AutoSlash Review: How To Save on a Rental Car

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If you’re looking to get a good deal on a rental car, there are a lot of options. Popular travel sites such as Expedia, Orbitz and Priceline all offer cars for rent, often at prices lower than you can get by going to the car rental company directly.

One site that isn’t quite as well known as the ones above is AutoSlash.

AutoSlash Review: Table of Contents

AutoSlash will shop the car rental marketplace and use discount codes, coupons and membership perks to get you the best possible car deal. The site will even track your rental rate and let you know if prices drop. Should you use it? Here’s our review of the service.

How Does AutoSlash Car Rental Work?

Unlike sites like Expedia and Orbitz where you can rent a car directly, AutoSlash serves as a search engine for rental car deals. That means it’s surveying other sites to identify the best possible deals at any given moment.

Additionally, this site is scanning for coupon codes and affinity discounts which could lower the price of your rental car even more.

Here’s how the company describes what it does:

“AutoSlash maintains a large database of every known car rental coupon and discount code. We’re constantly scouring the internet for new discounts and we closely track the performance of each one. When you request a free quote, our system runs the analysis and determines the best possible discount based on your specific rental and any groups or memberships that might make you eligible for other discounts.”

You can even use the service after you’ve booked a car elsewhere by submitting your reservation number and the company you’re renting from.

The company also has a tracking feature. Enter the confirmation number and price of an existing car rental and AutoSlash starts searching for cheaper options. Email alerts are sent to your inbox when the price drops.

AutoSlash will immediately try to help you get a better deal on the exact car you are renting — and the company claims to save you 20% on average.

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How To Book a Car Rental on AutoSlash

We put AutoSlash to the test to see if they really can save you money on a car rental.

Here’s a step-by-step look at the process.

When you arrive at the site, the first thing you’ll need to do is to input information on where you need your car rental. You can choose between airport and non-airport locations.

Screenshot via AutoSlash

You’ll then confirm whether or not you want to return the car to the same location where you pick it up.

Screenshot via AutoSlash

Next, you’ll select your pickup and drop-off dates and times.

Screenshot via AutoSlash

After that, you’ll choose the type of vehicle you’d like to rent. If you want to consider multiple vehicle types, you’ll need to make separate requests.

Screenshot via AutoSlash

The next page is what sets AutoSlash apart. Here, you’ll be asked to submit information on:

  • Any association memberships you have (AARP, for example)
  • Credit cards that you carry
  • Frequent flyer and frequent renter programs you are a member of
  • Warehouse clubs you are a member of

AutoSlash will use this information and apply any discounts for which you qualify to your auto rental rate.

Screenshot via AutoSlash

Finally, you’ll supply AutoSlash with your name and an email address. Your quote will be delivered to you via email. You also have the option to sign up for AutoSlash’s newsletter, which contains “deals, tips and tricks.”

You should get an email within five minutes letting you know your quote is ready.

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Clicking through, you’ll see your rate.

You can then enter your information to reserve your car. (Typically, you don’t have to pay when you book a car but rather when you pick it up.)

After you book your car rental, you can enter your confirmation number and price into AutoSlash’s tracker.

Screenshot via AutoSlash

AutoSlash says it will continue to search for lower prices on your rental and will send alerts to your inbox.

Can AutoSlash Really Save You Money on a Car Rental?

So, did AutoSlash live up to its promise to save us money on a car rental? In order to find out, we performed the same search at Expedia, Hotwire, Orbitz and Priceline.

Quote for a Standard SUV (seating up to five) to be picked up from Orlando International Airport (MCO) on September 17, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. and returned there on September 24, 2022, at 11:00 a.m.

CompanyRate
AutoSlash$315
Expedia$342
Hotwire$391
Orbitz$342
Priceline$347

As you can see, AutoSlash is the least expensive option for this search by $27. Expedia, Hotwire, Orbitz and Priceline, all owned by Expedia Group, Inc., have an average cost of $355 for the seven-day period.

It’s important to note that AutoSlash quotes are based on a “pay later” price which means it’s free to cancel and you pay at the counter. Typically, when you pull quotes from online sites like Expedia and Hotwire, you’ll see a non-refundable rate which is often cheaper than a fully-refundable rate. In this article, we used fully-refundable rates to compare prices across multiple websites.

Final Thoughts

Though it’s not one of the biggest names in the car rental reservations business, AutoSlash can be a valuable part of your travel-booking arsenal. It’s free to use and it promises to shop for lower rates even after your first quote.

No matter which company you use to book your car rental, remember to re-shop rates one week before your trip to ensure you get the best car rental deal.

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Have you ever tried AutoSlash? Tell us about your experience in our Clark.com Community!

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