Penang International Airport Car Rental: The Best Companies
by Scott Dylan | Published May 1, 2018
If you’re arriving in Penang International Airport (PEN) and you need a rental car, you have nine companies to choose from: Avis, Europcar, Hawk, Hertz, Insas, Kasina, Keddy, Mayflower and Paradise.
Located on Penang Island just off the Malaysian mainland, PEN is Malaysia’s third-busiest airport and acts as a national hub with daily flights to and from Kuala Lumpur and the regional with regular flights to Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. PEN is one of the home hubs of Malaysian’s budget carriers, AirAsia and Firefly.
(Photo_:Mark Meng via Flickr)
Although highly-urbanized, Penang Island makes for a great road trip between iconic tourist attractions like the capital Georgetown, an UNESCO World Heritage site, Penang Hill at the center of island and sandy spots like Monkey and Kerachut Beaches the ring the coast.
To determine the best car rental companies at Penang International Airport, TravelMag.com reviewed prices, vehicle options and customer feedback and ranked each according to three categories: most affordable, best for families and best for luxury. Here’s what we found:
Hawk was the best option for cheap car rentals at PEN, with economy vehicles like the Mitsubishi Attrage and Nissan Almera at very low daily rates. Hawk’s kiosk is easily located at the arrivals areas of the main terminal. Customers liked the ease of pickoff and dropoff times, although the condition of some of Hawk’s vehicles gained some gripes. While Hawk offers a basic fleet at very affordable prices, but if they don’t have the vehicle you want, Europcar is a slightly more expensive option with a wider vehicle selection.
Europcar offers a very wide range of sedans and minivans like the 5-seater Honda Civic and the 7-seater Toyota Innova suitable for any size family. Former renters like the speed of pickup and dropoff times and the ease of locating the counter. Europcar offers child and baby seats for 15 MYR per day (about $4 USD) and GPS units for 21 MYR per day (about $5.50 USD).
While the selection of luxury rental cars is somewhat limited at Penang Airport, Hertz offered one of the best selections as well as positive customer feedback. Hertz’ fleet includes the BMW X1 SUV, the Hyundai I40, Elantra and Sonota luxury sedans. Hertz is also one of the highest-ranked car rental companies at PEN, with former renters praising the ease of locating its kiosk, the speed of pickup and dropoff times and the helpfulness of its counter staff. Hertz allows you to add an additional driver free of charge, and its base rate includes theft protection and the collision damage waiver.
