Find the Cheapest Last Minute Car Rental Deal in the USA

Updated 09/18/2023

According to your trip plan, you are trying to hire a vehicle in advance. The earlier you book, the cheapest deal you can get. But sometimes you have to ask for a last-minute deal because of the unexpected business trip or canceled flight. Whatever the idea for your next journey is, still, you have a chance to get the tastiest rate for your road trip and find the best website for last minute car rentals!

Table of content:

• • Learn how to rent a vehicle at the last minute
  • Best last minutes deals from different car rental agencies
  • Discount codes for renting a car at the last minute
  • Cheap deals at the last minute in the US

Learn how to rent a vehicle at the last minute

All major rental agencies like Alamo, Hertz, Avis, Budget, and others offer their last minute car rental deals to those, who changed their mind at the last moment. It doesn’t take much time to find the cheapest rentals.

Where can you find last minute car rental deals?

Go online! Different companies offer to fill in their search forms to find out the most attractive deals. Daily, weekly or monthly car rentals are available online. If you cannot go online, try to go to the counter.

Airport Depots: They have more cars available at the last moment. There are always many customers who require a rental. Car upgrade, last minute rental and other deals that need many cars to choose from are real here.

City Depots: Try your luck to get a car last minute from the local depots around the city. The choice of cars is not big here but you may try to find something that is worth your attention.

How far in advance last minute car rental deals appear?

Are you booking late? It is said: the earlier the cheaper. The best last minute car rental deals are within two weeks of rental. Booking late, within a week, you will pay more. Within the last 48 hours, prices for rent always climb up. But things can’t be all that bad! It is possible to book in 24 hours with 5% or more sales – rental agencies always leave the cheapest prices for last few days. 

Best last minutes deals from different car rental agencies

Rental rates are changeable, as agencies don’t want their cars always wait in their depots, unwanted. So, if people don’t book cars very often, the prices jump down to attract more clients. If they have more deals than they expected, the prices jump up to the maximum. This is how the last minute deals appear.

Which companies give the most attractive deals for late clients?

Super low rates appear suddenly! Comparing the prices from different vendors, you select one that gives you the best price. Note that the last minute rental cars deals may change depending on the destination and the season.

As an example, here you can see a table with daily price and the best discounts for an economy class car at LAS Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (5 hours before pick up) from different car rental companies in the USA

Rental Agency	Daily Price	Best Discount
Alamo	$43	5% off
Avis	$56	30% off
Budget	$43	35% off
Dollar	$46	10% off
Hertz	$52	20% off
Enterprise	$48	24% off
Payless	$25	20% off
Sixt	$83	35% off
Thrifty	$47	10% off
Fox	$26	12% off
National	$52	20% off

Which rental agencies have special offers for late clients?

All big companies in the USA have last minute car rental specials when you take a vehicle for a day or a week. The conditions are different at different locations. Make a search by your location to find attractive offers near you.

Which agencies allow you to cancel a booking at the last minute?

All rental companies offer free cancellation if they are done in time. There are always limits for that! The only way to be 100% confident about the cancellation policy for your last minute car rental deal is to check terms and conditions.

Rental Agency	Last minute cancellation
Alamo	FREE – 24 hours before pick up; Less than 24 hours – $50 fee.
Dollar	FREE – 24 hours before pick up; Less than 24 hours – $50 fee.
Sixt	FREE – pay-on-arrival cancellation; 3 days before pick up; Less than 3 days – full rental amount fee.
Budget	FREE – 24 hours before pick up; Less than 24 hours – $50 fee.
Thrifty	24 hours before pick up – $50 fee; Less than 24 hours – $100 fee.
Avis	FREE – 24 hours before pick up; Less than 24 hours – $50 fee.
Payless	FREE – 48 hours before pick up; Prepay less than $50 – the entire amount fee.
Fox	FREE – more than 12 hours the pickup; 12 hours before pick up – $25.
Hertz	FREE – 24 hours before pick up; Less than 24 hours – $50 fee.
National	FREE – 24 hours before pick up; Less than 24 hours – $50 fee.

Discount codes for renting a car at the last minute

You think you are late and hurry up to book a car. Nevertheless, always try to take a couple of minutes to check the price line for last minute car rental, coupons, and discount codes. You have a chance to reduce the price by using special sales and discounts. You will be surprised how easy you can cut the price, even at the last moment. Thousands of coupons and codes are available on the web. Be aware, they all have an expiry date.

How to use coupons?

• Rental agencies have a big choice of coupons. Just check the list regularly as the new coupons appear every day.
• Copy and paste codes from the web.
• Some coupons should be used at the counter ONLY. They are marked with a (c), meaning counter.

Is it difficult for you to catch the last minute car rental coupon for the dates of your trip? Check the discounts. The agencies often have sales for every occasion.

Cheap last minute rental cars in the US

Renting a vehicle just before your trip starts is often more expensive…unless you get last minute specials. There are simple tips to teach you how you can find a cheap last minute rental.

• Pre-book online. You shouldn’t worry if you are late and book an hour or two before your trip starts. It is always worth booking online. Just compare rates and pick the best offer.
• Try different time for pick-up. Pick up time influence your rental a lot. Try to change it to-and-fro to compare the rates and get the best deal.
• Rent from the city depots. If you don’t want to lose the budget on car rental from the airport depots, you can try to catch a good price somewhere in the city. A free shuttle bus will help to get to the rental counter and find out all deals available at your direction.
• Book now and you can make changes later. Rental agencies always change their prices. If you want to be certain of your booking, try to reserve a car online. You can always change it and book a new car last minute. Check the cancellation policy first to waive the cancellation fees.
• Look for deals. Try to find coupons and specials for money-saving offers before you book.

Are you sure that low prices mean poorer service? Do you think that it is impossible to get an attractive price for rental at the last moment? You may check out reviews on the companies’ websites to know what to expect.