I'm not expert but I'll give it a try....
I rarely rent cars so I don't have too-too much experience with this but I know that we have rarely gotten the additional insurance that car rental companies offer because our auto insurance covers us with a rental.
You notice I said "rarely" above? Because on a couple of occasions we have. When we were in LA and only needed a car for 2 days, we bought the daily insurance because drivers there are far more aggressive than we're used to. And we carry a high deductible on our auto insurance. We figured that the daily rate for two days was worth it because the odds of us getting in some kind of fender-bender were greater in LA than in our normal driving lives and we didn't want to have to pay the high deductible if something happened.
That said...since you don't have US auto insurance, I think it would be mandatory for your to get the rental company's insurance. I don't think there's anyway around it as you must have insurance to drive a car legally in the US.
The taxes are determined by the city/county/state in which you rent the car. Taxes collection in the US is an amazing jumble. It is highly possible that you will have to pay some taxes that are imposed by the city you are renting the car in. There might be other taxes on that car rental that are imposed by the county the city is located in. And there might be other taxes that are imposed by the state the city/county are both in. And you have no choice, you pay 'em. That's it. And the car rental companies don't have a choice either. They have to pay them to the proper government entity and they have to collect them. Period.
It's not unusual for things like Performing Arts to be supported by these types of taxes. I believe, in my state, we have taxes on car rentals to support stadiums for professional sports, tourism development and marketing, and various other things. So, yes, we tax you further so we can market to you more to lure you back for another visit. That's just the way it works here.
If you want to hire a specific type of vehicle, especially one that might not be common like the PT Cruiser convertible, then you really must reserve it in advance. If you wait until you arrive to try and get one, I can almost guarantee you that there won't be any available to rent. They don't have many of these specialty vehicles and they usually have to make arrangements ahead of time to have one for your use.
What the traffic will bear...
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Originally Posted by samanddeb
We are from the UK and want to hire a car from Las Vegas for 1 week early August. Our road trip will take us in a loop into Utah, then Arizona, then back to Nevada. Could anyone please advise as to what we will need in terms of insurance, and what other taxes we would expect to pay as standard, especially given that we would be entering 2 other states outside the 1 we will be hiring in (one site even quoted something called Performing Arts Tax - what?!)
It doesn't really matter how many states you travel through with respect to taxes. Taxes are assessed only at the point of departure/arrival. Local governments in their infinite wisdom have decided that rental car customers can and should pay for local projects that their own citizens have failed to pay for. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but it is a reality. We have been tracking the more outrageous sur-charges (taxes) and have found that Kansas City is the worst at nearly 92% of the cost of rental. Las Vegas is about 28% (click here for more info)
There is a more fundamental issue -- make sure that your rental contract allows you to travel outside of Nevada! 100% of the discount rental companies prohibit travel outside of Nevada when rented in Las Vegas. Just about every rental car rented in Las Vegas has a GPS-chip embedded in the trunk area and "they" will no exactly where you went and how fast you drove...
Some of the national chains will expect you to pay a surcharge for crossing state lines. I use National quite a bit, because they always have the newest fleet and I have ever never been charged a surcharge for crossing out of Nevada.
Insurance: I have very extensive personal insurance and so I usually waive all of the insurance offered by the rental car companies. As International travelers, you should speak with your UK provider and see if their insurance will cover you in the USA. At the minimum you might consider taking the daily coverage on the vehicle (damage to the car) but in general I think you can get a better rate from dedicated insurance carriers.
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oh, btw, We really fancy hiring a PT Cruiser Convertible. Anyone had any experience of one, and also would it be best to reserve in advance over the web or try and do a deal when we get there?
They are fun cars, easy to drive and a good roadtrip car. I would certainly get a reservation prior to arrival. Never rent for less than one week, rates are optimized by the week. If you can avoid starting a rental on Monday, you get a better rate. The best day for start a week rental is Friday...
Hope this helps.
Mark
