CAR RENTAL AT NEWARK AIRPORT: THE BEST COMPANIES

Catering for over 36 million passengers every year, Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) is the same distance from New York as JFK Airport and, built in 1928, is actually the city’s oldest airport.

Newark Airport: (Photo: Christian Rasmussen via Flickr)

Rental car companies are located out of the main terminal, so in able to reach them, you need to take the free AirTrain which has stops on the top of each of the terminals. At Station P3, you’ll find Avis, Enterprise, Hertz and National, while Station P2 houses Alamo, Dollar and Budget.

To find the best of the rental cars on offer, Travelmag.com conducted a series of searches on various dates and for different rental durations. We’ve condensed our findings into the following categories: Most Affordable, Best for Luxury and Best for Minivans – so all the major bases are covered.

Most affordable: Alamo & Thrifty

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For best value at EWR Airport, Alamo, Dollar and Thrifty consistently feature among the cheapest rental car companies. However, on our sample dates Thrifty tended to have a better selection. Among their fleet, you’ll find cars such as the Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus and the comfortable and reliable Toyota Corolla. It’s worth noting, though, that for their lowest prices, Thrifty may determine the make and model of your car upon pickup. Alamo, as always, scored very well at Newark. Amongst their cheap car rentals, the Mitsubishi Mirage is a safe and fuel-efficient option, although this car lacks the pizazz of many of its counterparts.

Best for luxury cars: Hertz, Enterprise

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When it comes to style, we found Enterprise and Hertz to have the best selection of luxury cars at Newark International Airport. Hertz, with its fast and efficient customer service, has a sizeable range of Cadillacs, Jags and Mercedes, while Enterprise’s list of premium cars include the convertible Ford Mustang and, for larger groups, multiple elite SUVs including the 7-seater Chevrolet Tahoe. Expect to be paying around $200 per day for these type of cars. When looking at Enterprise’s base rates (and indeed, the same goes for any other rental car company) it’s important to note that once you’ve added taxes, you’ll be paying at least 25% more, and that’s not including any add-ons like a GPS or petrol.

Best for Minivans: Dollar, Budget

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On our chosen dates, Dollar had the cheapest offer with their 7-seater Nissan Quest coming in at $113-122. However, this recently discontinued vehicle does receive mixed reviews. Fans of Dodge cars can find the popular Grand Caravan for around $130 per day at most rental car companies here. Renting at Newark is never cheap, so if we were recommending a company purely on price, then we’d pick Dollar, but if it was a question of choice, then we’d opt for Budget which has both a competitively priced Dodge Gran Caravan and, for larger groups, Ford Transits.