Hiring a Car in Toronto airport
 

Good Morning folks,

My wife and I are taking a trip to Ontario next week and we need to hire a car in order to travel around independently.
I have a full clean UK licence.
Can anybody give us any hints or tips please as the car hire companies can take you for a ride - (Excuse the pun!!).

Re: Hiring a Car in Toronto airport
 

I always use Hertz but, regardless, you can probably decline all the insurance coverages as your credit card likely has provision for this. The coverages are tens of dollars a day.

Re: Hiring a Car in Toronto airport
 

Try Priceline and type in either Etobicoke or Mississauga as your start destination. I believe that Toronto airport may have a high airport tax but it may only be applied if you pick up at the airport. A quick taxi ride could give you savings from the high airport prices.

Agree that you should decline CDW if your credit card carries it.

https://www.priceline.com/rentalcars...95271&plf=PCLN

Before you commit with Priceline, confirm if those prices are in US or CDN $

Here is another good site
https://www.hotwire.com/car/index.jsp

Re: Hiring a Car in Toronto airport
 

Thanks Guys. I will give these options a whirl.
Many thanks for help!!

Re: Hiring a Car in Toronto airport
 

If you have a Costco membership, there is a discount discount and upgrade coupon for Budget.

Enterprise I have found to be difficult and more expensive and Budget the easiest and lowest cost. In the UK Enterprise take a security deposit off your card, each time with FX when it was refunded I was $30 or so worse off. You also get the car with whatever fuel is in it and bring it back with the same or more. Do the same here, most other companies rent full and you return full, much easier.

Airport rental cost more than downtown locations. Get a hotel bus from the airport and pick up a car from near your hotel. Many rental companies will pick you up from your hotel.

European credit cards I don't believe have rental car coverage, it seems this is a NA thing.

Re: Hiring a Car in Toronto airport
 

We've used the following the last couple of times we've been back to the UK. First time we got a Hertz rental, second was from Enterprise.

Cheap Car Rentals, Best Prices Guaranteed! - rentalcars.com

Re: Hiring a Car in Toronto airport
 

At Pearson I've always found Enterprise good and usually get free upgrades. They're usually cheaper than most Enterprise locations downtown, so when I'd have to rent it was always worth my while traveling out to the airport to get a rental.

Re: Hiring a Car in Toronto airport
 

Make sure to refill before getting into the airport road network...there's no gas stations once you're on the loop!

Re: Hiring a Car in Toronto airport
 

IME if you decline all coverage (including CDW), the rental company will place a hold of a few thousand on your card. We went to decline CDW (in Ireland) but they wanted to place a hold of 3,500 euro on the card. YMMV, obviously.

Re: Hiring a Car in Toronto airport
 

sorry but I am a little confused with your post. Did you say hire inside with Enterprise or seek a downtown depot??

Re: Hiring a Car in Toronto airport
 

Cheers Haggis.

Re: Hiring a Car in Toronto airport
 

Never had that happen. Always decline their insurance as I have CC and ICBC rental coverage and it was just marked as such on the rental form.

In NA they put a hold on $200, in the UK Enterprise took £200 off the card and put it back on when I returned the car. With the FX, I got back $30 less than I was charged. Also had too much fuel in the car, so much prefer full out and full back.

Re: Hiring a Car in Toronto airport
 

I always use Alamo as they don't (haven't had them yet anyhow) take anything above what the total cost is, so if the rental cost with tax is 175 they only hold 175 and not the cost of the rental + whatever random amount it was.

When I rented last from Enterprise they held the cost of the rental + 10% deposit with a minimum of 200, so if the rental is short or less then 200, they hold an additional 200, so I avoid Enterprise for that reason.

Airport locations are not always more, have to shop around. In Vancouver, I find it cheaper to rent at YVR then the downtown or in city locations, sometimes by quite a lot of money.

I always decline the rental company coverage as we have it through ICBC and it has never caused any issues.

Re: Hiring a Car in Toronto airport
 

They did an actual charge and not just a pre-auth?

Re: Hiring a Car in Toronto airport
 

IN the UK they did. In NA it is a hold.