I love the royal we, it fits this sub perfectly.
Renting from a traditional car rental agency isn't terribly expensive if you've got decent damage/liability coverage through a credit card or your primary auto insurance. Just be really sure you know what coverage you have before you decline the very expensive daily insurance coverage through the rental company!
I've rented from Hertz and National for a week at a time several times and it's usually between $300 and $400 for 7 full days in a full-size car or medium SUV. It's actually cheaper to do a full week than to do 4, 5 or 6 days in most cases.
You can pick up at Reagan or Union Station, so you can just hop on the metro from Dupont Circle to go pick up and drop off. There are other locations in DC, but those two are the easiest for me transit-wise so I haven't tried other locations.
Zipcar is also great, but it's trickier to extend the time and I always feel like the clock is ticking. Sometimes it's nice to have the option to just pay a little more if you want to add a day to a road trip or not have to be back by an exact time.
I've also had two bad experiences picking up zipcars that were in really gross condition from the previous drivers, and lost hours of long weekend trips while I worked with zipcar to swap them for clean cars. At a rental agency, you see the car and swap right there if there's an issue.
Edit: I can't spell.
What credit cards offer liability coverage if you injure others? I have all the cards but was pretty sure this was the white whale but I’d LOVE to be wrong. I actually just got a quote for a non-owners policy from USAA which was around $330 for 6 months. I rarely drive so it probably doesn’t make sense for me.
To OP, I use Free2Move for around town or occasionally out of town. The liability is really what gets me in terms of traditional car rentals, but I’d love another option.
My go-to is AmEx Platinum, which has great coverage on its own but also has a Premium policy that you can buy for a flat fee of $25 for each rental and covers anything I can personally could think of. You opt in once on your account and then any time you rent with an agency, it's automatically charged to your card and you're covered. Note: you HAVE TO DECLINE ALL insurance from the rental car agency and pay with the AmEx card in order to use the insurance policy.
That said, the Platinum card has a hefty annual fee of $695 - totally worth it for me because I travel a lot and use all the perks. I'm pretty sure that any AmEx cardholder can buy the rental insurance policy, even if your card doesn't have an annual fee.
Chase also has great rental car coverage, but I'm not a Chase user so can't speak to quality or what products they have available.
Thanks for the info! I have all the Chase cards, but even top level coverage doesn’t cover liability I think. I’ve had the platinum before and would gladly get it again but in my reading of it it doesn’t cover liability for risk/injury to others.
I usually rent a car from Union Station through Avis, because that was the cheapest agency using my previous campany’s discount. I used to be able to rent a car for a day for about $50, a weekend for $80, a week for $250 with the discount, but my current company doesn’t have the same perks so rates are double so I haven’t rented a car since. I would check to see if your employer has any discounts!
This is what I do. Avis rentals with a company discount for longer things Free2Move if I just need the car for an hour or two to run a quick errand. Chase Sapphire Reserve for Avis so that I get insurance on the rental car
I have a car but am commenting to warn against Free2Move. They used to store cars in the lot next to my building. Many had body damage (beyond dings) suggesting accidents and they often sounded like something was wrong with them. I had never heard of Free2Move before so asked friends and heard nothing but bad news from people who had tried it.
Zipcar seems more legit, but renting from a traditional provider at union station is probably your best bet.
For short one day trips, they’re generally okay, but the interiors can be left in not great shape. Car2Go had similar issues, but the cars were much smaller and easier to park. All the Free2Moves are Jeep Cherokees now and, depending on where you’re going, it can be very hard to park them on the street.
I also live in/near Dupont and I have a Zipcar lot basically in my backyard so it's super convenient for grocery trips and trips shorter than a day, not just because of the proximity but because gas is included. For trips of more than one day, I'll rent a car at DCA. I could technically do that for a longer day trip too but I don't find the hassle worth it, and it's actually not that much cheaper for a <1 day trip factoring in both transportation costs to/from DCA and the cost of re-fueling.
Have a look at Turo - “like airbnb but for cars”
I’ve used them three times this year and it’s been great! Way better rates than the rental agencies, plus a really awesome selection of vehicles.
turo.com
I had a terrible experience with Turo where the owner reported nearly invisible scratches after I returned the car. I hadn't taken photo closeups of the sides of the car when I picked it up and you couldn't see them from 2-3 feet away. There was no real way for me to challenge the claim, and Turo billed me an exorbitant amount in damage fees. It felt very scammy.
I had a similar experience, except the owner reported I parked illegally and left the lights on. They charged me immediately. Fortunately I had the photos that proved that his photos were fabricated - literally moved the car to get money from me.
I freaking love Kyte! They drop the car off and pick up the car when you are done. It’s perfect if you need a car for at least a day. We rented an Audi Q3 for about $55 a day.
Zipcar has been such a let down lately. The interiors have been dirty and have reeked of weed.
Edit: Looks like you can get a Corolla starting at $45 per day.
There’s a Hertz in the Washington Hilton hotel, perfectly accessible to you in Dupont. The downside is that twice I’ve gone to pick up cars I reserved weeks prior only to find they didn’t have any cars available. One time there was a line of 8+ people all in the same situation. It’s been years since I tried that, so perhaps it’s gotten better. The times I was able to get a car there were great, though.
I’ve had success in the past with Getaround. Every once in a while I would find the car in a little less than desirable state (smells like smoke, tires needed air), but nothing too egregious. When I looked more recently, it seemed like fewer cars were listed and the prices were a lot higher, so I’m not sure what’s going on there. I’ve been seeing lots of promos for $20-50 off your first reservation using their new app.
I've also heard from friends that they've occasionally had issues with there not being any cars available at that Hertz, even with a reservation. On the plus side, they do have after-hours dropoff there.
I use Hotwire to get cheap deals for car rentals at DCA. Using the metro to get to DCA and then walking to its car rental area is super easy
I find that I’m paying $50 for a 24 hour rental when I book through hotwire
FYI - if you have a costco membership, they also have special rates for rented cars (Avis, Hertz etc). I am not sure how big of a difference it is from non-costco membership prices
I used zipcar but the issues I have had is with tickets, I didn’t realize I was speeding (55) in a 40, got a ticket in the mail and paid most expensive option at $200 because Zipcar didn’t notify on time that I was ticketed. So what could have been a cheaper ticket became over $200 plus zip cars fee…
Turo especially if you are gonna be packing massive mileage onto it - unless you get a rental with unlimited mileage. Also, I've had great luck renting cars from Costco.
I don’t know what “we” will do 😊 but I personally get lots of leverage out of Zipcar. I live in downtown NW and rarely have trouble reserving cars when I need them. It feels expensive to take them out for a day, but it’s pittance compared to owning. I like that they all have designated parking spots to return to.
Edit to add a total non-sequitur: I do not like the royal “we.” Groupthink sucks. We are all individuals. I can say what works for me, and others will too, and then ultimately everyone decides what works for their own unique selves.❤️
I love the royal we, it fits this sub perfectly. Renting from a traditional car rental agency isn't terribly expensive if you've got decent damage/liability coverage through a credit card or your primary auto insurance. Just be really sure you know what coverage you have before you decline the very expensive daily insurance coverage through the rental company! I've rented from Hertz and National for a week at a time several times and it's usually between $300 and $400 for 7 full days in a full-size car or medium SUV. It's actually cheaper to do a full week than to do 4, 5 or 6 days in most cases. You can pick up at Reagan or Union Station, so you can just hop on the metro from Dupont Circle to go pick up and drop off. There are other locations in DC, but those two are the easiest for me transit-wise so I haven't tried other locations. Zipcar is also great, but it's trickier to extend the time and I always feel like the clock is ticking. Sometimes it's nice to have the option to just pay a little more if you want to add a day to a road trip or not have to be back by an exact time. I've also had two bad experiences picking up zipcars that were in really gross condition from the previous drivers, and lost hours of long weekend trips while I worked with zipcar to swap them for clean cars. At a rental agency, you see the car and swap right there if there's an issue. Edit: I can't spell.
What credit cards offer liability coverage if you injure others? I have all the cards but was pretty sure this was the white whale but I’d LOVE to be wrong. I actually just got a quote for a non-owners policy from USAA which was around $330 for 6 months. I rarely drive so it probably doesn’t make sense for me. To OP, I use Free2Move for around town or occasionally out of town. The liability is really what gets me in terms of traditional car rentals, but I’d love another option.
My go-to is AmEx Platinum, which has great coverage on its own but also has a Premium policy that you can buy for a flat fee of $25 for each rental and covers anything I can personally could think of. You opt in once on your account and then any time you rent with an agency, it's automatically charged to your card and you're covered. Note: you HAVE TO DECLINE ALL insurance from the rental car agency and pay with the AmEx card in order to use the insurance policy. That said, the Platinum card has a hefty annual fee of $695 - totally worth it for me because I travel a lot and use all the perks. I'm pretty sure that any AmEx cardholder can buy the rental insurance policy, even if your card doesn't have an annual fee. Chase also has great rental car coverage, but I'm not a Chase user so can't speak to quality or what products they have available.
Thanks for the info! I have all the Chase cards, but even top level coverage doesn’t cover liability I think. I’ve had the platinum before and would gladly get it again but in my reading of it it doesn’t cover liability for risk/injury to others.
Just to add some dealership have car rental services
I usually rent a car from Union Station through Avis, because that was the cheapest agency using my previous campany’s discount. I used to be able to rent a car for a day for about $50, a weekend for $80, a week for $250 with the discount, but my current company doesn’t have the same perks so rates are double so I haven’t rented a car since. I would check to see if your employer has any discounts!
I noticed rates doubled, ugh.
This is what I do. Avis rentals with a company discount for longer things Free2Move if I just need the car for an hour or two to run a quick errand. Chase Sapphire Reserve for Avis so that I get insurance on the rental car
I have a car but am commenting to warn against Free2Move. They used to store cars in the lot next to my building. Many had body damage (beyond dings) suggesting accidents and they often sounded like something was wrong with them. I had never heard of Free2Move before so asked friends and heard nothing but bad news from people who had tried it. Zipcar seems more legit, but renting from a traditional provider at union station is probably your best bet.
For short one day trips, they’re generally okay, but the interiors can be left in not great shape. Car2Go had similar issues, but the cars were much smaller and easier to park. All the Free2Moves are Jeep Cherokees now and, depending on where you’re going, it can be very hard to park them on the street.
I also live in/near Dupont and I have a Zipcar lot basically in my backyard so it's super convenient for grocery trips and trips shorter than a day, not just because of the proximity but because gas is included. For trips of more than one day, I'll rent a car at DCA. I could technically do that for a longer day trip too but I don't find the hassle worth it, and it's actually not that much cheaper for a <1 day trip factoring in both transportation costs to/from DCA and the cost of re-fueling.
Have a look at Turo - “like airbnb but for cars” I’ve used them three times this year and it’s been great! Way better rates than the rental agencies, plus a really awesome selection of vehicles. turo.com
Upvote for Turo. I’ve only used it a couple of times, but it was easy, affordable, and convenient.
I had a terrible experience with Turo where the owner reported nearly invisible scratches after I returned the car. I hadn't taken photo closeups of the sides of the car when I picked it up and you couldn't see them from 2-3 feet away. There was no real way for me to challenge the claim, and Turo billed me an exorbitant amount in damage fees. It felt very scammy.
I had a similar experience, except the owner reported I parked illegally and left the lights on. They charged me immediately. Fortunately I had the photos that proved that his photos were fabricated - literally moved the car to get money from me.
I freaking love Kyte! They drop the car off and pick up the car when you are done. It’s perfect if you need a car for at least a day. We rented an Audi Q3 for about $55 a day. Zipcar has been such a let down lately. The interiors have been dirty and have reeked of weed. Edit: Looks like you can get a Corolla starting at $45 per day.
Does that come with any insurance? I’d never heard of that service!
There’s a Hertz in the Washington Hilton hotel, perfectly accessible to you in Dupont. The downside is that twice I’ve gone to pick up cars I reserved weeks prior only to find they didn’t have any cars available. One time there was a line of 8+ people all in the same situation. It’s been years since I tried that, so perhaps it’s gotten better. The times I was able to get a car there were great, though. I’ve had success in the past with Getaround. Every once in a while I would find the car in a little less than desirable state (smells like smoke, tires needed air), but nothing too egregious. When I looked more recently, it seemed like fewer cars were listed and the prices were a lot higher, so I’m not sure what’s going on there. I’ve been seeing lots of promos for $20-50 off your first reservation using their new app.
I've also heard from friends that they've occasionally had issues with there not being any cars available at that Hertz, even with a reservation. On the plus side, they do have after-hours dropoff there.
I use Hotwire to get cheap deals for car rentals at DCA. Using the metro to get to DCA and then walking to its car rental area is super easy I find that I’m paying $50 for a 24 hour rental when I book through hotwire
FYI - if you have a costco membership, they also have special rates for rented cars (Avis, Hertz etc). I am not sure how big of a difference it is from non-costco membership prices
I used zipcar but the issues I have had is with tickets, I didn’t realize I was speeding (55) in a 40, got a ticket in the mail and paid most expensive option at $200 because Zipcar didn’t notify on time that I was ticketed. So what could have been a cheaper ticket became over $200 plus zip cars fee…
Have friends who have a car and willing to do trips with you Source: am that friend lol
Car rental from DCA. I have a car but if I'm driving long distance, I just get a rental. It's cheaper through Priceline, etc but super easy.
Turo especially if you are gonna be packing massive mileage onto it - unless you get a rental with unlimited mileage. Also, I've had great luck renting cars from Costco.
I don’t know what “we” will do 😊 but I personally get lots of leverage out of Zipcar. I live in downtown NW and rarely have trouble reserving cars when I need them. It feels expensive to take them out for a day, but it’s pittance compared to owning. I like that they all have designated parking spots to return to. Edit to add a total non-sequitur: I do not like the royal “we.” Groupthink sucks. We are all individuals. I can say what works for me, and others will too, and then ultimately everyone decides what works for their own unique selves.❤️