How To Rent Gas Misers, Not Guzzlers

If you need to rent a car and want one that's good on gas -- you may be out of luck.

With gas prices soaring, so is the popularity of economy rentals, which have traditionally been the less popular choices, reports Early Show consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen.

She explains that consumers used to book economy cars, hoping they would sell out so they could get a free upgrade to larger models. No one refused the upgrades to bigger cars.

But now, that's not the case, Koeppen says. People feel they're getting stuck with gas-guzzling SUVs and bigger cars, when all they want is the cheaper, small economy cars. Some people are even being "upgraded" to bigger cars they don't want.

Economy cars are difficult to get because they're in limited supply at rental companies. And they sell out fast. Rental car companies are having a hard time getting rid of the bigger cars in their fleets and buying smaller ones. Also -- there's no penalty when you book a rental car and never show up. So some people are booking economy cars, which are being held, then the customers aren't showing up to claim them, resulting in fewer economy cars being made available that could have been rented out. No-show rates on any given day in the rental car business run between 10-and-40 percent.

So, what can you do to increase your chances of getting an economy car?

Get to the counter bright and early: Most people return cars in the afternoon and evening, so they're ready for the next morning. The later in the day you get there, the better the chance that economy cars will be gone.

It's always good to join the membership club with the rental car companies. That gets you preferred status.

And some car rental companies are now letting you pick your car and pre-pay for it, which should guarantee that the car is there for you.

If you're forced to take an "upgrade" you don't want, complain, ask for a discount, and for a free tank of gas.