How Much Does It Cost to Rent a BMW M4?

The all-wheel-drive BMW M4 does not cost more than the rear-drive one. Both rent for $495 a day. An M4 rents for $495 to $595 a day before delivery, and every day includes 100 miles. So how much it costs to rent a BMW M4 depends on the version you pick, not on the drivetrain.

The satin black M4 Competition xDrive pulls up to a restaurant in Santa Monica. The paint doesn't reflect the streetlights, so the valet notices the yellow brake calipers before he notices the badge. That car rents for $495 a day, the same rate as the bright Miami Blue M4.

What every $495 M4 Competition shares

The M4 Competition at $495 a day has 503 horsepower from a 3.0 liter twin-turbo inline-6. The engine makes 479 lb-ft of torque. The car reaches 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, and its top speed is 155 mph. These M4 Competition listings rent for $495 a day.

• Satin black over red, all-wheel drive, based in Los Angeles
• Miami Blue over red, all-wheel drive, based in San Diego
• Blue over black, all-wheel drive, based in Orange County
• Grey over black and white, rear-wheel drive, based in Palm Springs

The M4 rental price stays flat across these cars. You're paying for the color you want and the city the car starts from, because the engine and the speed don't change.

The drivetrain changes how the car feels, though. The all-wheel-drive cars put the power down with no wheelspin, so you can press the pedal out of a corner without thinking about it. The grey car sends all 503 horsepower to the back tires. On Highway 74 above Palm Desert, you feel the rear of the car move under your right foot. Enthusiasts ask for that car by name.

What $595 a day gets you

The M4 CSL and the M4 Competition Convertible both rent for $595 a day. They are very different cars for very different days.

The CSL is a blue two-seat coupe with 543 horsepower, and all of it goes to the rear wheels. BMW built 1,000 of them. To make it lighter, BMW removed the back seats and 100 kilograms of weight. Carbon fiber covers the hood, the roof and the trunk lid. Drive it up Angeles Crest Highway at dawn and the fixed carbon seats hold you low in the car. You feel the weight shift through your ribs in every turn.

The convertible is black with ivory white leather on all four seats. It has 503 horsepower and all-wheel drive. The fabric roof folds in about 18 seconds, and it works at up to 31 mph. Lower it before you reach the Coronado Bridge. At the top of the span, the bay sits on one side and the Hotel del Coronado sits ahead. People walking past in Coronado see the pale seats before they notice the car.

The M4 rental deposit and the mile rate

The deposit is a hold on your card, not a charge. It's released after the car comes back in the condition it left. Most M4 listings carry a $1,000 hold, and the convertible carries $2,500.

The deposit covers small things like a curbed wheel. Your own insurance covers damage, subject to your deductible. The M4 sits low, so approach speed bumps and steep hotel driveways in Laguna Beach at an angle instead of straight on.

Every rental includes 100 miles a day. A multi-day rental pools the miles, so a 3-day rental gives you 300 miles to use however you like. Extra miles are billed at the car's own rate.

• Satin black M4 Competition xDrive, $5 a mile
• M4 Competition Convertible, $5 a mile
• Miami Blue, blue and grey M4 Competition, $4 a mile
• M4 CSL, $4 a mile

Go 60 miles over in the satin black car and you pay $300. The same 60 miles in the blue car costs $240. If you know the trip runs long, tell us at booking and we'll price the extra miles ahead of time instead of billing them after.

The satin black car was set up for a Saturday on Pacific Coast Highway between Santa Monica and Malibu. Then you take Latigo Canyon up through the hairpins at a sensible pace. Stack two canyon roads in a day and watch the trip meter on the way home.

How much it costs to rent a BMW M4 for a week

The daily rate drops on its own as the days add up, and you never have to ask for the discount. Here is the full ladder.

• 1 to 2 days, full daily rate
• 3 to 4 days, 10% off
• 5 to 6 days, 15% off
• 7 to 13 days, 20% off
• 14 to 20 days, 30% off
• 21 to 27 days, 40% off
• 28 days or more, 50% off

Three days in the CSL would be $1,785 at the full rate. The 10% discount brings that to $1,606.50. A week in a $495 M4 Competition would be $3,465 at the full rate. The 20% discount brings it to $2,772. That works out to $396 a day.

Delivery is charged on every rental, including a week or a month, and it's quoted by your address.

A week lets you use the car the way an owner would. You drive the blue M4 to a client dinner in Irvine on Tuesday. On Saturday you climb Newport Coast Drive toward Pelican Hill, and the car gathers speed without any drama. Factory blue over black looks like a car somebody owns, not a car somebody rented for the night.

The M4 next to an M3, a Corvette C8 and a McLaren 570S

The BMW M3 shares its engine and chassis with the M4, but it has four doors and a real back seat. The M3 Competition also rents from $495 a day. The M3 CS rents for $695, which is $100 more than the M4 CSL. Pick the M3 when three friends are coming along.

The Chevrolet Corvette C8 starts at $345 a day for a Stingray 3LT. Its 490 horsepower V8 sits behind your head. It reaches 60 mph in 2.9 seconds, which is quicker than the M4 on paper. The Corvette only has two seats, while the M4 has a back seat for two adults on a short trip.

The McLaren 570S starts at $895 a day. It has 562 horsepower, two seats and doors that swing up. The 570S costs $400 a day more than an M4 Competition. At a valet stand the 570S doors draw a crowd. The M4 pulls in more quietly, and the people who know BMWs spot the four tailpipes and the carbon roof.

Which M4 to book

Book the satin black car or the Miami Blue car when the photo matters. Miami Blue looks almost turquoise in the sun, and the red seats show the moment a door opens. Torrey Pines Road through La Jolla and up toward Del Mar is a good stretch for it.

Here's the part nobody tells you about the satin black car. Satin paint can't go through an automatic car wash, so it's hand wash only. Its red carbon bucket seats also take practice, because you have to sit down first and then swing your legs over the raised edge. If you or your passenger has a bad back, the M3 Competition with standard seats is easier to get into.

Book the grey car or the CSL when the road is the reason for the trip. Book the convertible when someone is in the passenger seat and the sun is going down.

The paint changes the photo and the drivetrain changes the drive, but neither one changes the $495 rate. Only the CSL and the convertible cost more, and each one asks you to give something up. The CSL gives up its back seat. The convertible asks for a $2,500 deposit.