Enterprise rental car- mileage restrictions?

Hello guys!

My family of five is planning a road trip from Toronto down to Florida Orlando then back up to New York, Washington then lastly leaving Toronto. Our vacation dates are set on December. We plan to rent a full size SUV from Enterprise for our road trip, however, yesterday I was reading the terms and conditions for a rental and it states that if we were to driv outside of Ontario, the restriction is set on 400km per day or something like that..an additional charge of 0.20 cents will be charged accordingly for each km violated.. So I would like to ask if the mileage restrictions are strict?and what other more economically viable options do I have if I do not rent it from Toronto?
We are from Singapore by the way, and feeling pretty rushed as I realized most full size SUVs are taken up in December...please advice!!thanks!!

Rental car companies will use every opportunity to get revenue from their customers and as you have discovered, a rental car company that offers unlimited mileage if you stay inside some geographic area is not quite the same as a rental car company that offers unlimited mileage wherever you take the car. If you drove to Montreal and did not tell the rental car company they would be very unlikely to find out unless you managed to get a traffic ticket while outside Ontario. However, in theory, you need the rental car companies permission to take the car into the US, they will give that permission freely but note that you intend on taking the car out of Ontario. Whether anybody at the US border will bother to check that you have the rental car companies permission, who knows, but I doubt it.

Oh wow..thanks! We are quite concerned for to the large amount of driving we would be doing..so basically just be careful? Because I heard some car companies place tracking devices on their car and hence they would be able to know where we've been and stuff...sorry for my unrelenting questions..it's just that I wouldn't want to be underprepared for this trip!hahah umm or are there any other rental companies that do not have such restrictions or basically other options in which my family can do?

Maybe the sat-nav that they are charging a ridiculous rental fee for is also telling them that you have left Ontario. If you are knowingly going to violate their terms and conditions you have to be prepared to pay a high price when they find out. The round trip to Florida is 5500 - 6000 km which at 20 cents/km will come as a shock.

Ok..thanks marka55! We would be use our own navigator though! I'll discuss it with my family first before making a decision..thanks again!

I've rented from Enterprise, and taken the car to the US (I've always told them), and I've never been dinged on the extra kms, but I've never gone over the limit. How long will you have the car? They won't check the per day kms, but they will check the total - i.e. if you have the car for 10 days, then you'll have 4000 km (assuming the limit is 400 km per day) included, and pay $0.20 on anything over that 4000. So assuming there are some days that you're not driving, it could still work out.

A.

well, i'll be renting the full size SUV for about 20 days, and a trip down to florida orlando then back to washington, new york and lastly toronto. I've been searching for another car rental company and yet nothing so far, budget wise..they all have no geographical restrictions..do you think from the trip rough itinerary my family and I will make the cut? I've also read somewhere that they do not need to track your car, they'll know from the tolls that are sent back to the company? ooh! what about the insurance policies if I drive outside of the geographical region permitted?

20 days gives you 8000 km free subtract 6000 (maybe 7000 because your return trip is the long way round) for to/from Florida and that gives you 2000, about 100 km per day for driving around before you start paying, only you can judge if that is sufficient. Many toll roads in the US have toll collectors and you can pay cash so there is no need to have a transponder than would provide evidence to the rental car company. If you violated the geographical restrictions by not telling them you were taking the vehicle out of \Ontario then if you came to need the insurance, the insurance company would have a perfect reason not to pay.

Ok!thanks guys! I booked from enterprise! They sent me the confirmation email and everything..now that I look again, I can't seem to find the geographical restrictions thing anywhere..I am pretty sure I saw it yesterday..

just keep in mind that when you return the vehicle gauge is on full mark if required. but chances are if you get it it will indicate full. if you actualy go to first gas station dollars to donuts its good for another 9 litres or more so if you just fill it up before returning and stop when it clicks your realy giving back room boys free gas, just put gas in until gauge indicates full. take photos all round incase of dispute of condition re. bodywork. windows upon return.

for at least 12yrs I drove Toronto to Orlando. to visit parents in florida as well as to go to Disney with kids or whoever wanted to tag along. straight down I 75 best time of all was camping in Fort wilderness in Disney world its a rather top notch campground no line up to get into park. kids, grandkids even today say it was the best time.

Hi there!! Thanks for sharing! I'm planning a 3-4 day drive down I 75..any opinions?i know that it might sound like a crawl but umm Singapore( where we are from) has the right hand drive system instead of the left..and although it is not our first time driving in the U.S., I was hoping to arrange the trip in a way whereby we wouldn't have to spend one whole day in the car..so is there any stops to recommend or any opinions about the timeline? Thanks a bunch..

"If you drove to Montreal and did not tell the rental car company they would be very unlikely to find out unless you managed to get a traffic ticket while outside Ontario. "

Think again. Do you know what year this is ? Many rental cars in 2015 have hidden GPS trackers that broadcast their location by SMS text messages periodically over cellular connections. These now cost under $20 and are installed in hidden locations such as under the dashboard by mechanics who remove the console or dashboard for access. They are wired into the car's electrical supply and so don't need batteries.

Because I heard some car companies place tracking devices on their car and hence they would be able to know where we've been and stuff..

True.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Hot-New-Arrival-Quad-Band-GSM-GPRS-GPS-Tracker-Vehicle-Car-Real-Time-Position-Tracking/32274267053.html

There are Wikipedia pages that explain GPS tracking and vehicle tracking in particular.

The rental car company can track your vehicle in real time. There are web based and mobile apps that connect to the monitoring server to which these units broadcast their locations that show your current location on the map and can make a path of all the places you have been.

When you return your rental car the company has a complete record of GPS locations for your car.

"Maybe the sat-nav that they are charging a ridiculous rental fee for is also telling them that you have left Ontario."

Very wrong. The tracking devices many companies use have nothing to do with sat-nav. As can be seen from the above link they are small, contain a GPS chip and a cellular GPRS data transmitter, are now around $20, and can easily be hidden inside interior surfaces by mechanics. If a company uses these devices they will be present regardless of whether the auto renter rents a sat-nav.

"Ok..thanks marka55! We would be using our own navigator though!"

Please don't reward misinformed and very bad advice,

hope you have driving in ice / snow exp. as winter storms quite possible that time of year, to encounter until you reach southern US states. myself was rear ended by tractor trailer rig in ohio. van totaled which is how I ended up driving a uhaul truck.

Just as another bit of reassurance, I fly regularly to Manitoba and always hire a car for a up to 10 days or so, while there.
I've driven to Vancouver and back and gone the other way too, Halifax and return. Literally 1000's of kms. and never paid an extra cent. Couldn't comment on Enterprise though, as I've never used it. However, while out there, I've used numerous co's.
Have a great time !

I'm surprised no one has commented on the timing of your trip. In December, you may well find yourself driving in snow going or coming back. There is no guarantee at that time of year that the weather will not affect your travel plans. You can find yourself half way from Toronto to Florida (or on the return) and not comfortable with the driving conditions.

As someone familiar with driving your route, I would try to avoid planning a driving trip in December. Most people would FLY from Toronto to Florida and then fly back whether stopping in Washington and New York or not.

A road trip from Toronto down to Florida Orlando then back up to New York, Washington then lastly leaving Toronto.

I think 400 km per day is plenty - I would never plan to drive more than that (on any given day usually, let alone as an overall trip average) - we think a good North American road-trip average should be about 250 km per day.

Definitely take your own GPS with USA-Canada maps in it - they are too expensive to rent. Definitely check for any damage (however little) on the vehicle when you pick it up - and mark it all down on the booking form.

Definitely do not take the vehicle out of Ontario / into the US if it is not permitted ... simply do not do it. If Enterprise cannot allow that, use another provider. We use carhire3000.com to book vehicles overseas - never had a problem with them. We never take the 'extra extra' insurance cover - we risk the $900 excess on the CDW (or whatever the amount) if there is a collision.

And yes - you may strike bad road conditions north of Washington DC / New York City. Where will you stay in both those cites with a vehicle, by the way?

#16 Ian, there is no problem with taking the vehicle to the US, the only issue is that if you remain in Ontario then the rental is unlimited but if you drive outside Ontario then the 400 km per day limit applies to the whole rental.

Okay - that's clearer (odd indeed - but presumably there to restrict those wishing to do a fast cross-country run ).

So anyway ... if they travel sensibly then 400 km should be more than enough over the full rental to Orlando and back.

Here is a 2016 update.

We rented a intermediate SUV (Toyota Rav 4) SUV for a summer vacations from Enterprize. Unlimited Mileage, No Geographic Restrictions for $723 plus tax. We booked in February. Now it's May and I was considering changing the date by one day. The new rental price is $1417. Needless to say, we kept the original booking date.

So the lesson is always book about six months in advance for a summer rental and you will save a lot. We also booked from the costco.com site instead of the .ca site. Prices for both sites were in Canadian Dollars. But they always seems to give the American Costco customers a slightly better deal. You need to be a Costco member, but with savings like this, it will pay for the membership many times over.

I find that every year, the company with unlimited mileage - no geographic restrictions change. Also i'm sure it changes depending on the area of the country you are renting from, so you need to shop around. I'm sure one of the car companies will have the deal in your area.

This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.