5 Car Rental Companies That Have Solid Ratings And Cool Cars

Renting a car is probably the worst part of any long-distance trip. You've flown into an unfamiliar city, and you're plopped into the driver's seat of an already beat-to-death econobox at $189 per day plus fees. Not only is the experience of car rental expensive, but you've got to be wary of potential scams, and unless you get lucky with your rental car, you'll likely be forced into something you're probably going to hate, or something that is innocuous at best. You only need a car for a few days, so why don't rental agencies offer cool cars instead of boring ones? As luck would have it, if you're looking to spice up your rental car experience, you have some options. 

Next time you're out of town for work, or especially if it's a vacation, spend a few minutes beforehand tracking down a cool car. Whether you're using a gig economy rental, a small local exotic rental agent, or going through one of the major national chains, there are lots of fun driving options to choose from. Some of them are expensive, but a short term rental is a lot less expensive than paying to own a high-end sports car yourself. You're probably already pretending to be someone else while traveling anyway, so why not pretend to be a Lamborghini owner?

Here are five different options for your next trip, and the pros and cons of using each. 

Depending on where you're flying into, most major metropolitan areas have at least one exotic and classic car rental shop. You'll have your choice of a dozen or so European exotic sports cars, fast SUVs, and ultra-lux. Even if you aren't made of money, you'll have an opportunity to drive the irresponsible cars you'd never be able to afford. These rentals will be quite a bit more expensive than if you were renting that Nissan Juke or Similar, but a bit more fun. 

For example, my local Cleveland, Ohio, is served by Veluxity with rentals starting at a surprisingly reasonable $395 per day. For that, you can rent a BMW M5, a Mercedes S-Class, or a Cadillac Escalade. They also offer a decade-old McLaren 570S at $995 per day, or your choice of a Ferrari 488 GTB or Lamborghini Huracán at $1,095 per day. 

Larger markets like Los Angeles or Miami will have wider variety and potentially better pricing as well. Falcon Rental Car in LA, for example, has everything from a new Porsche Cayenne at $395 per day to a 770-horsepower Ferrari SF90 for $2995 per day. If you want the ultimate in electric luxury, they'll even put you in a white Rolls-Royce Spectre with baby blue interior for just $2,250 per day. 

The best way to confirm the local market company you're dealing with is above board is to check their Yelp reviews from previous customers. Veluxity, for example, has a bunch of five-star ratings, including Joey V from Brooklyn, New York, who said, "You won't regret it." Similarly, Mike P said of Falcon, "Besides the top quality service, their delivery service makes everything much more convenient." 

Hertz also offers a line of fun, fast, or luxurious cars in limited markets. You can pick if you want a convertible, typically a Mustang or a Camaro, for your nice-weather vacation destination. Hertz also offers normal premium cars like a BMW 240i. 

If you want to go a little faster than that, you're in luck. Hertz has partnered with Shelby American to offer the Shelby GT-H. The Shelby GT-H sort of fits in between the standard Mustang GT and the GT500. Hertz will also rent you a limited run of Mustang Shelby GT500-H models in Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix, and Tampa. 

Unfortunately, of those cities, really only Phoenix and Las Vegas are even remotely close to any good driving roads, but you can sure tear up a Florida highway onramp with this beast. With a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 making 900 horsepower, and rates in the $400-per-day range, this might be the best bang-for-your-buck in the rental game. Be aware that Hertz won't let you take these cars to the track, though, despite advertising them as "The Ultimate Track Day Thrill Machine."

Hertz is rated as among the best car rental companies in the world. Though it doesn't stand out in any particular category, Consumer Reports noted that the company receives good marks for cleanliness and maintenance, but because they hold on to cars for longer, the rentals often show higher mileage on the odometer. Consumer surveys also indicated a frustration with the company's lack of price transparency. 

Most of the time when you're traveling, especially if its for work, you'll probably spend most of your free time just lounging around your hotel room. But if you had a brand new C8 Corvette sitting downstairs with the keys in your hands, wouldn't you be more likely to get out and explore the surroundings a bit? I know I would be punching up the closest good driving road in the GPS and going for a nice V8-powered rip. There's no better way to blow off steam than that, right? 

As luck would have it, Enterprise has pretty reasonable rates for their Corvette rentals from just $325 per day. That's a whole lot of car for not a whole lot more than your standard economy rental. This is inexpensive enough that I would consider adding a Corvette rental to my next weekend trip somewhere. Seems like it could be a lot of fun. 

Enterprise has a surprisingly large array of exotics in its lineup, as you can get an electric luxury sedan like a Mercedes EQS or Porsche Taycan for as little as $250 per day, while luxury performance convertibles like Porsche 911s or Jaguar F-Type SVRs can be had for about $399 per day. The green rental counter will also let you book a Lamborghini Huracán or a Bentley Continental GT, but you have to call to check availability and pricing, so you know it will be expensive.

Enterprise received high marks in a Consumer Reports survey, receiving the honors of second-best rental company behind only National Rent A Car. Unlike Hertz, Enterprise didn't let customers down in any one category, scoring high across all facets of consumer interaction. 

Like just about everything else, when it comes to renting a car, there's an app for that. If you aren't already familiar with Turo and Hagerty's DriveShare, then you owe it to yourself to poke around on both apps and see what's available in your area. These are not like your typical large rental-car companies with large fleets; instead, they're like Airbnb but for cars, often with private owners renting a singular car. 

Owners that rent out their cars on Turo or Hagerty's DriveShare can set their own terms and price for the rental, and they can block off what days the car can't be rented. The great thing about these platforms is that you can vet the vehicle owner directly from their ratings in the app left by previous renters. If you rent from owners with good reviews from experienced customers, you're probably in good hands — renters will almost always leave negative feedback if a car's performance is poor or if the owner makes the experience tough, so bad owners are pretty easy to spot. 

DriveShare tends to skew toward classics and vintage cars rather than modern supercars, though there are a few of those as well. Turo is largely reserved for normal every day kinds of cars, but they often have more unique and entertaining options than your typical rental-car counter. You can also get higher-horsepower choices like a Corvette convertible for just $253 per day. 

If you're into motorcycles, check out Twisted Road or Rider's Share to borrow someone else's bike for  your trip. I have personally used both, and they're super easy to work with.