Is Silver now the better option?

[Katys Grandad]

Like most forum members, I only ever rent cars through this site and will continue to do so. The prices are competitive and the service is outstanding. My comments are aimed purely at the rental companies pricing structures.

Over recent weeks we have seen some hefty rises in rental rates. This is unwelcome but, given the financial climate and exchange rate, understandable. At the same time, gas prices in the US have fallen dramatically and is now just over $1.50 a gallon. I have always felt that the inclusive tank of fuel made the Gold option the wise choice even though I don't need multiple drivers. That was certainly the case when gas was $4 a gallon but these 2 recent developments seem to have shifted the advantage around.

By way of example, an Intermediate car for 2 weeks with the current cheapest company (Alamo) costs £299 for Gold and £257 for Silver - a difference of £42. As I recently rented a Pontiac G6 I looked at that as an example of an Intermediate. The tank capacity is 16 gallons so filling it at a local gas station before returning the car will cost around £17. Obviously, if the rental period is longer, the 'inclusive' tank (and there's a lot of evidence that the tank isn't actually [u]full</u> when you collect) becomes even poorer value. The same is true across the entire range of vehicles available.

It seems to me that, provided you don't need multiple drivers, Silver is now the better option.

[Wesser]

I completely agree, and have always gone for the Silver option as the wife doesn't like driving out there (which is handy for her !!).

I always believe that you should take note of the small print on the rental agreements, especially the policy regarding re-fuelling before returning.

You wise up in the end but had a massive shock when I see how much was charged to my credit card when I returned to the UK, after returning the car half empty on my first occasion.

Always remember to return the car with a full tank and there are no "grey areas" you have to deal with when you get back home !!

[roger]

When the rental companies re-structured their rates recently, the fuel was still around $4 per gallon and at that point they were making losses on the Gold option. Therefore they increased the Gold option rate more than the Silver.

Over recent weeks, as you say, the gas price has dropped to around $1.60 per gallon so unless your rental is shorter, the Silver option may now be more favourable.

Alamo do not give a choice to return full on Silver but they charge only slightly more than the pump price, which is fair.

Budget inisist you return full on Silver.

Dollar and Thrifty are more flexible and give you the choice to return full or empty, but will charge way over the pump price for a full tank of fuel if you do not return it completely full.

[steph_goodrum]

We picked our car up from Dollar 10 days ago with the silver option and told them we would be returning it full (and had written it on the voucher ourselves) and they said no problem, it cost us $18 to fill from virtually empty the other day so as I dont drive silever works out better for us.

[sundowner]

We have always gone for silver with Budget and have had good service from them. If we had more than 2 drivers we would perhaps consider gold if the prices are favourable at the time.