As the cost of renting vehicles has skyrocketed to what would have been considered ridiculous rates in recent months, an option does exist with which you can pay a rate as low as one dollar per day — and also include a lot of potential caveats.
One Dollar Per Day Vehicle Rental? Yes — With Many Catches
The option is called relocation, as vehicles do need to be moved from one location to another for various reasons — similar to when rental car companies used to offer discounted rates to move vehicles from one part of the United States to another, depending on the supply versus demand at certain times of the year.
As an example, you can rent a recreational vehicle with five berths from Dallas to Las Vegas for one dollar per night at imoova.com…
…but if you click on the black button with MORE INFO on it…
…you will see that the deal only includes 1,500 miles; and you will need to drive a minimum of 1,222 miles to complete the journey from Dallas to Las Vegas — leaving you with only 278 free miles before you are charged a rate of 45 cents per extra mile driven.
You cannot pick up the vehicle any earlier than tomorrow, Wednesday, May 19, 2021 — and you must drop the vehicle off no later than Tuesday, May 25, 2021. If you were to drive between Dallas and Las Vegas nonstop, you would need at least 18 hours — so you have as many as five days to explore between the two cities.
The security deposit of $1,000.00 is not exactly an incentive to take advantage of this deal either — but if all goes well, you do get the money refunded to you after the conclusion of the trip.
Gasoline prices have increased significantly in recent weeks for a variety of reasons; so a fuel allowance of $100.00 is not all that much to relocate a recreational vehicle with five berths from Dallas to Las Vegas — but that is better than no fuel allowance at all…
…which is exactly what relocating a minivan from Denver to Las Vegas offers: no fuel allowance at all — plus, be prepared to pay 20 cents extra per mile when exceeding 1,200 miles.
At least you get $100.00 paid to you as a courtesy for cleaning and the short duration of the trip.
Companies which offer special rates for the relocation of vehicles include:
- ApolloRV.com — Currently in “hibernation” due to the current 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic.
- AutoDriveAway.com
- CruiseAmerica — Includes the United States and Canada. You will need to call them to find out what they have
- ElmonteRV.com
- HitTheRoad.ca — Includes the United States and Canada.
- IMoova.com
- JucyRVRentals.com Occasionally have relocations
- TorontoDriveAway.com Features cars, trucks, and motorhomes to and from Toronto and southern Ontario.
- TransferCarUS.com — Supposedly offers rental vehicles free of charge excluding taxes and fees.
- VroomVroomVroom.com
Summary
Even with the restrictions, limited availability, caveats, and other impediments to the “rent a vehicle for as little as one dollar” model, you might be able to still find a deal — especially if you want a recreational vehicle and avoid paying for lodging…
…and someone I know actually took advantage of this option by driving a recreational vehicle on “a furious drive across Utah and Nevada” before reaching his final destination in California earlier this month — for one dollar per day plus taxes and fees; and with a fuel allowance of $100.00.
Please refer to these articles for additional ways on how you can save money on renting a vehicle:
- 15 Tips on What Can You Do as Rental Car Rates Increase in the United States
- Cannot Find a Vehicle to Rent in 2021? Too Expensive? Try This…
- Save $50 on Weekly Car Rentals With Hertz Spring 2021. Believe It or Not.
- Watch For Class Creep With Rental Car Companies 2021?
All photographs ©2019 and ©2020 by Brian Cohen.
