Fredbargate

Hi folks just popping over from Gibraltar ( Spain forum )

Last September we drove around New England onto Motreal and down to Toronto and Niagara before returning to Boston.

In May we drove SFO to Yosemite, Death Valley,Vegas ,the Canyon and then up to Yellowstone returning to SFO via the California coast.

We are now planning to drive from Miami to New York and here comes the QUESTION
Is it possible to avoid or at least lower the one way charge on a hire car?

davejenk477

Hi, a few years ago we drove from Miami to Ohio and managed to avoid the one way fee because of the time of year. It was late May and the rental company wanted to get cars from Florida back to the northern states, so had a special offer for that month waiving the fee. Apparently people drive them down there then fly back.

I think this was with Enterprise, but I don't know if this is a regular thing or if we were just lucky!

tonrob

Check every combination of company and also pick up and drop off location you can muster the energy to search. Note how the fees will really vary depending on these. I have avoided one-way fees by simply picking a drop-off location in a different part of a city to the one I was initially intending to drop. It can feel a bit like finding a needle in a haystack, and sometimes you never find the needle, but I have saved hundreds on drop-off fees over the years by following this methodical approach.

Pulaski

And presumably picking different pick up locations near where you're starting from? .... The permutations could be almost endless. ..... I also imagine it might vary by vehicle model/class.. ... the rental company might not appreciate you taking one of the premium saloon cars or teeny-weeny urban cars thousands of miles away.

Thinking about it, the needle you're looking for might be a journey around the same time in the opposite direction that has already been booked, such that the rental company can pocket a one-way fee and get the car returned to its starting point for no cost (to the rental company).

Michael

That would probably be a good business to start up where you match people that each wants to drive cars in the opposite direction with drop off and pickup on the same day. Then you put out bids to car rental companies for the round trip but includes two parties.

sir_eccles

Why would the rental company agree to be out of pocket for two "one way" fees?

Michael

They are guaranteed that the car is returned to where it was rented and if they don't want to eliminate or reduce the one way fees, in a capitalist society, another company may.

I don't think a car can remain permanently in another state since it isn't registered there and I'm not even sure if they can rent it for local use since I've never rented a car with an out of state license plate. It would be interesting to know what restrictions rental companies are under for out of state cars.

Pulaski

??? Huh, really?

Maybe it's the size of the CA market, or a CA law, but many, perhaps most, cars I have rented are not registered in the state where I rented them.

I have no idea what the law in NC, or elsewhere says, but I have noticed that most (all?) Penske rental trucks are registered in Indiana, IIRC.

rpjs

The only time we ever rented a car for a long road trip, and this was some years back, was from Philly to NC back to Philly and it had NC plates. I think that was pure coincidence but it was good protective colouring for some of the more Appalachian bits!

Bob

I agree, must trucks/cars aren't registered in our state either, but some midwestern state, or where ever company is HQ'ed...it gets them out of paying higher registration/taxes too and possibly inspection issues..

andrewlohnes

I rented a car in DC last year and drove it to LA, it was registered in Maryland and I had to pay a nice $500 one way fee. The hire company was Hertz.

MarylandNed

I've often rented cars that had out of state plates.

Fredbargate

Thanks everyone for your replies, $500 is the surcharge I am being quoted.

I'm off to Portugal next weekend followed by a trip to Northern Italy and Switzerland.
On my return I will start serious planning for the Miami to New York trip.

md95065

They most certainly can and do.

I have an Avis rental car right now, rented in California, which has out of state plates.

One way out of state rentals would be prohibitively expensive if the rental company couldn't rent the vehicle again until it was returned to its home state.

Pulaski

Maybe the one-way rental fee could be used to reregister the car locally?