New York is the city where you people love to rent a car in their need instead of owning a car. As public transportations and taxi service are widely available and parking is very hard to find as well as very expensive, most New Yorkers love to rent a car when they need it instead of buying a car and paying much money for parking and insurance. In this article I will be talking about ins and outs of renting a car in New York.
HOW YOU CAN RENT A CAR
Renting a car is very easy in New York city. No matter which part of the city you live in, you will find lots of rental options available in your area. You can go to any local rental service stores like Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Hertz or you can use online car rentals like Zipcar, Expedia, Turo and so on. Every car rental will give you their best service and you will feel comfortable with their vehicles. You will never face any issue with your color, race, disability and sex.
DOCUMENTS YOU NEED TO RENT A CAR
When you rent a car they will ask you for a couple documents. You must need to have a valid Driving licence. For foreigners they may ask for a passport or any other identification document. If you want to add your spouse as another driver, He or She has to be present with the driving licence.
For payment you need to have a credit card or a debit card. Some rentals ask for two utility bills under your name in case of Payment with debit card.
BEST CAR RENTALS IN NEW YORK : (OUR TOP 5 PICKS)
1. ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR
Enterprise has most of the locations available in New York City. They have more working hours and a great collection of new vehicles. You can rent a car without booking an appointment in advance. Just go to their location and wait a couple minutes in the line. They also have a nice renting policy with unlimited mileage and reasonable daily rate with full coverage. They have cars in different sizes and brands. You can choose anyone from the available cars in their parking lots.
You only need your driver licence and the state ID during your rental. You can pay with your credit card or debit card. But in terms of debit cards you have to give them two copies of utility bills on your name.
Whenever I rent a car from Enterprise I rent a sedan standard size and it costs me only $130-$140 for 24 hours. They also hold $300 for security that will be released after you return the rental. So, for local car renting I would definitely recommend everyone to go to Enterprise for a better experience.
Visit Enterprise Rent-a-car for more information about the rentals and locations available in New York City.
2. ZIPCAR
Zipcar is the best option in my opinion. This is a rental app you can always keep in your smartphone. Zipcar’s cars are available everywhere in New York City. You don’t go to any specific location. You just simply open your app and look for cars near you and they will show you the cars within your walking distance. These cars are parked on any local street parking and all municipal parking lots have a spot for Zipcars.
Zipcar is very simple to use. You can just open an account in the app and upload your driving license. They will review it within one hour, but basically they review and approve it within 10 minutes if everything is fine. They have a $35 registration fee for the first time and a $9 monthly charge for your membership. You can rent a car according to your needs. You can rent for 1 hour or for the whole month.
Zipcar pricing is based on every hour and the car size. If you rent a car for 8 hours you will pay the hourly rate but this is the same as 24 hours. So I recommend everyone to rent a car for 24 hours to have more fun with the same budget. You can also select the insurance policy during your purchase. You can extend the trip if you want or you can cancel the trip with full refund before the mentioned time on your purchase.
You can inspect the car before starting your journey and report any issue to Zipcar by taking a picture.
The most amazing thing about using Zipcar is that the fuel is free. You can refill the tank with the Zipcar credit card that will be available in visor. They also provide roadside assistance and a very quick helpline.
According to me, Zipcar is the most easy and reliable car rental in New York City. If you join ZIPCAR using my referral link you will get $25 driving credit. Join Now!
3. EXPEDIA
Expedia is a famous platform for travel and tourism. They provide flight, hotel bookings, travel packages as well as car rental service. They have all types of car including SUV, Midsize, Small and Standard.
Using Expedia is easy and reliable. You can book the car any time or advance to save money. Select the car in your choice with the date, time and location and reserve it with all your information. You can pay later at the time of your pickup. Most of the locations for Expedia are in the airport’s rental parking, so you have to pick up the car from the designated parking lot and drop it off at the same location or any other location you have selected during your booking.
Expedia provides the cheap price on car renting and the insurance for Expedia is only $10 for each day. So the rental will be very reasonable. The only thing you have to do is go to the airport parking lots for the pick up and drop off.
You can easily visit Expedia online or Download the apps on your phone to use it.
4. KYTE
Most of the people are not familiar with KYTE in New York but they are the only Car rentals in New York who provide the cheapest price on renting. You can rent a car for only $24 a day. With a variety of collections you will get a comfortable ride for your needs.
KYTE is good for long term rental. If you need a car for one week or more than that and you have planned the trip in advance then you can go with KYTE. If you book the KYTE in advance you get a cheaper price and more options to choose from.
KYTE also delivers the car or you can pick up the car from their location. They charge extra for delivering the car, So I think picking up from their location is a nice way to save money.
They also provide three different insurance policies. Standard protection, Essential protection and Your own insurance policy. If you want a long term booking my suggestion is to go with the standard protection.
Visit KYTE or download the app on your phone to book the car for your long journey.
5. TURO
Turo is a renowned car rental platform where local people list their car to rent. The pricing is selected by the vehicle owner. You can browse for cars near your location. You can see the reviews from the previous riders. This is very important in the case of renting from TURO.
TURO is also accessible from airports. You can select the delivery location for the airport arrival and the ride will be delivered there. It will cost you extra money for that. You can also select your home address to deliver the car.
They offer three different insurance policies for the car you book on TURO. You should review everything and select the perfect insurance for you.
RENTING A CAR IN AIRPORTS
You can book a car in any airport. Both airports JFK and Laguardia have separate parking lots available for car rental services. All car rental services mentioned above serve in the airport area. You can simply book a car using Expedia, Turo, Zipcar in their apps right after you land. Enterprise has their own location available nearby airports. You can pick up and drop the car off at the same location after your trip. Car rental near airports may be a little more expensive but it is worth it.
HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON RENTING A CAR
During your car rentals in New York City, if you follow some tips you can save money on renting a car.
- Shop for prices on KAYAK. This is a website where you can see the pricing of different cars from different car rental services. Check which rental is providing less pricing every day.
- Try to rent an economy car. Economy cars cost less money than other cars and they are comfortable for a small family.
- Look for discounts and coupons during renting. Zipcar offers coupons for different occasions and weekends. You can always collect coupon codes for discounts.
- Try avoiding weekends. On weekends there are more demands on cars as everyone likes to travel. So plan your trip during weekdays. You can definitely save more money.
- Plan your trip and book your car in advance. Instant car booking may cost you more money. If you book your car in advance you will get a cheaper price.
- Avoid adding extras. Rentals will ask you to add extras for your trip. Always avoid adding them , this is just a trick of making more money for the car rental companies.
- Stick with one driver because an additional driver will cost you at least $15 per day.
- Use WAZE to avoid any violation during your trip.
INSURANCE POLICIES
It is illegal to drive a car without insurance and rental cars will not allow you to book a car until you add insurance. Most of the car rentals offer 3 different insurance policies. Liability, Damage protection and Standard protection. I personally request everyone to select the Standard protection or the Full coverage to avoid any risk.
If you are under 25 years old, car rentals will charge you extra surcharge for being a young driver.
You can also add your own insurance. But you have to work with them if any claim needs to be submitted.
RULES TO FOLLOW
When you rent a car in New York you need to follow some rules.
- You have to be at least 18 years old and hold a valid driving licence.
- You need to have a credit card with enough limit to cover your rental cost. If you don’t have a credit card let the car rental know 3-4 days before so they can go through a screening process to accept your cash payments.
- Follow all traffic and parking rules. You will be responsible for any violation during your booking period. They may charge you a processing fee for your violation tickets.
- If you are from any other country you need to keep your passport and international driving licence with you during your car rental.
- Read the full agreement and ask them if you have any questions regarding your rental policy before you book the car.
- Follow the speed limit on the roads. Default speed limit in New York streets is 25 mph.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. Is it a good idea to rent a car in New York City?
New York is a city where you can visit the whole city with easy public transportation. You don’t need to rent a car for regular activities. You only need to rent a car when you plan to go somewhere far with your friends or family.
2. Do I need a car when travelling to New York City?
No. New York is a city where you never need to rent a car. There are subways and MTA bus service to every single street of the city. Also city taxis, uber and lyft are available everywhere.
3. Which is the best car rental service in New York City?
For long term rental Enterprise Rent-a-car is best in New York and for Short term rental you can always use Zipcar.
4. What do you need to rent a car in New York?
You just need to be at least 18 years old with a valid driving licence.
5. How much does it cost to rent a car in New York?
Car rental costs vary from the rental service, car size , model and brand. It will cost around $130 per day with full protection coverage.
6. Can my spouse drive my rental car?
Yes, if your spouse is 18 years old and has a valid driving licence he or she can drive the car.
7. Is it cheap to rent a car in New York or New Jersey?
It is cheap to rent a car in New Jersey. The car cost you $130 per day in New York will be $80 per day in New Jersey.
8. Can a foreigner rent a car in New York?
Yes, a foreigner with a valid international driving licence can rent a car in New York city. He may have to show his passport during the rental.
9. What are the best places in New York to visit with a car?
New York is the greatest tourist attraction in the world with thousands of places to see and do different activities with your friends and family. You can visit all the major tourist attraction near by New York City and The State with your car. You can also visit my another article about 10 Best Places to Visit in New York in 2024 to learn more about best tourist attractions in New York.
