Renting a car or van may be less expensive than owning a car in New York

Renting a car in New York can actually be a better option than owning a car in New York. When you consider all the costs involved in owning a car in New York City, you often come to the conclusion that the costs of renting a car when needed is far less expensive.

Owning a car in New York comes with various expenses. Cars registered in New York are required to be registered and inspected annually. The cost of these two legislative requirements is close to $150 per year for even a small car. The cost to register and inspect a larger car, or even a minivan or 15-passenger van, can approach $200 per year. When you rent a car, minivan, or 15-passenger van in New York, these costs are part of the car rental price and not an actual cost borne by the New York car rental customer.

Parking Is Hard to Find

Parking a car in New York is a difficult challenge, especially when you need to park a minivan or 15-passenger van. In Manhattan, free street parking is almost non-existent, although it is available in select areas of uptown Manhattan and residential areas of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. Staten Island has the most areas of free on-street parking in the city of New York.

The alternative to on-street parking in New York City is private parking in a commercial parking lot. This can cost anywhere from $200 to $800 a month for a typical passenger car in New York City. Most parking garages cannot accommodate a minivan or 15-passenger van. New York owners of the minivans, cargo vans, and 15-passenger vans often park in the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx where they are more likely to find an open air lot to park in. As a New York car rental customer, however, you simply rent the car, minivan, or 15-passenger van and return the vehicle to the New York car rental location. You don't need to worry about the cost of parking and the hassles of looking for a nightly parking spot in New York City, especially Manhattan.

Vehicle Maintenance Is Expensive

You must also consider vehicle maintenance costs for your car. Car maintenance costs in New York City are higher than elsewhere in the state and country. Costs for car repair and maintenance in Manhattan are also higher than in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, or Staten Island. While those boroughs are not too far from Manhattan, it can take an hour or more in each direction to get there with the traffic and construction on the New York roadways. Typical car ownership requires oil changes, new tires, brake repairs, and other costs that you don't pay for when you rent instead from a New York car rental company. With New York roadways heavily congested and in poor condition, cars and vans in New York take a heavier beating than cars and vans elsewhere in the country. Maintaining a car in New York can cost an average of $50 to $200 a month, depending on how many miles you drive.

Additional Costs

As you can see, we have not even covered all the costs of owning a car in the City of New York. There are costs for insurance and collision repairs, as well as the cost and risk of the car being damaged while just parked on the street or even stolen or vandalized. When you get a New York car rental, you pay one price, and you pay only for the time you need the car or van in New York. Allcar Rent-A-Car has many New York car rental locations from which you can rent a car, minivan, or 15-passenger van on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis. Allcar Rent-A-Car also has discounted monthly rates, as well as special rates for replacement on a temporary basis for those who have had their car stolen or who have filed an insurance claim.

Allcar Rent-A-Car has two convenient Manhattan locations, right in the heart of Midtown and the Theater District on 415 West 45 Street, and on the Westside of Manhattan, one block from the Javits Convention Center, located at 540 West 38 Street.