Discover Cars: The Ultimate Guide to Affordable and Reliable Car Rentals

Launched in 2013, Discover Cars is establishing itself as a major player in online car rental. Positioning itself as a price comparator, this Latvian platform offers a transparent, low-cost solution for finding the best deals from some of the biggest car rental companies, including Hertz, Sixt and Enterprise.

But while comparators are often to be avoided, especially when buying flights, what about Discover Cars? The editors give their review in this ultimate guide to renting a car without breaking the bank!

Founded over ten years ago in Latvia, Discover Cars is a car rental platform that stands out for its transparent approach, focused on finding the best deals according to users’ travel preferences. As an intermediary, Discover Cars compares rates from various rental agencies and makes reservations, much as an online travel agent would.

The company stands out in the car rental market thanks to several key strengths. First of all, the company makes a point of including all mandatory fees, taxes and surcharges in the initial rate, thus avoiding any unpleasant surprises when you pick up your vehicle.

What’s more, with over 500 partners in more than 145 countries, Discover Cars benefits from an extensive network of suppliers, enabling it to offer competitive rates to suit a variety of needs and budgets.

Finally, the company’s multilingual customer service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, providing ongoing assistance with any queries.

Discover Cars boasts an easy-to-use platform, competitive rates and no hidden fees. The comparison tool and mobile app make booking easy, while the flexible cancellation policy and comprehensive coverage enhance transparency. Finally, responsive customer service and detailed reviews ensure a reliable and satisfying experience.

The Discover Cars comparison tool stands out for its ease of use. Accessible from the home page, the search engine lets you quickly enter dates and pick-up location to display a list of available cars, accompanied by user ratings. Results are sorted by price, with the lowest appearing first.

Unlike other sites, where “secret offers” often hide extra charges, Discover Cars stands out for its lack of hidden fees. The company ensures total transparency, avoiding unpleasant surprises linked to compulsory insurance, prepaid tolls and fees not included in the initial payment.

Discover Cars is able to offer lower rates thanks to several key factors, such as its ability to negotiate preferential contracts with rental agencies. For this reason, car rental with local agencies can be more favourable through Discover Cars.

This is the case in this example from Porto, where for one week the rental fee for a reservation made through Discover Cars with the local Portuguese agency Drive on Holidays would be 268 euros.

The same booking, made directly through Drive on Holidays, costs 288 euros.

For larger agencies, such as Enterprise, prices are not always better through Discover Cars. So it’s worth taking the time to have a look at the suppliers’ websites to find the best deal.

Discover Cars offers an advantageous cancellation policy. Reservations can be cancelled free of charge up to 48 hours before pick-up time. Cancellations made less than 48 hours prior to pick-up time are not fully refundable. Only the amount of coverage will be refunded up to the time of pick-up.

Discover Cars provides customer service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Anyone booking a car through the agency can receive help by instant message, telephone or e-mail, and get answers quickly.

When booking, users can consult the ratings and reviews of each car to check the quality of the agency and the vehicle. As mentioned above, Discover Cars recommends choosing suppliers with a rating above 8 to avoid any unpleasant surprises, or recognized suppliers such as Sixt or Enterprise.

Renting a car doesn’t have to be expensive. By applying a few simple tips, you can significantly reduce rental costs and make substantial savings by booking through Discover Cars.

As agencies often offer more competitive prices for early bookings, reserving a car well in advance of your stay allows you to benefit from reduced rates. This avoids last-minute price hikes and guarantees better model availability, maximizing savings.

For air travelers, picking up a car directly from the airport is often practical, although more expensive. In Mallorca in September, a small car rental for a week from Palma airport costs 107 euros.

In comparison, renting a car in the city for the same period costs just 71 euros per week.

It’s important to note that returning the vehicle to a different location may incur additional charges. In addition, to avoid additional costs, it is advisable for the main driver to be between 30 and 65 years of age.

Adding extra drivers to a car rental significantly increases costs. Again in Palma de Mallorca, each additional driver generates an additional expense of 76.51 euros, sometimes exceeding the initial rental price.

For those planning long journeys, unlimited mileage is the best option for unrestricted travel. In the filters offered by Discover Cars, you can select “Unlimited” under Mileage. The “Limited” option requires you to respect the set limit, failing which you will be subject to additional charges. A surcharge of up to 0.30 euros per excess kilometer may apply.

All car rental agencies require a deposit to cover any damage to the vehicle, unforeseen expenses or breaches of rental conditions, such as exceeding the mileage limit. This amount serves to guarantee compliance with the terms of the contract and protects the agency against the financial risks associated with the rental if the car is not returned in good condition.

To find out how much will be deducted from your card at the time of rental, select the car you’re interested in, then click on “Rental conditions”. The refundable deposit is indicated, as well as the period within which the agency undertakes to refund it after the rental period. Please note that there may be a 30-day delay between the refund of the deposit and the return of the car.

To avoid having to pay extra for fuel when returning the vehicle, it is advisable to choose the “full to full” fuel policy for its simplicity and fairness. Discover Cars allows you to filter agencies according to their fuel policies using the dedicated filter.

Although Discover Cars ‘ coverage is attractive and economical compared with traditional agencies, it can cost up to 150 euros for two weeks’s rental.

To avoid having to pay for Discover Cars coverage, we recommend using a bank card that includes car rental insurance. This way, you can avoid additional expenses while effectively insuring your vehicle.

Several cards are available to French nationals, including a Rental Vehicle Guarantee. Our favourites include :

Discover Cars covers a wide range of destinations worldwide, offering unrivalled flexibility for travellers. With more than 10,000 partner agencies in 145 countries, the platform offers global coverage, from major cities to less-frequented destinations.

In Europe, Discover Cars allows you to book vehicles in must-see cities such as Paris, London and Barcelona, while also serving picturesque destinations such as the villages of Provence or the beaches of the Costa Brava. In North America, travelers can explore the United States from New York to Los Angeles, with intermediate cities like Chicago and Miami in between. The network also extends to Canada, offering options in cities such as Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

In Asia, Discover Cars facilitates car rental in hubs like Tokyo, Bangkok and Singapore, as well as in sunny destinations like Bali. In Australia, travelers can rent vehicles in Sydney, Melbourne or Perth, while in Africa, options are available in cities such as Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Discover Cars proves to be a solid option for those looking for a reliable and economical car rental. Whether for a city break or a long-haul getaway, the company offers a compelling combination of simplicity and value, easing every step of the rental process.

With its transparent pricing, extensive network of partners, 24/7 customer service and attentive staff, Discover Cars offers, in our opinion, a simplified and reassuring experience for all travellers.