For some car owners, it might be more financially savvy to rent a vehicle for a road trip than use their own, experts said. Drivers would need to compare total rental costs — the daily rental rate and potential add-ons like insurance — versus those of operating their own car. "Most people will be shocked at what it actually costs to own and operate their car," Brannon said. The cost of rental car insurance might add $30 to $61 to the daily rate, depending on insurance type, according to Allianz Travel, citing MarketWatch data. Car owners may already get full coverage on a rental via their own car insurance policies, or may have some coverage through credit-card benefits, Brannon said.

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Persons: Patchareeporn, Greg Brannon, Brian Moody, Autotrader, Moody, Brannon, Hopper, Alistair Berg, Digitalvision, Kelley, KBB, Autotrader's Moody Organizations: AAA, Toyota, Allianz Travel, Finance, Car, Getty, Allianz, State