Can you rent a car in Canada and go across the border to the US for a trip?

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idahotaz

I'd like to mount a campaign to encourage people not to go anywhere. Travel has become so expensive and unpleasant that it's hard to understand why people don't stay home.
Why are we crowding our highways and airports to get someplace else? Newspapers and magazines are filled with ads trying to get us to travel. They want us to go somewhere - anywhere but home.

widepart

Yes is the short answer. Although not many companies do it my daughter was able to find Avis and travelled often to the US.

old lady

Depends on which company you rent your car from. Some will allow it, some won't. Just phone around and ask.

fallenangel462

Yes and no. Most companies won't allow you to do so, due to the legalities involved. Some companies will allow you to do so, but may charge you an extra fee.

I know AVIS will allow you do so, from personal experience. Please make sure and tell them that you are planning to take the care into the US, so that they can give you the proper paperwork to enable you to cross the border with the car.

Have a good trip!

Faisal

The answer is Yes - see the companies mentioned below. There are no legal restrictions to doing this, and no insurance restrictions - infact, you can drive your own insured car from Canada to the US and be covered fully for liability and damage to your vehicle and third-party vehicles. Rental cars in Canada have to carry the statutory limits of insurance - so any car you rent will be insured for Third Party Liability. For the vehicle damage part, you need to check your own insurance to see if you have coverage for non-owned automobiles - i.e. rentals, borrowed cars, etc. The endorsements vary by province - in Ontario it is called OPCF 27 - and if your own car is relatively new, it will almost always have it. A better option is Gold / Platinum Credit cards, most of which cover damage to rented vehicles - check with the issuer. Avoid paying "insurance " to the rental company at all cost - you are most likely covered with your credit card, or own auto insurance. The rental agent will do anything to sell it to you, as a 3rd of his income depends on it ! It's costly, and has gone up from $9 a day in the late 80s to $24.95 per day today, almost the same as the rental charge! Do your homework ! And remember, it is a waiver, not insurance, which is what the agent will try to tell you it is.

Now, the only thing that remains is whether the rental company allows you to take the car into the States. My advice: stay away from companies that don't in general as they have devious rules and poor service. A solid company will not place such as restriction. The most ridiculous thing, for example, is Budget's unlimited KMs stipulation- i.e. "Unlimited Kilometers in Ontario". It is basically a threat - we won't give you road side assistance if you go outside the province- and you are breaking the contract. It's a way they conserve their important lease Kms. You will find that Hertz (world's largest rental company) , Avis, and National, do not have this US restrictions (but you cannot take the car outside continental US or Mexico).
Finally, it's a misconception that companies like e-cars, Budget, are cheaper than the larger companies. Absolutely untrue. Most of my rentals are weekend and weekly, and I have paid as little as $15 per month on the weekend, and $159 per week. With Avis and Hertz, the cars are new, and are returned to the manufacturer / dealer with fairly low kilometers (22000 - 38000). With both these companies, you get 24 hour roadside assistance anywhere in North America, and I have seen it work well anywhere, in my 12 years with Hertz.

Yes, one other thing, someone mentioned legal complications. Companies like Thrifty and Enterprise insure their cars (for damage) with an insurance company. This means that if an accident happens, the insurance companies have to settle the claim in an alien environment with fault-determination complications etc. Hertz and Avis are self-insured - their fleets are too large to insure economically. So if your car gets written off in the States, they eat the loss. This is one reason why smaller companies are wary of sending their cars to the US. I am not sure, but there is probably something worked into their insurance policy.

wahoo

I know that I have rented cars in Canada and drove into the States with no problem but best to check with the rent a car company to know for sure.

Momo A

yes u can but some companies may not do that.

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