Las Vegas Car Rentals

Having a car in Las Vegas can offer you the freedom and flexibility to enjoy your vacation to the maximum extent. Also, depending on your style, Las Vegas car rentals can be comperable in price or cheaper that a combination of other modes of transportation such as taxis.

If all you're planning on doing is going from casino to casino on the strip, and perhaps taking a bus tour, then you might be better off without a car. But, if you do things that require using taxi cabs on a regular basis, such as going out to dinner in off Strip, non-casino restaurants, or going between remote hotels on a timely basis, you can save money by renting a car. Going a few miles in a taxi (and the Strip is about 4 miles long) can easily set you back $10-$20 one way, including the tip. Take two round trip taxi rides, and you easily surpass the cost of a small car rental in Las Vegas for a day. Also, if you travel with two other people, the ariport shuttle fee may be comparable to a daily car rental.

Like those of hotel rooms, the price of car rentals in Las Vegas fluctuate highly with varying demand. During busy times, such as major conventions, you can't get a car renal unless you reserve one a great deal in advance, and during slow times, car rental companies are forced to rent their cars to rock bottom prices. If you know you're going to come to Vegas during a slow travel period, you may want to reserve a car ahead of time just in case, but once at the air port go to some rental company counters and see who'll give you the best price.

Unless you absolutely need a larger car, you may want to reserve the smallest, cheapest, as there is a good chance the rental company will run out of those and offer you a free upgrade to a bigger one. If this doesn't happen and you still want a larger car, rental companies usually have incentives to upgrade on the spot.

While there are Las Vegas car rental companies located outside the airport, it is much more convenient to deal with airport rentals. Aside from having to wait for the rental company's courtesy shuttle, you'll also be facing longer lines at the counter, as suddenly all those in the bus rush to the rental office. If that's not bad enough, there are additional taxes levied on non-airport rentals. Car rental agencies present at the ariport terminal are All State Car Rental, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Dollar, Hertz, Alamo, Payless, Sav-mor, and Thrifty.

While a full discussion of car rental insurance is beyond the scope of this article, it is important to know that rental agencies offer all kinds of insurance products at an extra cost. The basic types of insurance products offered are as follows:

• Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) - Protect you against damage or theft of the car.
• Supplemental Liability Protection (SLP) - Provides extra coverage, beyond that required by law, against liabilities you might have if you do damage to other people.
• Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) - Covers medical expenses and death benefits for you and other passengers in case of an accident.
• Personal Effects Coverage (PEC) - Provides compensation in case personal items are stolen from the car.

For insurance purposes, some companies limit Las Vegas car rentals to be driven only in Nevada. If you would like to go on road trips out of state, such as to the Grand Canyon or Hoover Dam, make sure your rental company does not impose this restriction.

If you decline the rental company's damage insurance you leave yourself vulnerable to being blamed for any damage present when you return your car. Of course, damage that was there before the car was in your possession is not your responsibility. Therefore, make sure to inspect and scrutinize your car very carefully before you leave the lot, and have the rental agent record any existing damage. On occasion, you can find yourself being blamed for damage even barely visible. If you can't see the damage beforehand, then there is nothing you can do to avoid this, but be aware that the situation is not unheard of.

Be sure to return the car with a full tank of gas. If you don't, the rental company will slap you with a gas charge way above what you would pay per gallon at a Las Vegas gas station. If the car you were handed doesn't have a full tank of gas upon pickup, verify that the correct gas tank level is clearly marked on the paper work you were given.