With over 46 million passengers passing through each year, Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS) is one of the world’s busiest airports. Las Vegas, or Sin City as it is commonly-known, encourages excesse and outrageous behaviour like no other place on earth.And if you’re getting married dressed up as Elvis, you might as well rent a stretch-limo to take the party back home.
Photo: Brian Solis / Flickr CC
The Rent-A-Car Centre is located three miles south of the airport, with easy freeway access to Interstates 15 and 215 and the Las Vegas Strip. Housing 11 rental companies, the centre is open all year, 24 hours a day, with a continuous shuttle service to the airport terminals.
To determine which rental car companies offer the best vehicles across our three categories (Most Affordable, Best for Luxury, Best for Minivans), TravelMag.com carefully researched prices, availability, policies and customer reviews for each company based in the car rental centre. Here are our findings below.
first glance, Alamo, Dollar and Thrifty appear to offer car rentals at similar prices. However, once you get past the cheap car rentals category, Alamo consistently offers lower prices on the majority of its cars. Moreover, Alamo scores highest on customer rankings (average 8.3 out of 10). For travellers planning to embark on longer journeys, Avis’s Chevrolet Cruze is a recommendable option. A highly rated compact car, the Cruze is roomier than most other vehicles in this category and averages over 40 miles per gallon on the highway. Avis also offers monthly car rental deals that represent far bettervalue than daily rentals, and through the Avis app you can extend your rental period at anytime.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do and the same could be said for Las Vegas.If ever there was ever a place where you can justify opening your wallet a little wider, it’shere. Out of the luxury cars on offer at LAS airport, Avis has a large selection of vehicles including Cadillacs, Mustangs, Wrangler’s Jeeps and Chevrolet’s luxurious SUVs. Enterprise also has extremely reasonable pricing on its luxury cars but several of their vehicles were unavailable for our sample dates. Among their fleet, they have a BMW X5, an Audi Q7, and the Mercedes Benz GLE.
The Dodge Grand Caravan is very much the minivan de rigueur for most rental companies at McCarran International Airport. The 7-seater vehicle dominates the listings of most agencies with prices varying between $60-80 per day, depending on the season. For larger groups, both Alamo and Enterprise rent out the 12-seater Ford Transit for approximately $100. A brand name almost as common as Hoover, this spacious van is ideal for large groups on a Vegas trip. However, it’s worth looking carefully at the termsl, as some offers include a full tank of petrol. In the case of Ford Transit, that’s worth over $60.
