resource Kayak, the average low ball rental price for a car in the US is around $12 per day at the bare minimum. However, the actual price for renting a car per day can range from $12 per day to $270 per day and even more.

On average, you can expect to pay around $30-$50 per day for a good-quality rental vehicle. Many rental agencies will allow you to rent a car for a week in advance. Assuming that a car rental is about $40 per day for the vehicle, not accounting for taxes or other fees like insurance coverage, you can expect to pay $280 to rent a car for a week if it is a lesser-known model or not as important for the agency.

Keep in mind that many factors will add to your average car rental price, like:

• The car’s fees
• Whether you’re under 25 (in which case you’ll be charged an extra young driver fee)
• Whether you have driver’s insurance
• Whether you choose to take advantage of other insurance packages offered by the rental agency
• Adding passengers to be able to drive the car

Why Are Car Rental Rates Higher?

At the moment, many people report that car rental rates are higher than they have been in several years. There are a few key reasons for this:

• For one, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly changed travel and commuting patterns for millions of Americans over more than a year. As a result, car rental agencies lost a lot of money because they were not bringing in as many profits as before
• Because of this, many rental agencies were forced to sell or abandon their vehicles if they weren’t being used
• As car rental agencies have rebuilt their fleets and wind back up to a normal business routine, they have had to take out loans to purchase those cars. This, in turn, has influenced rental prices across the board
• Other rental companies are taking advantage of the increased demand for rental vehicles. They are increasing prices because people want to go out and travel or enjoy vacations more now that the pandemic is winding down

Because of all these factors, car rental rates are a little higher than usual. But we may see rental rates decrease over the next year or two back to standard prices.

Should You Rent By the Day or Week?

Generally, if you wish to save money, you should rent by the week if you know that you’ll use the car for around seven days. Depending on the agency you contact, it could even be cheaper to rent the car for seven days in a bulk package than it would be to rent the car for six days in a row over and over again.

However, this rule is not ironclad for every rental agency. You should contact rental companies in your area about their prices and packages to determine what is really the most affordable choice for your needs and budget limits.

Summary

No matter how long you need to rent a car, Advantage Rent-a-Car is the go-to resource for folks just like you. We have a diverse fleet of high-quality rental vehicles, many of which can be picked up at convenient locations, like major metropolitan airports.

Need to rent a car for a week or more? Contact us today to inquire about rates, special packages, and more!

Sources:

Car Rentals in United States from $17/day | Search for Rental Cars on KAYAK
Planning to rent a car? It’s going to cost you. | Marketplace
Why Are Rental Cars So Expensive? | Washington Post