Everything you need to know to rent a vehicle in Canada

Car rental companies

The main car rental companies in Canada are:

• Hertz
• Dollar
• Thrifty
• Enterprise
• Alamo
• National
• Avis
• Budget
• Globe car and truck rentals

Some of these companies are considered “low-cost” and offer fewer conveniences, such as older vehicles. Rates vary greatly. Note that some companies are owned by the same overarching company, such as Alamo and National, Avis and Budget, and Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty.

Brokers and booking sites

Since the key to affordable car rentals is shopping around for the best price and options for your needs, you can use deal aggregators and booking sites to compare prices:

• Expedia
• Argus Car Hire
• Travel Supermarket
• Holiday Autos
• Canadian Affair
• RentalCarGroup
• Rental Cars

Brokers like these typically negotiate lower rates for rental cars at the international car rental companies mentioned above. They often have value packages (i.e. common options like an additional driver or a full tank of petrol included for free). Read the fine print carefully, especially to see if any insurance is included—don’t pay for it again when you pick up the vehicle if it’s already included in your booking!