Las Vegas Self-Driving Car Rental Guide

Last month, I took some time off and went to Las Vegas with my best friend. We planned to do a self-driving trip there, so before departure, I searched online in advance for many local car rental platforms in Las Vegas. Many rental companies claim discounts on their official websites, and credit cards also offer promotions, but the discount rules are complicated and in the end, the savings weren’t much. After comparing several platforms, we finally settled on 'Pang Shu Car Rental'. We directly compared prices—same model, same condition—choosing the cheapest with the best condition. In the end, we found that Pang Shu Car Rental was really affordable, with low prices and good car conditions. When we arrived at the airport, a staff member from Pang Shu drove the car over, and they even gave us insurance for free. It was very nice! However, it is said that Pang Shu Car Rental is currently in a trial operation phase in Las Vegas and will officially open next year. It is reportedly the most popular car rental company in Los Angeles, and soon everyone in Las Vegas can enjoy the same service!

There are many free driver's license translation services online—look for 'NZTA Certified Translation'. The staff at Pang Shu Car Rental also answered my questions at that time, so I thought it was very convenient and just asked them everything, saving me a lot of trouble.

The Suburban is the biggest car I’ve ever driven, and it was my first time driving a car that costs over a million RMB domestically. It’s the kind of car you see in movies and TV shows for the CIA, Homeland Security, and the Secret Service. The car is indeed huge, and I was nervous at first, always worried about whether the lanes were wide enough and parking spots were big enough.

Refueling on the road was also a bit of a headache. The first time I went to fill up, even though there were VISA, Master, and American Express logos, I tried all my cards but none worked. The main problem was the ZIP code. Online, some people said to enter all 9s, but that didn’t work either. I searched online and asked my American classmates via WeChat. Finally, I found out that I had to go to the convenience store clerk at the gas station to operate.

I found the clerk, handed him my card, and he asked how much I wanted to put in. I didn’t know, so he just charged a fixed amount. Then I went to pump gas. After finishing, we saw there was money left, so we went back to ask him. He basically said that it was already confirmed and the remaining amount would be refunded...

Later, I searched again and roughly understood the process: to refuel, you go directly to the clerk, get a pre-authorization for an amount, then pump. After pumping, if there’s leftover money, you can get a receipt and the refund from the clerk (or maybe you don’t have to).

Tips: Here’s the self-service refueling process for everyone:

Step 1. Park your car at an empty pump and remember the pump number corresponding to your parking spot.

Step 2. Go inside the store/payment counter and tell the clerk your pump number and how much gas you want (e.g., Number 2, Regular/87, 40 dollars or Please put in $20 in No. 2).

Step 3. Pay with cash or card.

Step 4. Return to your pump and select the type of fuel.

Step 5. Remove the nozzle, insert it into your car’s fuel port, and squeeze the trigger.

Step 6. The nozzle will automatically stop when the set amount is reached, completing the refueling.

Note: If the tank is full but the money hasn’t been used up, you can go to the payment counter to get the refund and receipt, or the excess amount will be refunded to your credit card.