7 Discover Cars Tips to Get the Best Rental Deal (Our Review)

Discover Cars

As full time travelers, we’re always looking to save money in any way we can. Renting a car is always on our mind as a way to see the most possible in any destination and that’s where Discover Cars comes in! This has become our favorite website for searching for rental cars around the globe. We used it to book a car in Croatia for $50 USD per week as well as some other epic deals! Here are our top tips and review of using Discover Cars with actual rental experiences from our own travels.

What is Discover Cars?

Discover Cars is a search tool that allows you to compare companies and rates to help you find the best deals. The Discover Cars website extends to over 10,000 car rental locations across more than 145 countries. 

You’ll find every option from a local rental agencies to airport deals, and so much more. Over the years we have slowly started to gravitate towards using it as our main source. 

Discover Cars has saved us countless dollars and the hassle of using public transportation with their competitive prices. Before you get started on your rental company search, here are our best tips in a Discover Cars review!

Discover Cars Review

Discover Car Rental Deals Around the World

Now that you know Discover Cars has a vast reach across the world, where are the best places to use it? The best deals we’ve found have been in Europe without a doubt. 

On our last visit to Split Croatia we rented a car for just $200 USD for one month! Without Discover Cars, we would’ve never been able to see the beautiful Dalmatian Coast and destinations like Makarska and Sibinek

While we’ve found plenty of great prices renting from Athens, Discover Cars has a reach to the many islands of Greece. On our visit to Karpathos we got a one week rental from the airport for under $100! 

Even in countries like New Zealand there are deals to be had. Before we decided to get a longterm campervan, we rented a car through discover for a shorter road trip. 

One place we actually haven’t had much luck is when we’ve been back home in the United States. Due to this, we’ve even taken flights to different airports (like Boston instead of New York) just to save some money on our vehicle. 

Know that sometimes the prices will be out of your control. Yet, after reading this Discover Cars review you should have a good idea of what to look for in your search!

→ Renting a Car in Portugal: 10 Reasons You’ll Love Having a Vehicle

Discover Car Rentals

7 Best Tips For Using Discover Cars

1. Book as Soon as You Know Your Dates

Our first tip is to plan as far in advance as possible. Once you know your dates, take a look at Discover Cars and see if there is a car hire option that works for you. 

The further out you book your rental car the better deal you’ll likely be able to get! Remember that vehicles work the same as hotels. This especially applies to the most popular destinations in peak season.

For example, when booking a car in Santorini Greece we made sure to book several months before arriving. We checked a little closer to our dates in May and it was almost double the cost! 

→ Is Renting a Car in Santorini Worth it? 2023 Car Rental Guide

Discover Cars Reviews

2. Take Advantage of Discover Cars Free Cancellation

One great thing about Discover Cars is that you can pick a company that offers a cancellation policy. On almost all Discover Car rentals they have an option to cancel up until 48 hours before you pick up. 

This part of the booking process can be overlooked as a way to save money. However, from our personal experience (and how fast our plans change), it’s always great to have the option to cancel if need be.

You can also check back leading up to your rental and see if the prices have dropped. From there, you can cancel, get a full refund, and rebook the Discover car rental to get the best deal! We did this once and it saved us almost $350 USD with our vehicle.

Discover Cars Rentals Review

3. Pay When You Arrive 

Something important to know about the Discover Cars rental platform is that you don’t have to pay completely upfront. You can actually choose between a partial payment or paying in full.

Really, there’s no reason to pay the entire thing when you initially book your vehicle. The #1 reason not to is if anything goes wrong and you have to change your plans. 

The biggest instance where this would come up would be if you have flight delays or cancellations. We found this out firsthand during our unfortunate trip with Icelandair.

During this experience, we had multiple flight delays and actually had to sleep overnight at Keflavík International Airport! Typically, they’ll hold your rental reservation for up to 48 hours without penalty. 

Yet, our delays took us past that point and then we were stuck trying to get a refund. If we had made the entire payment beforehand then we would have had all that money tied up on our credit card or out of our bank account. 

By only paying the small deposit it at least wasn’t as big of a concern. We ended up getting it sorted out later on and refunded with our credit card company. 

Discover Cars Rental Review

4. Filter With Discover Car Rentals 

One of the best features of Discover Cars is the ability to filter the different options and vehicles. When renting cars in Europe we’ve seen deals for as little as $5 per day! 

However, when we filter through the cheap cars we noticed that we haven’t checked off automatic cars. This is just one example of something you may want to filter for if you’re not used to driving a manual. 

Another thing to filter with search results is your dates. What we mean by this is that you can often find cheap rates by booking for a full week or longer to save money. 

On many trips we’ve found it to be a lower cost when renting for an entire week or month. When searching Discover Cars, it’s often the same price for 4 or 5 days as it is for a full week. 

Obviously, the price can depend on the type of car you choose and the length of your vacation. Yet, by extending your rental for a longer period you can unlock special offers you may not have considered.

→ Is Renting a Car in Croatia Worth It? (Read Before You Book!)

Discover Car Rental Review

5. Check Your Discover Cars Pick Up Location

Something to watch out for when booking with Discover Cars (or really any rental agency) is where you’re picking up your vehicle from. Specifically, when it comes to the cheapest options, you’ll really want to check the details and rental conditions. 

The main reason for this is that you may find off-site locations or different instructions depending on where you’re renting from. Remember that the lower-cost deals from airports can be with smaller rental companies at different locations.

For instance, when picking up our car in Split Croatia we were super confused about where to go. The company wasn’t coming up on google and we had to ask someone at the airport if they knew where it was. 

Eventually, after walking around the airport parking lot in the hot sun, we found the right building. This all could have been avoided if we had done a little more research beforehand when using Discover Cars. Also, be sure to pick the correct scheduled pick-up time to avoid any mishaps or confusion.

Discover Cars Rental

6. Avoid Low Rated Discover Cars Rental Companies 

Another Discover Cars tip is to look through the ratings of each company you’re considering. While we all want a good deal and amazing prices, it’s more important to make sure you get the best car possible. 

Discover Cars has its own rating system as part of the user-friendly comparison tool. Still, we recommend researching the company yourself to get a second opinion. After all, ending up with a bad vehicle or no car at all can obviously ruin your vacation! 

This is a key part of guaranteeing customer satisfaction and a great experience. It may be worth it to pay a little bit more to go with a reputable company like Enterprise, Sixt, or Hertz over local agencies to ensure a good experience.

Discover Cars Rental Companies 

7. Have Insurance Coverage 

Now that you know how to get a great deal with Discover Cars, there’s one last thing to take note of! One of the most important things to think about when renting a car is how you will protect it.

Personally, our credit card covers us whenever we rent a car abroad. If you don’t have this type of protection or your own insurance that transfers over you can always purchase it through the website.

However, we actually don’t recommend buying insurance coverage through Discover Car rentals. This is due to the fact that it’s a huge hassle if you have an accident to go through a third party website instead of directly with the company. 

We should also note that most local companies in Europe include mandatory insurance for liability. Yet, that doesn’t protect you from other unexpected damage that may occur which isn’t your fault.

If you can help it, wait until you get to the rental desk to ask about insurance coverage options. Also, make sure to walk around the car, take pictures, and thoroughly check for damage before driving off. We even go as far as taking a video circling the vehicle in the parking lot.

Review Discover Cars

Our Discover Cars Review

By now you can tell how much we love Discover Cars! We’ve been using them for years to find amazing deals in Europe and beyond. Having a rental car is one of the best ways to get around and make the most out of your vacation.

Hopefully, this Discover Cars review gave you a good understanding of how to use it to your advantage. 

Review Discover Cars Rental

Have any questions about this article or want to share your own Discover Cars review? Leave us a comment below!

Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake

More Useful Travel Tips

 Flights: We always find our cheap flight deals using Skyscanner. That’s how we flew from Norway to Poland for under $20 USD, and Thailand to Vietnam for less than $50! 

Rental Car: We use Discover Cars to explore when traveling. A quick travel tip is to ask for a weekly rate than just booking 2-3 days.

 Tours: Check out Get Your Guide to find thousands of activities around the world. From street food tours to skip the line entry passes! 

 Travel Insurance: Never travel abroad without protection. We’ve been using SafetyWing for the last few years on the road and they are there when we need them.

 Packing Lists: Find all the inspiration you need with our Amazon packing lists. Including our electronics and camera gear, must-have medical items, and long flight essentials

Nothing Familiar Travel Planning

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Brigitte & Jake

We’re Brigitte and Jake! American travel bloggers currently based in Spain. If you can believe it, we started Nothing Familiar way back in 2015 on an Ipad in the Ecuadorian jungle. Ever since, we haven’t stopped traveling! We’ve now been to over 60 countries around the world, with our expertise being Europe and Southeast Asia. We love outdoor adventures, tasting local specialties, and island hopping through tropical destinations. Hopefully, our guides and authentic experiences will inspire you on your own travels!

Find me on: Web | Twitter/X | Instagram | Facebook

2 Comments

  1. Lee
    November 30, 2023 / 8:39 am

    I had no idea Discover Cars even existed! Thanks for all the info, especially the tip about avoiding low-rated rental companies. I will try this!

    • Brigitte & Jake
      Author
      November 30, 2023 / 8:40 am

      Such a great tool to find rentals! Definitely give Discover Cars a shot for your next trip.

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