Renting a car in the United States: booking, insurance and return

For a road trip in the United States, a car is almost unavoidable: public transport serves neither the national parks nor the small towns of the West.

Renting is simple, but the options and the insurance can double the price if you don’t understand them.

When and where to book

• Book early, especially in summer and during American holidays (July, Thanksgiving, Christmas). Prices rise sharply as departure approaches.
• Compare on a comparison site, then check the conditions directly with the rental company. The big names are Alamo, Hertz, Avis, Enterprise, National, Budget, Dollar, Thrifty…
• Book from Belgium: “European” deals often include the main insurance and the additional driver, which often works out cheaper than a basic rate booked on the American site, to which you have to add insurance at the desk. Compare like with like.
• Airport pick-up: more convenient, often a little more expensive (airport taxes).

Insurance, without the jargon

The abbreviations vary from one rental company to another, but you always find:

• CDW / LDW (Collision / Loss Damage Waiver): covers damage to the vehicle and theft. Essential.
• SLI / LIS (Supplemental Liability Insurance): additional third-party liability, for damage caused to others. The minimum cover included automatically is very low in some states. Strongly recommended.
• PAI / PEC (Personal Accident Insurance / Personal Effects Coverage): insurance for people and luggage. Often duplicates your travel insurance.

The fees that get added

Fee	Good to know
Additional driver	Often charged for. In California, the law forbids charging for a spouse (and certain relatives) as an additional driver; elsewhere, it depends on the rental company. Have them added to the contract at the desk all the same.
Young driver	A daily surcharge for under-25s.
One-way	Returning the car in another city can cost from a few dozen to several hundred dollars. Typical for a road trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas or San Francisco.
Fuel	Choose the “return full” option rather than prepaid fuel, unless you’re sure of returning the car with an empty tank.
Tolls	Transponder packages charged by the day. See our tolls guide.
Sat nav	Pointless, your phone does it better.
Child seat	Charged per day. For a long stay, buying one there can be cheaper.

At the desk

Documents to show:

• Belgian driving licence (and an international permit, recommended);
• Passport;
• Credit card in the name of the main driver, for the deposit;
• Booking voucher, printed or on your phone.

With some rental companies (National, Alamo), you choose your own car from an aisle of the category you booked. Elsewhere, you’re given a parking bay.

Before leaving the car park

During the rental

• Unpaved tracks: most contracts exclude them. If something goes wrong on a dirt road, the insurance may not apply. Check the conditions if your itinerary includes any (Valley of the Gods, certain roads in Capitol Reef or Death Valley).
• Crossing into Canada or Mexico: must be declared, often restricted or forbidden (Mexico).
• In the event of an accident: call 911 if necessary, then the rental company’s assistance line (number on the key ring or the contract). File a report with the police and take photos.

When you return the car

• Fill up nearby and keep the receipt.
• Film the car again in the rental company’s car park.
• Wait for the final receipt, or check by email that there are no additional charges.
• Keep an eye on your bank statement in the following weeks (tolls, fines, cleaning fees).

And a van?

For a road trip by van or motorhome, the rules are different (mileage often limited, kitchen kit, campgrounds to book). We go through it all in travelling by van in the United States and where to sleep in a van or at a campground.

What we rent

We go through Alamo, in the mid-size SUV category, often something like a Toyota RAV4. It’s ideal for a road trip in the West, and in the United States it still counts as a “small” car, easy to park. The price is often around 50 to 70 dollars a day.

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