A rental car may only be yours for a few days, but what you leave behind can cause problems long after you return the keys. These are the things you should never leave in a rental car, from valuables and passports to the personal data its navigation system can keep. A few quick checks protect your belongings, your privacy and your trip.
The short answer: don’t leave valuables or ID documents in the car, don’t leave your personal data in its infotainment system, and don’t leave medicines, phones or other electronics in the heat. Never leave a child or a pet in a parked vehicle. This guide uses police, FTC, NHTSA, CDC and health-agency advice, and labels anything that is our own practical tip.
Seven things to never leave in a rental car
1Valuables in plain sight
Verdict: take them with you, or stow them before you park. The Morrisville, North Carolina Police Department’s Lock It or Lose It campaign says to remove valuable items such as sunglasses, electronics, wallets and shopping bags, and to lock your vehicle before you walk away. If you must keep valuables in the car, it says to lock them in the trunk before you arrive at your destination, because criminals watch for items being moved into the trunk after you park. Our practical advice is to do the same at every stop, and to treat a locked trunk as a short-term fix, not overnight storage.
2Your phone’s data in the infotainment system
Verdict: easy to overlook. The FTC’s renting a car guide says a rental car might keep your personal information long after you return it. It says that can include locations you put into the GPS, call and message logs, and even contacts and text messages, and that future renters or rental car employees may be able to see it if you don’t delete it. What is kept varies by vehicle and system. The FTC advises you to delete your data before you return the car by finding the list of paired devices in the settings menu and removing yours. It also says to grant access only to the information you think is necessary and to avoid connecting your phone to the infotainment system just for charging, because the USB connection may transfer data automatically. It suggests a lighter-socket adapter instead. A power bank, like the ones in our travel tech essentials, is our own alternative. If you get stuck, the owner’s manual or the rental company can help.
3Sensitive destinations in the GPS
Verdict: don’t navigate all the way to your front door. The Identity Theft Resource Center’s rental car risks article advises against having the GPS lead you to your house. It suggests navigating only to your city or town and finding the rest of the way yourself, and says to clear your navigation history before you return the car. It also notes that a device name can show up for the next renter and reports that privacy groups found renters’ information still in the cars they rented.
4Your passport and ID documents
Verdict: keep them on you or somewhere secure, not in th
