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Journey Finder car rental: book cars and drive them right

Car rental on Journey Finder works in one step: pick a destination below and you land on Trip.com's live car list for it, comparing local suppliers with free cancellation on most cars. Around the booking sit our honest guides - what a rental really costs, the insurance and driving rules that catch visitors out, and the routes worth renting a car for. Journey Finder is journeyfinder.net, a travel guide site; we're not connected to car hire brokers with similar names.

Sophie, who writes the Journey Finder transport guides, waiting on a train platform with her suitcase

Sophie

Updated

In Brief

What should I know before renting a car abroad?

Compare the total price with insurance included (not the teaser rate), book early to lock in cheap cars and automatics, and check the local rules - which side of the road, whether you need an International Driving Permit, the minimum age, and any mandatory insurance. Each of our destination guides gives the real prices, the specific driving quirks, and the best routes so you rent the right car and avoid the common surprises.

Key takeaways

  • Price the total with insurance - teaser rates hide mandatory cover in some countries.
  • Book early; cheap cars and automatics sell out in peak season.
  • Check the drive side, minimum age and whether you need an IDP.

Search rental cars by destination

Choose where you're picking up and search - the button opens the live car list for that country on Trip.com, comparing every supplier at once. Prices start around $15/day in the cheapest destinations.

Where are you picking up?

Popular pickup cities

Search rental cars on Trip.comSearch any pickup location worldwide
  • Free cancellation
  • No hidden fees
  • Prices on Trip.com

Destination guides

Cheap car rental in Europe: the cheapest countries compared

Car rental tips that actually save money

How to get a good rental car deal, in short: book early with free cancellation, compare the total price with cover included, and take the smallest car that fits. The detail below is what each of those means in practice.

  • Book weeks ahead, not days

    Rental fleets are finite, so prices climb as pickup approaches and the cheap cars go first. Booking a few weeks out - months for peak summer - regularly halves the daily rate, and a free-cancellation booking costs nothing to redo if prices drop later.

  • Compare the total, not the teaser

    The headline rate often excludes insurance, young-driver fees, a second driver or an airport surcharge. Compare what you'd actually pay at the desk, with the cover you want included, before deciding which deal is really cheapest.

  • Take the smallest car that fits

    Economy cars are cheaper to rent and to fuel, easier to park, and fine for most trips. Size up only for genuine reasons - a 4x4 for Iceland's F-roads or Costa Rica's rainy season, boot space for a family's beach gear.

  • Check the off-airport price

    Airport branches add concession fees in many cities. If a downtown branch is meaningfully cheaper and easy to reach, the taxi or train to it can pay for itself over a week's rental.

  • Mind the fuel and mileage policy

    Full-to-full is the fair standard - you return the tank as you got it. Avoid full-to-empty pricing where you prepay a tank at inflated rates, and check the mileage cap on long road trips so an unlimited-mileage rate doesn't turn out cheaper.

  • Sort insurance before the desk

    The desk is the most expensive place to buy excess cover. Decide before pickup: excess-reduction added to the booking or a standalone excess policy, both usually far cheaper than the counter offer - then you can decline the upsell with confidence.

How much does a rental car cost for a week?

A rental car for a week typically costs $105-350 for an economy car, depending on the country and season - roughly $15-50 per day, before insurance and extras. Weekends and two-week trips scale as below; the per-day rate falls as the rental gets longer. These ranges come from our destination guides, where each country has its own detailed cost table.

Rental lengthEconomy carGood to know
Weekend (3 days)$45-150Cheapest in Portugal or New Zealand shoulder season; Iceland and peak-summer Europe sit at the top of the range.
One week$105-350Weekly rates usually beat 7x the daily rate; many suppliers price day 6 and 7 close to free.
Two weeks$210-600Long rentals unlock further discounts, but check the mileage cap before a big road trip.

Base rates for the cheapest bookable economy car, without excess-reduction insurance or extras. Automatics cost more in Europe, where manuals are the default.

Deposits, insurance and payment

The rental car deposit is a hold on the main driver's card at pickup, usually $200-500 for an economy car, released after the car comes back undamaged. A physical credit card in the driver's name is the safe assumption; debit card car rental is possible with many suppliers but comes with stricter conditions - extra ID, proof of onward travel, or mandatory full insurance - so check the pickup terms before booking. Paying the rental itself is flexible: prepay online (usually cheapest) or pay at the desk, and a few suppliers even take cash for payment, though almost never for the deposit.

Insurance splits into what's included and what's worth adding. The included cover typically carries a high excess - the amount you'd pay toward damage - and the cheap fix is excess-reduction cover added to the booking or a standalone excess policy, not the counter upsell. Some premium credit cards include rental car cover; if yours does, confirm it covers the country and car class, decline the duplicate cover, and keep the card's confirmation in writing. Mandatory local insurance exists in some countries - our destination guides flag it where it applies.

Renting a car: FAQ

The essentials that apply wherever you're driving.

Journey Finder (journeyfinder.net) is a travel guide site - the guides and prices here are ours, and the booking itself happens on Trip.com, which compares local rental suppliers and handles payment, confirmation and support. Pick a destination, hit search, and you land on the live car list for that country. We are not connected to car hire brokers with similar names.

Book early - rental prices climb as pickup dates approach and cheap cars sell out, especially in peak season and for automatics. Compare the total price with insurance included (not just the teaser rate), pick up away from the airport if a downtown branch is cheaper, and choose the smallest car that fits your trip. Prepaid rates are often lower than pay-at-desk, and free-cancellation bookings let you rebook if the price drops.

Most rental companies hold a security deposit on the main driver's card at pickup, typically $200-500 for an economy car and more for bigger or premium cars. It is a hold, not a charge, and it is released after the car comes back undamaged - usually within a week or two. Bring a credit card with enough available limit; the hold shrinks or disappears with some full-coverage bookings.

Sometimes, but rules are stricter than for credit cards. Many suppliers accept a debit card for payment yet still want a credit card in the main driver's name for the deposit; those that do take debit deposits often ask for extra ID, proof of a return flight, or mandatory full insurance. Filter for suppliers that state debit cards are accepted, and read the pickup conditions before booking.

Generally: a full driver's licence you've held for a year or more, a physical credit card in the main driver's name for the security hold, and often an International Driving Permit (IDP) if your licence isn't in the local language or alphabet. Minimum ages vary (usually 21, sometimes with a young-driver fee under 25). Check the specific country's rules and bring a printed or digital booking voucher.

In some countries, yes - parts of Europe rent from 18 or 19 with a young-driver fee, and in the US a few states allow 18+ while most suppliers set 21 as the floor. Under 25 you will usually pay a daily young-driver surcharge and some car classes are off limits. The booking search shows age rules per supplier, so set your age and the real prices appear.

Often, if a car is ready - arriving an hour or two early usually works at bigger branches, though the supplier can make you wait until your booked time. Turning up much earlier than booked can re-price the rental or count as a new rental day, so if your plans change, it is safer to amend the booking time in advance, which free-cancellation bookings make painless.

Some cover is mandatory in certain countries (Costa Rica, for example) and can't be declined. Beyond that, the standard policy usually carries a high excess, so it's worth either adding excess-reduction cover or buying a standalone excess policy, which is often cheaper. In places with specific risks - gravel and ash in Iceland, narrow-lane scrapes in Ireland - take the relevant extra cover. Always know your excess before you drive off.

A car wins when you're touring a region and want freedom - remote beaches, viewpoints and small towns that buses skip. Tours and private transfers win when you're staying in one place (a single resort or city), when driving is stressful or expensive locally, or when you'd rather not deal with parking and insurance. Many trips mix both: transfers or transit in the cities, a rental for the road-trip legs.

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Photos via Wikimedia Commons, used under their respective licences.