Hot wheels: Where to book luxury car rentals
If you want to hit the road in style with sports cars and luxury vehicles, the major car rental companies have your ride. They also have a variety of rewards programs to turn your head.
Here's an inventory of the types of cars you can rent from popular rental companies and the bonuses each rental company offers you for your business.
Read more: 9 rental car rewards programs you need to know about
Hertz
Hertz’s Dream, Adrenaline, or Prestige Collections offer high-performance, head-turning cars. Want 750 horsepower of revving thrills? You can reserve the limited-edition 2020 Camaro ZL1, customized by Hendrick Motorsports exclusively for Hertz, at six airports: Charlotte, North Carolina; Fort Myers, Florida; Las Vegas; Miami; Orlando and Phoenix.
Read more: The complete guide to Hertz Gold Rewards
In Hertz’s stable, you’ll also find sporty cars like the Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, Porsche Boxster, Porsche 911, Porsche Cayman, and Porsche Panamera. Keep things interesting and hop into a Nissan GT-R, BMW M4, Mercedes- Benz SLC or Tesla Model S.
With Hertz, you can use rewards for daily, weekly, or one-way rentals. Earn points for every dollar spent, but your earning rate changes in .25 point increments between status levels: gold, five-star, and president’s circle. With every level, you can pick your car from the fleet, skip the counter, e-return and exit the gate in 30 seconds or less.
How do you level up from gold to five-star or president’s circle? With 12 rentals or $2,400, you gain five-star access to a wider selection of vehicles. You get president’s circle status for a day after 20 rentals or $4,000 in spend. President’s circle gets you a dedicated Hertz rewards line, the widest car selection, and exclusive benefits and rewards. You can also transfer points to airline and hotel partners.
Read more: Several new car rental Amex Offers now available, including Hertz and Avis
Budget
Some like it fast and over at Team Budget you could drive a Dodge Charger R/T, Dodge Challenger R/T, Infiniti Q60, Nissan 370Z Coupe NISMO, Nissan 370Z, Ford Mustang or GT with a convertible option available, or Chevrolet Camaro or SS, also with a convertible option.
Read more: How to get a free 4-hour grace period on your next car rental
The Budget Business program gives you up to 30% off base rates, while earning you a $3 reward credit for every qualifying rental day. Not only do members get a complimentary Fastbreak membership to skip the counter at pick up, but they also get a dedicated support team and access to a members-only website. There isn’t a tiered structure for membership, but you get reward certificates mailed to you quarterly in $15 denominations. You can stack up to seven certificates ($105) toward a rental.
Alamo
Read more: 8 common rental car mistakes — and how to avoid them
As an Alamo Insider, you’ll have access to the Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang Convertible, Ford Mustang GT, Porsche 911, Porsche Cayman, Chevrolet Corvette, Infiniti Q60, Maserati Ghibli, and the Aston Martin Vantage.
Alamo Insiders save 5% off their low rates and membership is free. Alamo sends you promotional offers directly instead of a traditional loyalty program with earned points.
Read more: How to never pay full price for a rental car
Avis
The Avis car selection is limited, but the options will start your engine: Chevrolet Corvette Coupe, Chevrolet Camaro Convertible or SS, Ford Mustang or GT Convertible.
Read more: 10 best ways to redeem your points and miles for a car rental
The Avis Preferred program allows members to skip the lines and use the Avis Preferred Select & Go app. The points program is similar to Hertz for rentals -- you earn points for every dollar spent and .25 point increments for each status level up. Preferred Plus members receive this status after 12 rentals or $5,000 spent. The top level, Preferred Plus, is achieved after 25 rentals or $7,000 spent (this must be done in a calendar year to upgrade your status).
Read more: 52 rental car promotions that will save you money this fall
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Rewards Rate
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles50,000 Bonus MilesAnnual Fee
$250Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Excellent/Good
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees