Knowing how to rent a car in Denver, Colorado will come in handy when you are visiting the Mile High City. Whether you are visiting Elitch Gardens Theme Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Winterpark Ski Resort, or the Denver Zoo, a rental car is sure to take you from one to the other. http://www.rentalcarmomma.com/cities/denver.htm

Nowadays rental cars have many purposes. They are often associated with vacations and tourists, but everyone can use a rental car. If you are a Denver resident whose car is being fixed in the shop, you may need a rental car. If you are a business man trying to get around Denver to get to your meetings, a rental car can maneuver you around. Even just for a night out on the town, a rental car can be a nice change from the norm.

Denver Car rental coupons, car rental promo offers, car rental discounts, rental car insurance, and car rental rates, fees and expenses are some of the topics discussed on this page. With the many offers from companies like Hertz, Budget, Avis, Alamo, and Enterprise it can get confusing when choosing a company to go with. They all have competitive rates, promotional offers and are easily accessible upon arrival at Denver International Airport.

Before renting a car, it's a good idea to educate yourself so you are aware of the many hidden fees and expenses you can avoid. If you do end up picking your car up from the Denver airport, keep in mind that it will end up being more expensive than if you were to pick up the car from a local neighborhood car rental company away from the airport. This is because airport taxes and fees that you will be charged. http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/116640/article.html

Whatever your reason is to get a rental car and where ever in Denver you decide to pick up the rental car, the basic car rental steps are all the same.

THE INTERNET: The best place to look when searching for a Denver rental car in on the Internet. Not only is the Internet 'open' 24/7, you can often access it right from the comfort of your home without being hassled by pushy sales people. You want to look at the different vehicles that are available and compare the rental rates and promotional offers from various different car rental companies. If you are looking for an exotic luxury vehicle like a Ferrari or Lamborghini, you want to make sure to look at websites for companies that specialize in these. For instance exoticcarrental.com.

RENTAL RATES: If you are visiting Denver, Colorado over a weekend, make sure to look into weekend rates since these are often discounted. If you are staying five days or more, weekly rates may apply. Ask about these also, since they are cheaper than day to day rates. http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/116640/article.html

AIR FARE, CAR & HOTEL: Travel websites like [[Expedia|Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, Priceline.com, Hotwire.com and Kayak.com offer package deals where you can book a hotel stay and/or air fare with your rental car. If you book a travel package like this you generally get a better rate compared to when you book each separately.

If you are unprepared when renting a car, you might end up paying unnecessary fees. Following is a summary of all the different factors to consider when renting a car. Once you know what to look out for you will be able to save some money.

ADD-ONS: If you have a young child, you will need a child safety car seat. You can rent a car seat from the car rental company and get charged anywhere from $5 - $25 per day, or you can save some money and bring your own child seat. The same goes for other additional items you may need such as GPS devices, roof racks and ski racks.

AGE PENALTIES: The age that you can rent a car in the United States ranges from 18 - 25. However, there are car rental companies that will rent to people younger than 25, but they might charge an age penalty. the independent smaller car rental facilities are less strict when it comes to rules and regulations and might not charge you extra. If you are under 21, the penalty can even be higher. http://www.carrentalexpress.com/tips/age_restrictions.html

MILEAGE: Before driving off the car rental lot in your rented vehicle you want to make sure you have unlimited mileage. Some companies have a daily mileage allotment and once you go over this they start charging you extra. Either read the small print on your car rental agreement or talk to your car rental agent to see what their policy is on this.

DROP OFFS: Returning your car too early or too late to the car rental lot can result in fees. If you drop the car off too early after agreeing on a weekly rate, this rate might have to be adjusted since you didn't complete the full week. Ask the car rental company for the exact date and time that the car has to be back. This way you can prevent getting charged.

GAS: It might be a little hassle to search for a gas station to fill up your rental car before returning it to the lot, however, it might benefit you in the long run. If you were to choose to prepay for the gas it would be more expensive. Car rental companies charge more for gas by the gallon than you would pay at them pump. Not only this, if you return the car only half empty, you will have still prepaid for a full tank.

FREE UPGRADES: If you got offered a free upgrade to a larger rental car you should decline it if you want to save some money. Larger cars require more gas which means more costs to you. Try asking for an upgrade to a more economic car. Don't be fooled, the only reason you are offered this upgrade is because the smaller compact cars are in higher demand.

COUPONS: Coupons for a Denver rental car can be found on the Internet. Websites like e-zrentacar.com and rentalcarmomma.com have printable coupons, coupon codes and direct links that can all provide some sort of discount on your rental rate. Some coupons are only good during certain periods or for certain vehicles. Make sure to read any fine print on the coupons to learn about exclusions and restrictions. Expired coupons are not accepted, so make sure to check the validity date. http://www.e-zrentacar.com/Coupons/ <ref>http://www.rentalcarmomma.com/cities/denver.htm

EMAIL UPDATES: The major car rental companies all have newsletters that they send out to people who register on their website. It's a good idea to register you email address, because this way you too will be up to date of any new promos and discounts that are ongoing.

JOIN THE CLUB: If you frequently rent cars from the same company, you may want to consider joining their car renters' club. Sometimes there is a yearly fee for this, but there are also some free memberships available. Joining the club will give you various discounts on rental rates and faster service. Not only this, but you also can avoid long lines at airports by using the member's line. https://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/enterprisePlusPickYourPath.do

Nationwide car rental companies like Enterprise, Thrifty, Avis, and Hertz have set rates and regulations that they go by. If you are under the age of 25, it might be better to look into renting from an independent company since they have more are more flexible because they make their own in-house rules. It is also said that independent companies provide better service because they really want your business. They know they are up against the big names in the car rental business.

INDEPENDENT CAR RENTAL COMPANIES:

• Airline Auto Rental
• 3401 Quebec Street
• Denver, CO 80207-2323
• Phone: (303) 333-2143

This company rents to people 21 years of age and older. They have special Internet rental rates that can be applied by calling in your reservation. http://www.airlineautorental.com/

• Diesel Pickup Rental
• 8301 East Iliff Avenue
• Denver, CO 80231-3253
• Phone: (303) 755-0066

This rental company rents various diesel trucks and vans and has been in business since 2004. http://www.dieselpickuprental.com/index-3.html