Last Updated on November 6, 2024 by Kristin
You can’t beat the freedom a rental car provides. But before you start daydreaming about a cross-country road trip, there may be one big restriction you know about when it comes to rental cars. You should confirm the number of miles you’re allowed to drive. So what is the maximum number of miles you can put on a rental car when you have ‘unlimited miles’?
Ask AutoSlash for a Quote on a Cheap Car Rental
Most car rentals in the U.S. do not have mileage limits, which means, in theory, that you can put as many miles as you want on the vehicle. But there are sometimes exceptions.
Mileage Limits Vary Depending on The Rental Car Contract
While most rentals in North America offer unlimited miles, some companies note restrictions in the terms attached to your rental reservation. Here are a few of the most common scenarios.
Unlimited Mileage on Rental Cars
With unlimited mileage, you can drive as far and as much as you want during the reservation without additional charges. Major car rental companies usually display this information when making a reservation.
But be forewarned. Unlimited mileage doesn’t always mean truly unlimited. Sometimes rental companies cap the distance you can drive over a certain period of time. For example, you might have unlimited miles for a one-day rental but have an allotment of miles if you rent for a week or a month. Before testing the limits of “unlimited,” it’s smart to read the fine print of your rental agreement.
Know also that you could end up on a rental company’s Do Not Rent list if you are a serial long-distance renter abusing the “unlimited miles” policy. Hertz draws the line at more than 3,500 miles within a 30-day period. This Reddit user says: “Saw that despite ‘unlimited miles,’ there’s a cap for 3,500 miles per 30 days where Hertz may charge for ‘excessive wear and tear.'”
Another example: Enterprise’s FAQ page on “unlimited miles” spells out that unlimited mileage is available for most car classes in the U.S. and Canada, but there are exceptions.
- Larger or specialty vehicles (such as large passenger vans, large cargo vans, large SUVs or Exotic cars) come with limited mileage and an incremental cost of $0.10 – $0.25 for every additional mile/kilometer over the allowed limit.
- Unlimited mileage doesn’t apply if you booked a promo weekend rate available during select months at off-airport locations. The promo rate includes 100 miles/150 kilometers per day (not even two hours of highway driving) with an incremental cost of $0.20 for every additional mile/kilometer.
Mileage Limits on Rental Cars
While mileage limits are the exception rather than the norm for U.S.-based car rentals, you may occasionally see some rates that include caps on how far you can drive.
These restrictions may pop up with promotional fares, like with one-way rentals designed to get you from the airport to downtown. Those rentals usually max out at 150 allowable miles, with an additional charge of $.10 for every mile over that threshold.
You may also see mileage limits for long-term rentals. Europcar, for example, says that rentals for 28 days or more automatically have limited mileage.
Zero-mile Rentals
In some rare cases, you might run into zero-mile rentals that charge you for every mile you drive with the car. These tend to be more common with international rentals, or rentals in remote areas.
Don’t Get Stuck With Geographic Restrictions
Even if your car rental comes with unlimited miles, there’s another limitation to be aware of: geographic restrictions that limit your ability to drive the car to other states. For example, you might rent a car in Florida with plans for driving to Atlanta, only to find out later that the rental’s terms and conditions geographic restrictions prohibit you from crossing state lines.
Just like with mileage limits, geographic restrictions are uncommon. However, they do exist. Fox and Sixt are two examples of car companies that may implement geographic restrictions on their rentals, depending on the state.
Let AutoSlash Track Your Car Rental for Price Drops
Geographic restrictions are also common for rental reservations near international borders. Even if you have an unlimited number of miles to burn during your reservation, most rental car companies won’t let you cross into Mexico from the U.S. without purchasing additional insurance.
The Bottom Line
Before renting any car, be sure to check for any mileage restrictions as well as geographic limitations your vehicle might have.
One easy way to do this is to ask AutoSlash for a quote on your next car rental. The process is free, fast and easy. When renting a quote you’ll be able to find the best rentals with unlimited mileage, and get a heads up when rates have mileage caps.
Related:
