If you’re planning a trip, you may have considered whether it’s worth renting a car or just relying on public transport or taxis. When you look at the costs of car rental, it’s easy to assume you’ll pay more for the rental car- particularly when you add on the cost of insurance. But it turns out that most of the time it actually makes more sense to rent a car. Here’s why:

Cost

Depending on where you’re traveling and how many people you’re traveling with, it can make much more financial sense to rent a car compared with taking public transport. If you’re travelling with two or three people, it’s a good idea to add together the typical public transport fare for that many people, and estimate how many trips you would take per day. Often you’ll find that it’s actually cheaper to hire a car.

Convenience

One of the biggest reasons to rent a car is simply for the convenience. When you look at how much easier it is to simply leave the airport in a car and be immediately on your way, and drop the car back at the end of your trip, it’s easy to see why. When you rent a car, you can easily change your plans at a whim. You may decide to visit one town, and then realise there isn’t as much to do there as you thought, so you can quickly drive to another town and see if there’s anything happening there.

If you have kids, renting a car is the best solution for all involved. If you find that one of your kids needs to have a nap or isn’t feeling well, mom or dad can take them back to the hotel for a rest while everyone else stays.

Time

If you’re like most people, you may not get enough time off throughout the year. That means that every second of your vacation time is precious and shouldn’t be wasted. If you’re hoping to make the most of your trip, a car is the obvious choice. When you consider the amount of time you’ll spend walking to public transport, figuring out where you need to go and how to get there, waiting for Uber, Lyft, or a taxi, and dealing with airport or hotel shuttles, it simply makes sense to rent a car.

As you can see, there are many reasons why you should consider renting a car for your next trip. This is something that can be easily worked into your budget, and when you consider the price of public transport or taxis, the convenience and time-savings of car rental make it well worth it.

Did you rent a car for your last trip? Thinking about renting one for your next trip? Leave a comment below.