Canada’s second-busiest airport, Vancouver International Airport (YVR), is situated 12km south of downtown Vancouver. Most of the major car rental companies have counters in the Main and South Terminals, just beyond the baggage claim area. However, it is worth noting to reach Enterprise’s offices, you need to take the complimentary shuttle service operating from Level P1 car park. In the deep, dark and cold Canadian winter, we’d recommend using the rental companies located in the airport.
Vancouver (Photo: bendus via Flickr / CC BY 2.0)
To determine which rental car companies offer the best vehicles across our three categories (Most Affordable, Best for Luxury and Best for Minivans), TravelMag.com carefully researched their prices, availability, policies and reviews of the car rental companies. Here are our findings below:
MOST AFFORDABLE: THRIFTY & DISCOUNT
Canadian-owned, Discount Car and Truck Rentals is the cheapest car rental company but its offices are located just outside of the airport. Here, you can find a Toyota Corolla costing less than 40USD per day. For those wanting a quicker (and warmer) exit then, out of the companies in the main terminal, Thrifty leases out the Chevrolet Sonic and the Chevrolet Spark at just over 40USD per day and comfortable sedans like the Toyota Corolla and the Volkswagen Jetta at 45USD and 48USD respectively. These prices are almost 25% cheaper than most of the competition in the airport. Their YVR branch is also favorably reviewed with an online score of 7.5.
BEST FOR LUXURY CARS: NATIONAL & ALAMO
If a Chrysler 300 or Ford Explorer are your preferred wheels, then you might want to look through Alamo’s selection of premium and luxury cars which can be rented out between 85-97USD. But if you are more of a Cadillac person (and many clients in the high-end market are) we recommend the American company National. Part of the Enterprise Group (that also includes Alamo), National has one of the biggest fleets of luxury cars for rent at YVR with popular SUVs like the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Explorers and more conventional cruisers like the Cadillac 300 and Nissan Maxi-ma on its books.
BEST FOR MINIVANS: DOLLAR & ALAMO
It’s hard not to take your eyes off Dollar’s deal on their Dodge Grand Caravan at an extremely reasonable 69USD per day. But having gone through all the rental companies operating out of Vancouver International Airport, we realized that there are only two types of minivans on offer: the aforementioned Dodge and the Chrysler Town & Country, – a luxurious, leather-seated minivan which is known for its versatility. So it’s Hobson’s choice really: either pick a Dodge or go slightly upmarket and pay a little more. Generally, Alamo had the best prices and as always, extremely good customer reviews.