Larger than they appear: Alamo wants you to pay big for little cars

Here's some creative super-sizing: If you want to rent a Volkswagen Beetle from Alamo Rent A Car, you'll pay the price of a midsize car, despite the fact that VW itself calls the vehicle a compact.

Customers have it bad enough at the rental car counter now that the big companies are slashing inventory to create scarcity and drive up prices. They're also playing fast and loose with definitions.

Christopher Elliott called out the company for re-classifying the Beetle in contradiction of its manufacturer, yet in a way that pumps up Alamo's bottom line. The car rental outfit also considers the Toyota Corolla to be a midsize car, and not a compact or subcompact, the way pretty much everyone else does. The difference between the two categories starts at about $8 per day.