TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin car rentals

Need recommendation on a reasonably priced car rental? Last November we rented from Thrifty and the price was about 30% more than the prior year for the same type of car. We are interested in looking at other rental car companies for next November/December?

Most are up significantly, unless you have a standing deal with a company you have rented from for a long time. 30% or more than previous years is what you will find. I would start with the sponsors here, get some bottom-line quotes and then spread out from there. Lots of companies out there but I can tell you, the prices are not at all like what they used to be. I found that out in 2022 and again for March 2023. Good luck.

If you purchase liability, you will find that Hertz SXM is the least expensive as liability is included in their quote, whereas it's added to the quote by all others. They pick you up in a van at the airport and take you to their nearby office where you will sign paperwork and get your car. Your credit card may cover collision; be sure to print out that portion of your credit card agreement to be sure.

I found a Europcar at Grand Case Airport has great rates, and include some insurance in the base price as well. I've got a brand-new car for about US$40 a day right now, that's hard to beat.

I pay $26.64/day with Hertz for a sedan. When I rented in November/December, the car had fewer than 7,000 miles on it.

Been using Hertz for the last 20 plus years for the same reasons Jazzgal stated. No regrets.

Article in today's Herald about the rising car rental prices on all the Islands.

We all have "our guy"!! We were with this guy, he had great prices, but his service didn't suit our needs over the years. We were with him for 15 years!! About six years ago, I was introduced to Sax rental company. A privately owned company with a husband and wife. Who we have become very close with!! Not only do they have amazing service, my number one priority but IMHO the best prices on the island! I love that they are local people running a local company! The service is amazing!! https://www.saxcarrental.com/

Based upon mentions here, I gave Hertz a shot last March and also for March 2023. 11 day rental of a Corolla or similar in mid-March for this year came to a total of just under $582 total or just under $53 per day. They were equally high last year. As I mentioned in my earlier post, unless you have a standing deal with an agency or are a long-term repeat customer, you may not be getting anything close to the price others are getting. I know others who get great deals from other agencies but it is due to their many, many years relationship with that agency or person.

Paying $175./wk plus tax. at Safari/Ace right now.

Re: D H article on car rental prices. Can you post link? I could not find article on DH site.

It may only be in the printed version.

Has anyone used the TTOL sponsor Travel Car Rental and what experience did you have?

WLE - This is strange. I just looked up Safari/Ace for 10 days in late March and got a quote of $620.00 for their least expensive ride. If you've got some special "in" or a promotion code, I'd sure love to have it.

up until the last couple of years, we were always pleasantly surprised how economical rental cars were on SXM, especially compared to other islands...usually <$20/day, the cheapest in recent years being <$13 day including all taxes and fees (CDW declined) with Leisure for a 2 week rental in dec 2020 into jan 2021

this past dec/jan (2022/2023) the best we found was $35/day all in (CDW declined) with SAX...like a 70% increase from what we paid in 2021/2022 with a Leisure/Hertz combo

we normally start making reservations quite a few months out, finding that rates tend to increase as you get closer to travel date

hey, at least for now SXM is still cheaper than the $60+/day we'll be paying in Croatia this summer

we had(?) reservations with Travel for two time periods for this past dec/jan...using their online booking procedure, got a very good rate...but after i made each reservation the screen showed a confirmation number along with a message saying i would be receiving an email confirming all details...i never received the emails, for either booking

months later i called Travel and explained i never received the emails and asked if my bookings were still valid....guy said he would look into it and call me back...he never did...so based on this less than great communication, along with the fact i could find very little comments/reviews online about Travel, we got cold feet and decided to send them an email telling them to cancel our reservations if they were even valid

I think most here would be VERY satisfied with that rate

This has always been a popular subject on TTOL. Everyone wants to get the cheapest rate but often forgets that add ons and trickery sometimes end up costing them more. If I get a "loyalty" discount because I use the same agency for 10 or 15 years or more, I don't think the newbies should expect the same rate. Maybe I am just getting old.
TG

BINGO!

Exactly. I've been getting the same weekly rate ($120), for our three week trip for at least the past ten years. This past year it did go up a little, but not a huge amount. I also refer friends, so I'm sure that helps, but they don't get my rate. So tell Alain Arnell at AAA that I referred you, but don't expect my rate! Loyalty pays.....

Same here with me and Hertz. 👍

Rick - email me at: rlee92450@gmail.com I will send the contact info to you

Is it a secret? 🤔

And of course the price can vary widely from the same rental agency depending on whether it is high season (Dec. - Apr.) or low season (May - Nov.). Don’t expect to get November prices in the middle of January. You’re talking apples and mangos.

So true.