Through agencies overbooking and agents trying to upsell and upgrade cars to those same agents trying to sell customers on additional insurance, renting a car can sometimes seem pretty daunting.

Before you even arrive at the lot to pick up your rental or set up a reservation, shop around for deals. Use this time to investigate types of cars offered and the kinds of mileage caps there are.

If you have the convenience of this option, do your best not to rent a car from an airport lot. These lots will seemingly always be more expensive than distant counterparts due to the close proximity to the airport.

In the same vein, check on your credit card’s insurance policies regarding rented cars before going to the lot. Credit cards will often cover rented cars, making the insurance sale from the agent at the lot superfluous.

On busy lots, do your best to take a car sitting around for a long time. Haggling with agents over prices will yield better results for the customer, especially if they have demand, or lack of demand, on their side.

Finally, do not be afraid to use competition against the rental car agency. Quoting lower prices from a different agency will often result in the agents matching the prices at the least or beating the price at the most.

When it comes to actually driving the car off the lot, it is important to take your time as you inspect the vehicle. Being aware of any type of damage the car already has will save you from taking the fall when you return the car at the end of your rental.

Before returning the car, make sure you fill the car with gas to the point where it was when you picked it up. Returning the car below the rental line and arranging for a prepaid fill up upon return are sure ways to pay more than you would if you filled the car on your own.