Long-term car rental in Toronto

What it costs

A long-term rental in Toronto starts at $1,199 plus HST a month for our smallest class — a compact or economy car — on a rental of a month or longer. Mid-size and SUV classes cost more, and the exact number depends on the vehicle and the length of the term. That price includes 3,000 km a month, all maintenance and servicing, and roadside assistance. It does not include fuel, tolls, parking, or the $14.99 a day collision damage waiver if you are not using your own insurance.

For comparison, most Toronto operators quoting monthly rates land somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500 a month for a compact. We publish our starting number because the alternative is making you phone four companies to find out who is cheapest.

Who actually does this

Long-term rental sounds exotic until you hear the situations. Almost everyone who calls us is in one of these:

• Waiting on a settlement. The insurer has written off your car and the cheque has not come.
• Waiting on a car. You have ordered something and the delivery date has moved twice.
• On a contract. Six or twelve months in the GTA, and a four-year lease makes no sense.
• New to Canada. Valid licence, no Ontario credit history, and financing is a wall.
• Deciding. You are not sure you want to own a car in this city at all, and a month or two of renting is a cheap way to find out.

What it includes

• 3,000 km a month, with extra kilometres at 18¢ for cars
• All maintenance and servicing — our problem, not yours
• Optional winter tires, November through April, at $14.99 a day
• Roadside assistance
• Delivery and collection anywhere in the GTA
• The option to change class mid-term if what you need changes

What it does not include, honestly

The mileage is not unlimited. You get 3,000 km a month — about 100 km a day, which covers a North York to downtown commute with room to spare, but not a weekly Toronto–Ottawa run. Over that it is 18¢ a kilometre for cars. Anyone advertising unlimited kilometres on a monthly rental is either capping it somewhere in the fine print or pricing the risk into the headline rate.

Fuel, tolls and parking are yours. The 407 is electronic and any charges reach us weeks later, so we pass them on at cost. And a rental never builds equity — if you know you want to own a car for five years, buying it is cheaper. Long-term rental wins on flexibility, not on total cost over a long horizon. We would rather say that than let you find out.

The requirements

A valid driver's licence and a credit card in the driver's own name. No credit check, but the credit card is not optional — debit and prepaid cards are not accepted. Why, in full. Minimum age 23 unless you carry your own transferable insurance.

Getting a rate

$1,199 plus HST is the floor, not the answer for every case. Long-term rentals are quoted directly rather than priced off the daily rate, so call 416-661-6166 or ask for a quote and tell us three things: how long, roughly how far you drive in a week, and what size of vehicle. You will get a number back, not a range.