Road Tripping: 5 Reasons to Rent a Car vs. Drive Your Own
While travelers are beginning to get more comfortable with the idea of boarding a flight for their next vacation, there’s no doubt that road trips will continue to reign in the year ahead. For many like myself, planning a last-minute Spring Break trip, it’s the only viable option to venture somewhere warm and sunny within the coming month. And now that we’ve made the decision to drive 18 hours to our destination, the question is: do we drive our own vehicle or rent one? After a little research, it was clear there are some worthwhile advantages to renting a car for a road trip:
1. Cost comparison. Well, obviously it’s going to cost more upfront to rent a car. Anywhere from $500 to well over $1,000 for a 7-day car rental, depending on your location and how luxurious you want to go. Now, what many road trippers fail to consider is the depreciation of your own vehicle based on additional mileage and wear and tear. According to vehicle maintenance website ItStillRuns.com, a typical depreciation rate for a large SUV is around 34 cents per mile, which adds up to $680 for a 2,000-mile road trip.
Also important to consider is the current cost of gas and how efficient your car is compared to one you could rent. If you drive a large SUV that gets less than 20 MPG, but don’t need all the extra space on your trip, you may want to consider a small or mid-size car that gets 30-35 MPG.
2. Roadside assistance. This was a big one for me. The idea of our personal vehicle breaking down on the side of the road and potentially being stuck en route to our destination, our family awaiting repairs in an unknown location was suddenly taking hold of my imagination. On the contrary, I knew that if we booked with a reputable rental car company, should our rental vehicle experience issues, we would have 24-hour roadside assistance and the ability to more conveniently swap out for a new rental, delivered to us wherever we were.
3. Upgrades, amenities & safety features. Look, if you’re going to spend hours driving to get to your destination, you may as well start your vacation the moment you turn on the engine. The idea of embarking on vacation in our minivan that I use daily for school drop-offs, grocery runs and generally every errand imaginable, just didn’t feel quite the escape I envisioned. Booking a rental car allows not only for upgraded amenities and extras like USB chargers for all your devices, multimedia players, Internet radio and bluetooth, but also safety features your personal vehicle may not offer like side blind spot detection, lane departure and forward collision warning, all which are high on my priority list for highway driving.
4. Upon arrival. Be sure also to consider your final destination. Are you heading to the mountains during snowy months? A vehicle with all-wheel drive and a rack on top for mounting skis or snowboards may be reason to rent. Or if you’re planning on camping, you may want to size up from your current car to ensure room for all your essentials and add on a roof rack for bikes to hit the trails once you arrive.
5. The longest test-drive ever. Are you in the market for a new car? Some travelers use their road trip as an opportunity to test drive a model of car they are considering purchasing. Not a bad idea. There’s probably no better test of a vehicle’s attributes than packing in your family, your things and hitting the open road for several days in it.
Bottom line: Before you book, do your research to determine if there is a car offered by a reputable rental car company that suits all - or at least most- of your needs. There are some great resources online, like this recent US News & World Report article, aimed at helping travelers assess the options most readily available in the rental market and make smart choices. Then pack up, head out and set yourself up to start enjoying the trip the minute you pull out of the driveway.