I dunno ‘bout you but I’ve heard a lot of rental car horror stories over the years…
People who got charged for scratches that were already on the car before the rental started.
Hidden fees that you only find out about when you go to rent the car (has happened to me before).
Being stuck with huge bills despite returning the car in the same condition.
Because of that, I’m very careful about who I rent a car from these days – and how I rent it.
So where does Discover Cars fit into all of this? And is it worth using?
Well, I used them for a two-day rental in Boca Raton, Florida. And overall, had a great experience.
In this blog post, I’ll be breaking down the pros and cons of renting a car from Discover Cars (including a few things that surprised me). And what you need to know before you drive away.
First things first…
What is Discover Cars anyway?
Discover Cars is an online car rental broker that compares deals from many suppliers around the world. Similar to Expedia or Booking.com except it just focuses on car rentals.
Instead of hopping between multiple rental company websites, you can see prices, policies, and vehicle options side-by-side. Which makes it easy to choose the best option for you.
Pros of Discover Cars
The pricing is transparent
Many people rave about the upfront, transparent pricing of Discover Cars. Which can definitely not be said about every car rental booking company…
Years ago, I rented a car in Barcelona through Booking.com and the price was super low. Can’t remember exactly what it was but maybe 30 euros per day.
I thought “there’s no way this is real price.” But the booking website said there were no additional fees.
When I called Booking (or the rental car company, can’t remember which it was) to confirm, they assured me that that was indeed the final price and there were no additional costs. Then I got to the airport to pick up the car and the price suddenly tripled in cost with insurance and additional fees.
Needless to say, I was not happy about that (and no, I didn’t rent that car in the end).
What I like about Discover Cars is that the price you see is what you get. So there shouldn’t be any unpleasant surprises at pickup.
Discover Cars clearly states on their website:
They price match
The filter options are GREAT (and help avoid unpleasant surprises and costs)
One thing that really makes Discover Cars stand out compared to other car rental booking sites like Booking, Expedia and Rentalcars.com are the filter options — and the AI search, which allows you to search for the car of your choice.
For example, if you want cars that fit bikes, you can pop that into the AI search and it will show you all the cars that, well, fit bikes:
Pretty handy!
I also find the filter options really helpful. But they do change based on your location. So I didn’t see a lot of filter options where I booked a car (Boca Raton, Florida). However, when I changed my location to Barcelona, I saw way more filter options which other booking sites didn’t have. Like:
•Instant confirmation
•Additional driver for free
•Zero deposit
•Online check-in
•Refundable security deposit amount
Cool huh?
Now compare those filters to Rentalcars.com…
The price can be cheaper than other websites (including the car rental site)
I always assumed that booking directly through the company (and skipping a third-party booking site) would secure the cheapest rate. But surprisingly, that’s not always the case.
Third-party booking sites like Discover Cars sometimes have cheaper rates because they can negotiate bulk deals with rental car companies.
Check this out…
I did a search for a car rental at the Barcelona airport through Discover Cars on January 1 to January 8. And this was the price for a Jaguar premium SUV through Enterprise:
Then I checked the price on the Enterprise website and the price was $8.16 more than Discover Cars:
Not a big price difference. But still.
You can cancel up to 48 hours before pickup (with a full refund)
I tend to change plans often… which has cost me more than a few non-refundable flights.
One thing I love about Discover Cars is the flexibility: you can cancel your reservation up to 48 hours before pickup and get a full refund. Many rental companies, on the other hand, charge a cancellation fee when you book directly.
For example, see Enterprise cancellation policy:
Don’t feel like reading?
Basically, in the USA and Canada, if you cancel your reservation more than 24 hours before your pickup time, you will have to pay a cancellation fee of $50 USD (CAD $65).
In Europe, you won’t be charged a cancellation fee IF you cancel 7 days before your reservation. But if you cancel less than 7 days before your reservation, you will have to pay a fee.
Avis’ cancellation policy is even worse:
With Discover Cars, you can cancel anytime up to 48 hours before pickup – and get a full refund. Regardless of location.
I experienced this firsthand – I had to cancel my reservation and reserve again through my dad’s name (I’ll explain why in a bit). Fortunately it was super easy and I wasn’t charged a thing.
Pro Tip: If you do decide to rent directly through the car rental website, I suggest doing the “pay later” option so in case you cancel, you won’t be charged any cancellation fee. Unless you find that the “pay now” price is much cheaper OR you’re booking during peak season when there may be limited availability of cars.
They offer cheaper insurance
Another benefit of Discover Cars is that they offer much cheaper insurance than the rental car companies.
For example, I searched for a car in Barcelona from January 1 to 8 and this was the total price for a Kia Picanto with Discover Cars insurance through AutoUnion rental cars:
I checked on the AutoUnion website and the price for the car with their insurance was 276.68 euros ($326 USD):
That said, the insurance through Discover Cars isn’t as comprehensive as the AutoUnion insurance. But if you’re ok with taking on a bit of risk, the Discover Cars insurance will likely be enough.
There is 24/7 customer support in over 16 languages
Cons of DiscoverCars
The car you reserve might not be available
I imagine this can be an issue with any car rental booking site, but one disadvantage of booking through Discover Cars is that the car you reserve might not be available when you go to pick it up.
This happened to me. I reserved a convertible (when in South Florida, right?!) but sadly, it was not available when my dad and I went to pick up the car. However, Sixt did put us up in a brand new BMW X3, which was also amazing to drive. So no complaints here!
This may, however, be more of an issue with Sixt than with Discover Cars – when I checked the reviews of Sixt in Boca, I saw that several people said that their car wasn’t available upon pickup.
So if the exact car type is important to you, you might want to call the car rental company or supplier ahead of time to confirm that the car will be available.
The Discover Cars insurance doesn’t cover a lot
Do you understand that? ‘Cause I sure as hell don’t.
If “damages resulting from unforeseeable or uncontrollable events” are not included” then what is the point of insurance? Obviously any sort of accident will be unforeseeable or uncontrollable or it wouldn’t have happened in the first place, right?
When I booked my car, I assumed that the Discover Cars insurance would be enough. So I went ahead and paid for it. But when I got to the Sixt desk to pick up the car, I got paranoid that the Discover Cars insurance wouldn’t be enough and ended up buying the Sixt coverage as well, which tacked on an additional $100.26 for my two-day rental.
But the Sixt coverage did give me complete peace of mind because it covered any and all damages to the car. Including up to $300,000 in supplemental third-party liability coverage. So it was much more expensive than Discover Cars but the coverage was much better.
I’ll admit: I’ve rented cars without any insurance at all and been totally fine… but it’s probably not the smartest idea lol.
Bottom line: If basic insurance is enough for you, then Discover Cars insurance will probably suffice. If you want to be covered on all fronts, then skip Discover Cars insurance and buy insurance directly through the rental car company.
The price can be more expensive than booking directly through the car rental site
Ok, I know what you might be thinking: didn’t you just say the opposite?
Sort of. The price is sometimes higher, sometimes lower. The price on Discover Cars also varies depending on the hour that you book.
For example…
I just did a search for a car rental in Barcelona from December 24 to December 27 and this was the option that Discover Cars showed me for a Fiat 500 (or similar car):
I checked the ClickRent website and this was the price for the same car, date and time:
The economy rate is 156.54 euros ($184.81 USD) for 3 days. $29 less than Discover Cars.
HOWEVER, when I changed the pickup time on the Discover Cars website from 10AM to 11AM, the price dropped $44:
Meanwhile, the price on the ClickRent website stayed the same.
So if you reserve the same car one hour later, it ends up being $14.47 less on Discover Cars website.
TLDR; If you book through Discover Cars, check the prices at different pickup and drop-off times, since prices can change depending on when you collect the car! Even one hour later can make a difference.
Final tips before renting a car with Discover Cars
1. If you’re in the US, make sure you have a credit card to reserve the car
In Europe, you’re allowed to use debit cards to rent a car but USA requires credit card. And the credit card has to match the name of the main driver.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a credit card so my dad had to put his name on the car and then we used his card as a deposit. Then we had to pay extra for me to be an additional driver.
2. Look for companies with 8-star ratings and above
I would pick a rental car company with close to 8 stars and above. Personally, I can vouch for Sixt as I’ve had great experiences with them overall (both in Europe and the US). The price is a bit higher than other rental car companies but they’ve never tried to scam me lol. The cars are high-quality. And the service is good.
I would also check the reviews of the rental car company off the Discover Cars website before booking — particularly in the pickup location since that will give you a better idea of the service, quality of the cars and experience people had (compared to say, Trustpilot, which include reviews from all locations).
3. Check the rental conditions before booking
Car rental rules and conditions vary by country and company, so make sure you check the rental conditions before you book. You’ll find them at the bottom of the page just before you confirm the car.
Check the deposit that’s required as this can vary from company to company. I heard of one woman who booked a car in Costa Rica and was asked to put down a $5,000 deposit! Average is $200 to $500 so you should never put down that much of a deposit.
I recommend reserving a car with unlimited mileage and “full to full” (renting a car with a full tank of gas and returning it with a full tank) since that tends to be the cheapest option.
4. Don’t rent a car at the airport
Prices at the airport can often be much more expensive than prices elsewhere.
For example, I checked the prices for a rental car at the Barcelona airport from January 1 to January 4 and this was the cheapest car I saw on Discover Cars…
Then I checked the prices in “Barcelona, Spain” (so everywhere throughout the city) and this option popped up:
5. Take a video of the car before renting it
My former boss once said that he rented a car from Hertz in Italy and when he went to return the car, they charged him (or tried to charge him) for scratches that were already on the car.
That’s why it’s always a good idea to take a video of the car before renting it. Note any damages or scratches and make sure they’re listed in the contract.
Discover Cars Review: Final Verdict
So is Discover Cars worth it?
Well, I can only speak on behalf of my own experience, but I’d say so.
It’s especially useful if you:
- Want to secure the best deals (Discover Cars is often cheaper especially if you’re flexible about the pickup hour and opt for their insurance)
- Care about transparent pricing (and hate surprise add-ons at checkout)
- Prefer to reduce costs by filtering for things like zero additional driver fees, low or no deposits etc
- Have specific requirements and want filter options that help (ie: you want a car that fits a surfboard… or a van for camping)
- Want 24/7 customer service in case something goes wrong
- Want the ability to cancel last-minute without being charged
Hope that helps! And happy driving.