Alaskan Car RentalReviews of alaskancarrental.com

The pickup and drop-off service was very good... but they imposed their own car rental rate while I was already committed—and doing it over the phone—leaving me no way to back out or look for another option. On top of that, they charged a security deposit that has not yet been refunded. You have to be careful, as they force you to take the insurance policy *they* want.

Renters be warned. Got hit with hidden $299 “gravel fee” like other reviewers. When we returned our SUV, they saw the outside of the vehicle was dirty (it had rained). Asked us if we had been on any unpaved roads. I replied honestly and said our residence was about ¼ mile on a very well-maintained residential city dirt road. They told me I violated policy and charged me additional $299 for a “gravel fee” to wash the vehicle. What policy? There is absolutely nothing written in the contract I signed, no warnings or limitations described on the reservation site where I reserved the vehicle, nor was I told at pickup. They had no proof of damage or gravel, just saw a dirty car and saw an opportunity. Finally, that is a ridiculous amount of money to charge just to hose down a vehicle. Plus…. it is Alaska. 50% of roads are unpaved. A lot of residential areas are not paved, and I bet the percentage is even higher for unpaved driveways and parking lots. Moreover, there is a ton of gravel/sand even on the paved roads and parking areas as they use it everywhere in the winter. So unless you are absolutely positive you will not drive on any unpaved roads, driveways or parking lots and won’t get your car dirty before returning…be careful.

The transfer from the airport takes 12 minutes. The price of $99 is far too high for that.

I booked a rental car three months in advance for a one-week trip, with both pickup and drop-off at the Anchorage downtown location. When I returned the car, I was unexpectedly charged an additional $299 for driving on a gravel road. The disappointing part is that this surcharge was never clearly explained during pickup. The staff simply pointed to a tiny icon on the booking webpage and claimed it was disclosed there. How is a customer expected to remember a small icon from a booking made three months earlier? The booking confirmation email also made no mention of this potential fee. When I questioned the charge, the staff said they couldn't remind every customer because they serve 50+ customers a day. If they can't reasonably be expected to mention such an important fee at pickup, how can they expect customers to remember it months later? As visitors unfamiliar with Alaska, we also had no way of knowing which location has gravel roads unless you travel to that place. This fee felt like a hidden charge rather than a transparent policy. If there's a significant surcharge for driving on certain roads, it should be clearly explained at pickup and included prominently in the confirmation email. Beware of this unexpected charge before renting here.

Call Alaska Car Rental to review drop fee for returning to a different city and was told there was none; charged a week's rental at the end. They indicate they are open 24 hours, but close at nine. We did not receive the cars we booked; picked up from a lockbox and took what was left for us - no choice or input. Charge for booster seats turned out to be a daily charge. When we brought our concerns up at the end of the trip we were told it was all in the contract; it was not. Got to the 24 hour office at 8:45 pm as they were closing - no chance to negotiate a change.