USA to Canada car hire questions

[Dr Ralph]

I'm planning to travel between Boston and Toronto in 2017 and plan to hire a car in Boston and was hoping to drop it off in Toronto. The hire would be for a period of around 14 days.

However in searching for prices for cars I seem to have hit a snag in that it seems very difficult to be able to do this. That is either the company wont allow this to occur or charges a very large penalty for doing so.

Does any one have any experience doing this? Is there an option to drop the US car at the US/Canadian boarder around the Niagara falls area and pick up a Canadian car at the same boarder area which could then be dropped in Toronto?

Or is there another work around that people are aware of?

 

[Nug300]

We just flew into Buffalo from Boston, hired a car from there and drove up to Toronto, back to Niagara and then dropped the car back at the airport on the way out. No problem driving into Canada either with the hire car from Hertz.

Some companies can be very specific about 1 way charges, depending on the route (end destination) and the amount of time the car is hired for.

We hired a car for 6 days from San Fran to LA and the cost was very reasonable including any 1 way fees.

 

[Dr Ralph]

We just flew into Buffalo from Boston, hired a car from there and drove up to Toronto, back to Niagara and then dropped the car back at the airport on the way out. No problem driving into Canada either with the hire car from Hertz.

Some companies can be very specific about 1 way charges, depending on the route (end destination) and the amount of time the car is hired for.

We hired a car for 6 days from San Fran to LA and the cost was very reasonable including any 1 way fees.

Thanks Nug300, I was aware that taking a car into Canada was not a problem. But flying to Buffalo is not an option. My questions relate to dropping the car in Canada from a US starting position.

 

[Squirrel.Monkey]

Years ago, we used Alamo and dropped off the the car in Canada from the US and didn't have any fees. Might have changed now. Have used Alamo a few times and very happy with them in the USA.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Years ago, we used Alamo and dropped off the the car in Canada from the US and didn't have any fees. Might have changed now. Have used Alamo a few times and very happy with them in the USA.

Thanks Squirrel.Monkey. I hadn't checked Alamo.

Alamo does seem to offer what I want but it appears to come at a significant premium.

Doing a a like for like comparison over a 14 day period, a car in the US hired from Boston (US) and returned to Buffalo (US) would work at around $35 a day. The same car hired in Boston (US) and returned to Toronto (Canada) works out at around $105 a day.

 

[Squirrel.Monkey]

Thanks Squirrel.Monkey. I hadn't checked Alamo.

Alamo does seem to offer what I want but it appears to come at a significant premium.

Doing a a like for like comparison over a 14 day period, a car in the US hired from Boston (US) and returned to Buffalo (US) would work at around $35 a day. The same car hired in Boston (US) and returned to Toronto (Canada) works out at around $105 a day.

They must have changed then. Dang. Good luck with it.

 

[NM]

It might also be worth checking agents such as Expedia or NetFlights (UK). I once found that Expedia offered one-ways rentals with Alamo between airport locations (I picked up at MCO and dropped at BWI) with no one-way fees, yet renting directly from Alamo car company would have been several hundred dollars in one-way fees. Similarly I have found NetFlights have some good options that include insurances etc. at better rates than can be found directly with the rental companies, so might be worth a try too.