Five tips to save on rental cars during the summer driving season

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When going on a summer vacation, it may be humanly impossible to drive your own car (think Hawaii) or driving simply would rob too much time from your travel plans. In any case, unless you’re visiting a major city with great public transportation, you’ll probably need to rent a car. And because car rental prices can make a major dent in your vacation budget, we think good and timely advice is warranted.

The travel discount site Hotwire.com has listed five car-rental tips to help you save money despite rising rates across the country. Car rental companies normally boost their fleet during the summer to meet increased demand, but the folks at Hotwire say that the recession means a smaller inventory this year, which in turn is causing higher rates than usual. In fact, rates have risen 15% in the last year and are expected to peak this month, with a long wait for prices to decrease in late August.

Here are Hotwire’s five tips for saving money on your car rental:

1. If you see a good rate, reserve it right away. Rates are going to stay high through August.

2. Rent on weekends. The weekends offer more inventory (and lower prices), after business travelers have gone home for the week.

3. Rent as far away from the airport as possible. Hotwire says that sacrificing convenience can save you money, as off-airport and local rental centers often have lower taxes and fees.

4. Fill up the tank before returning the car. Rental centers will charge higher rates than you would pay at the station if you forget to fill up.

5. Book on opaque websites. Naturally, Hotwire will give a little shout-out to itself on this list, but the advice is sound: by choosing the car category and pick-up/drop-off times without knowing the exact car rental company, opaque sites like Hotwire can give you discounts up to 40% off – with rates from $14.95 a day.

-- Kelsey Ramos

Instead of renting a car at an airport, save money by using off-airport and local rental centers, which often have lower taxes and fees. Credit: Richard Derk / Los Angeles Times