Silvercar Rental – My New Favourite Car Rental Option

Silvercar Rental Introduction

I’ll start this review by admitting that I really dislike renting cars. Unlike other aspects of travel, including airpot lounges, flights, and hotels, I find nothing about car rentals exciting or luxurious. Furthermore, I generally consider the whole process a bit tiring. The booking process is convoluted and it’s often difficult for me to know if I’m getting the best deal. Picking the car up can be a gruesome process with long lines and a commission thirsty agent trying to sell you insurance for every peril imaginable – warning of catastrophic events that could not only ruin your vacation, but also leave you on the hook for the full MSRP of your 6-month old intermediate class Hyundai. As if that wasn’t bad enough, returning the car is the pinnacle of stress, with an agent (maybe the same one that unsuccessfully tried to sell you insurance) examining the car for scratches, dents, etc. Sounds nice, right? Enter Silvercar rentals, which has actually changed my attitude towards the industry.

We arrived into Las Vegas Airport just after 11am and texted Silvercar to inform them of our arrival. They responded right away and told us to take the shuttle to the car rental area just off the airport property, and to look for the representative standing outside of a silver Audi A4. Anyone who rents cars often knows this is where the fun starts! A stuffy ride to the rental office after a long flight, only to wait in another line to get your car. In Las Vegas, the shuttle service from the airport was quick, and we spotted the silver Audi A4 waiting in the parking lot, away from where all of the rental offices were located. A nice man came out of the car, and confirmed it was me by checking my license and credit card number (it was my first rental with them). After that he opened the app on my iPhone, scanned the code on the car, and gave us the keys. He asked if we had any questions, thanked us for choosing Silvercar, and got into another Audi A4 parked just behind us to be shuttled back to the rental office. The entire process took about 3 minutes.

Once you’ve rented your first car, subsequent visits are even quicker. You simply approach the car at the rental location, scan the code on the window with your phone, and the car unlocks with the keys inside. Since your license and credit card info was confirmed during the first rental, there’s no need for the verification from a staff member!

My favourite aspect of Silvercar is that you know exactly what you’re going to get. Silvercar uses the same fleet at every location, including the A4 and the Q5 SUV (at selection locations only). No more guessing what ‘standard intermediate’ means or wondering what the interpretation of ‘Chevrolet Tahoe or similar‘ means. You know exactly what you’re getting, every time.

Now to the car. Similar to hotels, I kind of have a rule with car rentals where I want to be driving something at least as nice as what I drive at home, but preferably nicer. If I’m going to pay for a car while on holidays, I want it to be something fun to drive, somewhat luxurious, and not something less inspiring than the car I have parked in my garage at home. While the Audi A4 may not be the fanciest car around, it certainly isn’t bad either. All cars come with navigation, leather, sunroof, and German engineering, and overall I considered it a very nice car to drive. Space is good, with room for 4 adults (comfortably) and luggage.

Silvercar Rental Process

As mentioned earlier, the Silvercar rental process is relatively painless, though there are a few steps to ensure you’re getting the best deal. First, sign up for an account here and create a profile.

Add all of your credit card and license information. This will be confirmed on your first rental, and then you’ll be able to rent without interacting with a rental agent.

Don’t forget to find a friend who has uses Silvercar and ask them for a referral code. You can enter their unique code under the ‘Refer a Friend’ tab to get $25USD off your first rental (the friend who refers you will also receive $25USD towards a future rental). If you don’t know anyone who can benefit from this, feel free to use our referral code for your first Silvercar rental: QUGLMNOB.

There is a section that offers you the option to purchase insurance when making a reservation. If you have a premium credit card (such as The American Express Platinum Card), you can select the option that you have 3rd party coverage and just enter the issuing bank and credit card type (and of course don’t forget to use that card for the booking).

In total, we drove the car from Las Vegas to Scottsdale, then on to Sedona, and back to Las Vegas over the course of 5 days.

The total rental cost was $278.17USD after our discount for being a first time renter, plus gas. Silvercar has a good program where you can return the car without refuelling for a very reasonable $5 convenience fee, plus the cost of fuel. Returning the car was as simple as picking it up, with the office located near the airport. We dropped the car off in the mid-afternoon, had the lot attendant do a very quick inspection to check the fuel level, and that was it. Similar to when we got the car, this process took about 3 minutes. No lineups and no waiting!

Silvercar Rental Considerations

There are two caveats that are worth pointing out that could deter people from using Silvercar:

• You must have a smartphone with the Silvercar app installed to rent a car. Since there’s no interaction with lot staff on arrival (except for your first rental), you will need the app to unlock the car. Not a big deal for most, but I do know some people that still don’t have smartphones.
• Silvercar is not in all markets. Currently Silver is found in the following cities:
  • Austin Airport
  • Chicago Airport
  • Dallas Airport (Dallas Love Field)
  • Denver Airport
  • Ft. Lauderdale Airport
  • Las Vegas Airport
  • Los Angeles Airport
  • Miami Airport
  • Miami South Beach
  • Newark Airport
  • Brooklyn, NYC
  • Manhattan, NYC
  • Orlando Airport
  • Phoenix Airport
  • Salt Lake City Airport
  • San Francisco Airport
  • Seattle Airport

Unfortunately there are some major city locations missing from the list, with no current options in Canada or Hawaii (which is somewhere I often rent a car and would really appreciate the service). The good news is that Silvercar is rapidly expanding, and we should start to see more locations soon.

Silvercar Rental Bottom Line

I had high expectations of Silvercar, and I’m happy to say they were all met or exceeded. I loved the simplicity of booking, the pick-up experience, and personally really enjoyed driving the Audi A4. No, it’s not the cheapest car rental out there, but it is competitively priced with other mid-premium options from the traditional rental companies, and all cars come equipped with navigation, which is very useful in cities you’re unfamiliar with. Also, Silvercar regularly runs promotions for discounted car rentals, and has a good referral program for first time users to save money.

I personally wouldn’t even consider a traditional car rental if Silvercar was an option, and can’t wait to see them expand to more markets in the future (hopefully Canada and Hawaii soon).

Have you rented from Silvercar before? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below!