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In the past few months, I went on two epic (albeit quick) road trips in Australia and California. Obviously, my broke bum cannot afford to own a car, but I have a few secrets for renting cars and getting a great deal while still having the freedom to drive up the coast, make pit stops to see zebras, and camp among the kangaroos. (Or, you know…do what you want to do.)

Not all of the cheap car rental services that I’ll mention are available worldwide, but keep these suggestions in your back pocket for your next trip.

Transfercar

Transfercar doesn’t always give you more freedom, but it can save you a whole lot of cash on renting a car or a campervan. If you read my blog regularly (good choices, thank you,) you have heard me mention Transfercar as a way to get free transportation. Basically, if you’re lucky enough to find a car that fits your route and dates, you can reserve it and drive away!

I used Transfercar in Australia to drive from Brisbane to Cairns. The trip took me six days and the actual rental was free. I did have to pay for petrol, which cost me under AUD200. I may or may not have used the car as a place to sleep for two nights, so I was very quickly able to justify the cost of fuel.

Transfercar hasn’t quite caught on in North America like it has in Australia and New Zealand, but you can still peep the website every now and again to see if something fun comes up!

Car2Go

I used Car2Go as my primary source of transportation when I lived in Austin. I was obsessed (and I’m excited to use it when I go back for a visit!) It’s a super easy way to get around a new city without the hassle of returning your rental car or paying for an entire day.

Here’s how it works:

Once you sign up and submit a picture of your driver’s license, you can download the app and get started! Cars are available all throughout the city and unlock with a click from the app. Hop in, drive where you need to go, and drop it off anywhere in the designated Car2Go areas. 

(In Austin, you can basically park anywhere downtown and in designated parking lots throughout the city. I had parking spaces in my apartment complex and the complex next door where I could grab a car and drive downtown with no problems! You can also drive your little self to the airport for a small fee and not have to worry about parking.)

Car2Go charges by the minute (rates vary per city.)Yeah. You could drive for five minutes…and you just pay for five minutes.

Fuel and insurance are included in the costs…what more do you need? It does get addictive and I very quickly started ditching the bus for 10-minute drives everywhere through Austin, but it’s definitely worth getting places faster without paying for rideshares, fuel, or insurance.

And the best part about Car2Go? You get the choice between driving a Smart car and a Mercedes-Benz. I always chose the Smart cars because I thought they were cute and driving a Benz scared the living daylights out of me.

Car2Go is available in the following North American cities:

• Austin
• Chicago
• Denver
• NYC
• Portland
• Seattle
• Washington D.C.
• Calgary
• Montreal
• Vancouver

European travelers can also use Car2Go when they visit:

• Vienna
• Paris
• Berlin
• Frankfurt
• Munich
• Milan
• Rome
• Amsterdam
• Madrid

(I really wish I had known about it when I backpacked through Europe.)

If you are interested in calling a Smart car or a Benz your part-time whip, you can use my code to get a $10 Car2Go credit! Just enter JOINC2GAUS_okonsky.megan@gmail.com and start driving!

(Yeah, super bulky promo code, but beggars can’t be choosers, right?)

Turo

Turo (also known as “the AirBNB of car rentals”) is a pretty easy way to book a car quickly from your phone. Users can browse through a list of cars and make a booking instantly. Insurance is covered and some car owners allow drivers to return the car at any fuel level for a fee. Other car owners offer free delivery and allow you to get your rental from home or your hotel!

Overall, Turo is a super easy-to-use app that allows you to get a better look at the exact car you’ll be driving and the person who will be renting it out for the day or week.

If you liked the idea of driving a Mercedes with Car2Go, this is a great app for you. There are some sweet-ass cars on dat app.

Turo also provides a great opportunity for car owners to make some money while their vehicle sits idle. You don’t have to offer free delivery, so renters can meet you at your car and all you have to do is hand away the keys!

Want to get $25 off your first trip? Download the app and use promo code megano142 when you pay for your first rental!

Discover Car Hire

Think Skyscanner for car rentals. Discover Car Hire allows you to look for car rentals anywhere in the world and compare prices. You get to save yourself some cash and book quickly thanks to the easy-to-use website.

I can’t say that I have gone through and used a car rental that I booked from Discover Car Hire yet, but I can say that browsing through the site was easy and I definitely saw prices lower than what I have paid for car rentals in the past. As a test, I put in the information for my Chile trip and I’m glad to know I’ll be able to get a decent price if I want to do some car camping in Patagonia. This is definitely another resource to keep in your back pocket for your next trip.

Did I Miss Any?

I’m still pretty new to the car rental game, so let me know if you have any hidden gems!