Minimum Rental Period

The minimum rental period is the floor on how short a booking can be. For most cars it is a single day, but premium models, special vehicles or peak-season bookings can carry a longer minimum of two, three or more days.

It protects the company from the cost of preparing, cleaning and handing over a car for a return that is too small to be worth it. Even if you only need the car for a few hours, you pay for the whole minimum.

It is worth checking when you want a very short rental, because a one-day need against a three-day minimum changes the maths entirely. In that case a taxi or ride-hailing trip might be the better value.

For most travellers planning at least a day or two of driving, the minimum is never an issue — it only bites on unusually brief or last-minute needs.