'Compact' car rental in America

Murphy_The_Cat

A word to the wise (or unknowing).
Over the years, regular 'advice' has been given on these boards regarding hire cars in the US and this particular gem keeps popping up - "always hire the smallest and cheapest class of car that you can get at your airport, because they never have any and you'll automatically get upgraded to the next car group. i.e book a compact/econoimy car and you'll get a midsized car."

the times are achanging and in my recent trip I saw 4 huge car rental centres (you know the type all of the car rental companies under one roof) and each of them was stuffed with hateful little cars like Hyundai Accents & Chevrolet Aveos etc etc.
Exactly the type of cars that you'd want to do a 3 mile school run in - absolutely not the type of cars that you'd like to cruise the highways and byways of the good ol US of A in.
If you do only want a teeny little car, for minimum money on your American trip and you have gone into it with your eyes wide open, you won't be at all surprised to get what you've paid for - but if you've paid for a Compact/Economy car upon the expectation of getting an automatic upgrade to a larger (more suitable) car, because you've been told on MSE that Compacts/Economy cars don't exist, be prepared to be severely disappointed and hit in the wallet.

This article is quite interesting reading - Rental car industry starts to emerge from the 'perfect storm'.

C_Mababejive

Agreed..i never pick the bottom line or the compact. I might go one group up.

stevie11

You should never book a size of car and expect an upgrade anyway. The types of car you quote are economy models. I have booked compact cars in both the US and Canada and been upgraded infact last summer I received a Chrysler 300 instead of the compact. That was great and the kids really loved the space in the back.:)

Unless there are more than 4 of you i.e. 2 adults 2 kids and not travelling long distances a compact is acceptable. Usually a 2 liter car anyway so on par with a euro saloon. A midsize or bigger gives the extra power and maybe more space and comfort but you would lose on the extra you pay for gas.

If you definitely want a mid size or bigger, best thing is order one from this end it usually works out cheaper than paying an upgrade fee at the rental office.

Murphy_The_Cat

stevie11 wrote: »

You should never book a size of car and expect an upgrade anyway. The types of car you quote are economy models. I have booked compact cars in both the US and Canada and been upgraded infact last summer I received a Chrysler 300 instead of the compact. That was great and the kids really loved the space in the back.:)

Stevie, with respect, can I suggest that what happened last Summer will possibly/have no relevance to what happens this Summer. The car rental business has changed a lot (did you read the article) and the rental companies now have loads and loads of Compact & Economy cars available (funnily enough, a large percentage of them were PT Cruisers), so the chances of getting an 'automatic' upgrade due to lack of availability of vehicle choice are diminished.

On a seperate note I got a Chrysler 300 a couple of years ago and hated it. I cashed it in for a Lincoln Town Car and had a whale of a time, wafting around on air suspened luxury.

Innys

I have hired cars for the last three trips I have made to the States. In each of these instances, I was upgraded to a 4 door saloon even though I asked for an Economy Compact (EC). As it was just me and the GF, I would have preferred a smaller car, but wasn't given the option.

If there are more EC cars now available for hire, I, for one, won't be complaining.

IMHO, those who book an EC with the expectation of an upgrade are taking an unnecessary gamble and should not be upset if that gamble fails miserably.

C_Mababejive

I have been lucky enough to get upgraded but thats just what it is..luck.

jamesbrownontheroad

It's important to consider something else about American cars. The average selling price of comparably-sized new cars is much lower in the US than in the UK. The auto industry has, for decades, established a culture of cars being cheaper, having a shorter expected lifespan (look up 'Designed Obsolescence' for more on this) and generally being replaced more often. European and British cars are generally more expensive to buy new, but that's compensated by the fact people generally keep them for longer and also expect a higher level of equipment in even the smallest city car.

In the States, a compact car like the Chevrolet Cobalt or Chrysler PT Cruiser sells for much less than a similarly sized Vauxhall Astra (even when you take into account the different ratios of average income, exchange rates, taxes etc). And you will notice this most when you get into a small American car. The build quality will generally be poorer and the level of specification will be lower because American consumers understand that they get what they pay for.

All my recent rentals in the States and Canada have confirmed this - two recent rentals - a Chevy Cobalt (class C) and Toyoya Corolla - didn't even have central locking! And while we were treated to a Ford Mustang convertible in Chicago a few years ago, it was without a doubt one of the most badly built and tinniest cars I have ever driven. That was because you can buy a brand new 300 bhp V6 Mustang for about the equivalent of £15,000!

Another amusing thing to notice is if you happen to rent a Ford Focus in the States. If you drive a Ford Focus in the UK, you might be surprised to see that Ford are still selling the old model Focus in the States (albeit with a nose job to disguise its origins). That's because the current European model focus would be too expensive to sell in the States: it's just over specified for the market. IIRC, the current Focus will go on sale in the US some time next year.

On the plus side, one thing is changing in the US auto industry. The big three (GM, Ford & Chrysler) are depending less and less on bulk fleet sales to rental agencies. Time was you would only ever get a basic spec American car at an American rental agency. The slow turnaround of the American auto industry includes a general strategy to try and increase the value of the brand and resale values in general by not flooding the second hand market with dour rental vehicles.

Max_1066

I've always booked a mid-size car even when travelling on my own. I drive a lot and yet still feel intimidated on the US Interstates in tiny cars. I did it a couple of times but never again.

In many cases I've had upgrades to a full size but I don't rely on it. If it happens great if not then the mid-size is fine. I agree with the above, book the size you want and if fortune is in your favour enjoy the upgrade !!

ferf1223

I agree that counting on an upgrade could lead to disaster...if you would be OK with the smaller car then fine, but if a larger car is necessary, it's silly to chance it especially as the initial rental price between the two is generally not very much.

We normally rent an intermediate/mid-size as it suits us just fine...probably 50% of the time or more we get a full size which is nice when it happens - happened in Vegas 2 weeks ago. Once we were offered a Chrysler Pacifica which while a several step upgrade was waaaay too big for me to feel comfortable driving...luckily she found me a Charger straight away...I would have had to have waited until something else was returned otherwise.

pollypenny

It depends what you want to do.

OH and I had always been up grade when we went with a BA Flydrive. But in December we run out of luck - or so we thought.

We stuck with the sub-compact and chose a Kia Rio. It was great; very economical, comfortable and we soon got used to the lack of central locking.

We ended up being stuck in Florida for 5 weeks and were grateful that we did not have the gas-guzzling Volvo we had had in September.