Free Car Rental Total Cost calculator with clear step-by-step results.
The advertised daily rate is rarely what you pay. Insurance or excess-reduction cover is charged per day and often rivals the rate itself, one-off fees such as young-driver, one-way or child-seat charges are added once, and tax plus airport concession recovery is applied to the whole lot. The figure worth comparing between quotes is the real cost per day, because it exposes cheap headline rates carrying expensive extras.
Pre-tax charge
Pre-tax = (daily rate + insurance per day) × days + one-off fees
Total
Total = pre-tax × (1 + tax rate); real daily cost = total ÷ days
Rental taxes, mandatory insurance and airport surcharges differ by country and even by pick-up location. Confirm the final figure on the rental agreement before signing.
Most jurisdictions tax the whole rental invoice, and airport concession fees are typically a percentage of total revenue rather than of the base rate alone. Applying tax only to the base rate understates the bill.
No, if it is refundable. Include only the amount you expect to actually lose, such as a prepaid tank you will not use in full or an unrefunded service charge.
Set the per-day insurance to zero to model that, but check first whether your card or travel policy really covers the excess, and whether the rental company will place a large hold on your card instead.