I am sure all of you have rented a car at some point. Most of you were probably less than pleased with the overall experience of old-school car rental agency. Today, I want to introduce you to two ways to make your renting experience better and potentially, less costly.
Enter Silvercar.
Silvercar is owned by Audi and their whole fleet consists of Audi A4, Q5 and the newest addition A5 convertible. They are located at around 20 airport locations around the US. They praise themselves as a disruptor to the established agencies like Avis, Hertz and National to name a few.
Ever gotten back from a trip and a few weeks later you get billed an additional $30 for using their EZ pass? Silvercar doesn’t pass on any of those, as you only pay the actual tolls used. Short on time and no time to fill up the tank? Silvercar charges local gas prices plus a $5 convenience fee. You need a car seat or ski racks, they will add that if you request it in advance at no extra charge. You want satellite radio, it’s on the house.
No hidden cost, what a noble concept.
Rentals are starting at $49 per day, but vary by location and dates. The other great thing about Silvercar is that they have a partnership with Visa. If you own a Visa Infinite card, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you are able to get 30% of your rate. All you have to do is enter the code VINFINITE and pay with that card. Your cost will automatically be adjusted.
Silvercar saved us big when we went to Denver this past February. We were staying with friends in their cabin on the mountains 2 ½ hrs from Denver. You can either take a mountain bus up at $59 per person one-way or you rent a car. When I checked for rental cars the cheapest four wheel drive car was at over $150 a day. Guess that shouldn’t be a surprise in the middle of ski season in Denver. Luckily I knew about Silvercar. They don’t show up in your Kayak or Expedia search as an FYI.
A quick search showed an Audi Q5 available at $89 a day. This certainly looks promising. As mentioned above, after adding the promo code, the price came down to close to $60 a day. I needed the car for four days and my total at the end came to $237, instead of over $600 with any other agency.
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At the airport there was a shuttle to their off-airport location. As per their instruction, you will check in once on that shuttle. That way they know you are coming and will have your car waiting for you. No additional paperwork or anything like that. All I had to show was my driver’s license (as this was my first rental) to the agent that was standing next to my car when I unlocked it with the app. Off I went within two minutes of getting to the rental place.
The roomy Q5 was a delight to drive and with a four wheel drive I had no issues in the mountains. I got quite a few comments on how nice the car was and when I told them for $60 a day they couldn’t believe it.
Bottom Line:
Shop around for your rentals, but see if Silvercar makes sense for you. You will get a great luxurious vehicle with an easy and seamless experience. They are clearly looking to disrupt the industry and target the digital generation. I will certainly be using Silvercar again in the future.
Anyone else tried Silvercar before?
This is great to know! I just rented a car when we were in SD without Andrew’s help and got charged a fortune. eeek! Thanks for the great tips!
Yes, Alex, I too have experienced the hidden fees that add up after you’ve turned in your car. I will give it a try, too.