Never rented a car in the USA? Find out the procedure

We share some recommendations for renting a car in the United States, as it is a different process than in Europe. If you are planning to travel to the USA AND take a trekking route (here we propose a few routes), you will certainly need a rental car. Find out the procedure.

The United States is an incredible and immense country with the capacity to have tourist plans to suit all tastes. Right now it is a star destination because of the way it has handled the pandemic and because of the massive and unrestricted vaccination of all those who decide to apply it. This country offers plans for everyone, you have the option of getting to know highly developed cities and metropolises and, at the same time, natural and extreme places that are well known in the world of adventure, so if you plan to travel to the USA, go to the tourist places, make a monumental trekking route in a rented car, but you don't know where to start, here is a super complete guide so you can get down to work!

Basic requirements for renting a car.

The first thing you need to know is what is required to rent a car, this varies a bit from state to state, so make sure you double check the requirements in the exact place you plan to visit. Generally speaking the most common requirements are:

• Valid passport.
• Return air tickets.
• Credit card in the name of the main driver (and with sufficient funds for the security deposit).
• Security deposit: this is basically an amount of money available on your credit card, which will be frozen for the duration of your trip and is returned once you hand over the car in good condition.
• Spanish driver's licence: in some states you may need an international driver's licence and this can be obtained from any Dirección General de Tráfico in Spain or any traffic office in your country. Check with the customer service lines before you travel.
• Be over 21 years old. Sometimes if you are between 21 and 24 years old, you must pay an additional cost for renting the car.

EGet the best rate and watch your budget.

To find the best price on the market, I always recommend that when renting a car, do not rent directly from a rental company. The same applies to car rentals as it does to airline tickets, it is best to book through online brokers or price comparison sites, These companies allow you to have in one place the most prestigious car rental companies in the market and compare prices and benefits. If this is the first time you hear about this term, don't worry, I did some research planning my trip and here are the five best options according to the opinions and experiences of other users and based on the online rating platform Trustpilot:

1. Let's travel.com 4,7.

At any time of the year, this online comparator offers the best rates on the market. I was making quotes for my trip for different dates, as there are some hiking routes that I prefer in summer and others that I prefer in winter, and this broker was the one who gave me the best prices. When you book online with Viajemos, you get a completely free travel insurance, which saves you from buying other insurances and on top of that, their customer service is excellent according to the reviews and their rating on the review platforms.

2. Miles Car Rental 4,6

Reading the comments from people who have used the service previously fills me with confidence. Almost 83% of their customers say that they have received exceptional service and that is definitely what you are looking for when you want to have a great holiday. This agency guarantees very good prices and has offers from the best car rental companies on the market such as Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz and many others. Hertz and many others.

3. Priceline 4,3

This comparison website has a very well positioned Instagram page, its website is only in English but it is easy to interact with, it also has an exclusive application for you to manage your bookings and you can download it on the iOS or Android operating system, through this application you will be able to add all the additional services you need for your trip and it will be easier to have at hand the features of your booking.

4. Carflexi, 4,2

In the case of this comparator, unlike the previous one, it has a website in Spanish and English, the FAQ session is quite detailed and is divided into the different stages of the rental; however, they do not have a direct contact form, so it makes the booking process a bit complex. Otherwise, their Trustpilot rating stands out for their attentive and detailed customer service.

5. CarRental8, 4.0

I included in my TOP 5 this broker because it has a particularity that might be necessary if you want to rent a car from a country other than Europe or Latin America. In this rental company you can hire the service from more than 200 countries (from all continents) and pay in 24 different currencies. Their website is very simple and easy to navigate.

Additional procedures for renting a car.

Once you are clear about the requirements and documents needed to rent a car, and you have also mentioned the places to find the best prices, you are ready to start your trip; however, there is an extra step that many people consider optional but makes a big difference when it comes to making and paying for your reservation: the additional services.

Renting a car goes beyond paying only for that service, you must take into account that there are additional options such as petrol, travel insurance, fuel, kilometres travelled, among others, and that these inclusions are also part of the trip, so you must carefully evaluate which ones you want to include and which ones are not necessary for your holiday, here is a list of the most common ones and a brief explanation:

• Travel insurance: The most important thing when travelling is safety, for this reason it is essential that you evaluate what kind of coverage you are going to include in your trips. In my blog I have a complete post about this topic and the best way to choose insurance. I leave the link here for you to read it.. However, the most basic insurances that I always include are two, the Insurance CDW/LDW and LIS Insurance; The first of these protects the rented car in case of damage, accident or theft of parts and the second is a Civil Liability policy that covers damages to third parties (to cars and people). With these two elements covered you can travel in peace and without thinking that you will have legal problems in case an accident happens, remember that no one is exempt from these situations.

• Unlimited miles: Some agencies offer unlimited miles during the booking, but others give you a certain number of miles and for each extra mile, they will charge you a surcharge. So read the information of each company very well before finalising the online process and I recommend that if you can, choose a car with unlimited mileage. Thinking about how many miles you have and the extra cost is not very relaxing.
• Additional driverI use this service when I travel with a group of friends or with my family, because for me it is very tiring to always be the one who has to be behind the wheel, I do it mainly when they are long trips to take turns with my colleagues. Most of the time my trips include extreme sports and after a good round of enjoying nature the last thing I want to do is to drive. The extra driver must be the minimum age (25 years old) and have a driving licence in Latin script.

• Petrol: Generally you have two options: you can either have the rented car delivered with a full tank and you must return it in the same way (full-full) or you can have the rented car delivered with a full tank and return it with an empty tank. This last option has an additional cost, but it is ideal if you have a racing trip and you don't have time to go to a gas station or if you don't know the city and don't want to be looking for gas stations.
• Baby chair: Logically, you should only hire this service if you are travelling with children or babies. In the United States it is compulsory for all babies from 0 to 18 months to travel in the back with a special seat for this age and from 18 months to 8 years old they must have seats according to their weight and height. This is a rule without exception and if you break it you can get into legal trouble, so if you require this service you should add it directly with the car hire company when you pick up the car. This usually has an additional cost.

See how easy it is to rent a car? Renting a car doesn't have to be a headache and you don't have to overpay or overextend your budget. With the tips on this page you will have enough information to make your reservation online, but if you still have doubts I recommend you to always make your reservations online with companies that provide you with a good customer service and hotline.