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Who doesn’t love a good road trip? Grab your best buds or your family and hit the road; it’s a good time! The major problem with a road trip is, of course, the cost. It can get especially pricey if you’re renting a car. However, if you’re cool with a one-way rental, there is a way to get rental cars for free. Some of them even include the cost of gas. Yes! Seriously!

These free one-way rentals might not let you pick the car, but they cost nothing – fair trade?

Transfercar is a company that helps car rental companies move vehicles in their fleet throughout the country. So, the caveat to all of this is that they are all one-way rentals. Effectively, when a company needs a car moved, they’re willing to let you take it for free so long as you deliver it to the company’s desired dropoff location. What this means is, in most cases, you don’t get to pick the destination, either.

That being said, many of the rentals listed in their relocation list are to major metropolitan areas like Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The amount of time you get with the vehicle changes on a case-by-case basis, too. If you’re looking for adventure, though, you could easily book a cheap flight to one of these starting locations and take a road trip to the destination point. If you already live in one of the destination cities, you could fly out, enjoy the free trip, and return home.

Perhaps the craziest part of all of this, though, is that some of the listings have a green gas pump logo. These are relocations that included an allotment for gas. You read that right. Some of these companies will even pay for your gas during your trip to its desired location. No hypermiling needed!

Some of these free rentals are RVs

A camper van / RV parked at a campground at night with stars in the background
RV Camping | Unsplash

While some of these free car rentals are standard sedans or SUVs, a decent helping of them are camper vans and RVs. So, even if the destination is your home city, you could have a nice RV adventure with your friends or family.

The amount of days allotted for the transfer varies, too. However, many of them offer an extension for a reasonable price. At the time of writing, there’s an RV transfer from LA to San Francisco that allows five days for travel. However, you can add an additional seven days for just $150. 13 total days of RV rental for $150 is an outright bargain and gives more than enough time to explore the West Coast before your delivery.

So, while these rentals may not align with your existing travel plans, they are definitely a great option if you’re looking for a low-cost adventure!

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