Why the Badge Barely Changes How Much to Rent a Cullinan

How much to rent a Cullinan depends on the year and the face of the car far more than on the Black Badge. When this was written, Cullinan listings on the site ran from $1,495 to $1,995 a day. Most of them include 100 miles a day. The deposit hold runs from $1,000 to $5,000, and each listing shows its own figure.

I'll admit the price list looks odd at first. A 2022 Black Badge costs the same $1,495 as a standard 2021 car. A standard 2024 Cullinan costs the same $1,595 as a 2024 Black Badge. The real jump only comes with Series II, which is the updated Cullinan with a new front end.

Pick a Cullinan up at the arrivals curb at John Wayne Airport and watch the people walking past. They see a Rolls Royce lower itself so you can step in, then rise when you press start. Nobody looks for the badge.

The Rolls Royce Cullinan rental price per day, listing by listing

These are the rates the Cullinan listings showed when this post was written.

• Cullinan, 2021, white over purple, Los Angeles, $1,495 a day, $2,000 hold, $5 a mile
• Cullinan, 2024, black over light blue and white, Orange County, $1,495 a day, $1,000 hold, $3 a mile
• Cullinan Black Badge, 2022, white over orange, Palm Springs, $1,495 a day, $1,000 hold, $6 a mile
• Cullinan, 2024, white over light blue and white, San Diego, $1,595 a day, $2,000 hold, $3 a mile
• Cullinan Black Badge, 2024, black over orange, Orange County, $1,595 a day, $2,000 hold, $3 a mile
• Cullinan Black Badge, 2024, black over orange and black, San Diego, $1,595 a day, $2,000 hold, $3 a mile
• Cullinan Series II, 2025, white over blue, Los Angeles, $1,795 a day, $2,000 hold, $5 a mile
• Cullinan Black Badge Series II, 2025, black over turquoise, Los Angeles, $1,995 a day, $5,000 hold, $5 a mile, 50 miles a day

The color you pick changes the day more than the price does. The 2021 car in Los Angeles has a purple cabin close to magenta, with deep lambswool mats front and rear. Open a coach door on Rodeo Drive and the color pours out of a white body. The black 2024 car in Orange County does the opposite. It looks severe from outside, and then the door opens on pale blue leather.

What Black Badge adds to the Cullinan rental cost

Black Badge adds almost nothing to the bill. It adds a lot to how the car behaves. The standard Cullinan makes 563 hp from a 6.75 liter twin-turbo V12. The Black Badge makes 592 hp and 664 lb-ft from the same engine.

The bigger change sits on the column stalk. Black Badge cars have a Low button. Press it and the gearbox shifts sharper, and the exhaust lets out a low burble the standard car never makes. The brake pedal also travels shorter and bites higher. Your first few stops will feel abrupt until your foot learns it.

The grille surround, the window trim and the Spirit of Ecstasy all go dark. On the black 2024 car in Orange County, the whole front turns into one dark shape. Take it up Newport Coast Drive in Newport Beach in the evening. The V12 pulls in one long wave, and the orange cabin glows behind the tinted glass.

That black car lists at $1,595 a day. It holds $2,000 on your card and bills $3 a mile past the allowance. A standard 2024 car costs the same, so Black Badge is a choice of mood, not money.

Series II is where the price moves

Series II is the current Cullinan. It brings a new front end with vertical light bars and a grille that lights up at night. A glass panel runs across the full width of the dash, and the car sits on 23-inch wheels.

The white Series II in Los Angeles lists at $1,795 a day with a $2,000 hold. Its cabin is sky blue, and the picnic tables fold down from the front seatbacks. Pull it up to a hotel entrance in Beverly Hills after dark. The lit grille is the first thing anyone on the steps sees.

The Black Badge Series II sits at the top at $1,995 a day. It carries a $5,000 hold, and its listing includes 50 miles a day instead of 100. It's black over turquoise leather, with a starlight headliner and rear seat screens. It gets to 60 in 4.6 seconds, against 4.9 for a standard Cullinan. Run the Sunset Strip after 10 at night with Low pressed and the windows down. The V12 is finally allowed to be heard.

The Cullinan rental deposit and what it covers

A Cullinan deposit sits on your card as a hold. Nothing is charged, and we release it after the car comes back the way it left. The hold is $1,000, $2,000 or $5,000, depending on the listing. A larger deposit may apply if you're under 25.

Small things, like a scraped wheel, come out of the hold. Real damage goes to your own insurance, subject to your deductible. Your policy has to extend comprehensive and collision coverage to a rental car that isn't on it. The industry name for that is non-owner vehicle coverage. Before the rental, we call your carrier with an agent on a recorded line to confirm it.

Once the call checks out, we walk the car with you and photograph it. Then you sit behind the wheel and look down a long hood at the figure on the nose.

Don't count on your credit card here. Most card benefits exclude cars worth more than $50k to $75k. A standard Cullinan carried an MSRP of $348,500, and a Black Badge carried $382,000. So your credit card carries the hold and nothing more.

How much to rent a Cullinan for three days, two weeks or a month

A longer booking lowers the daily rate without you asking. A booking of 1 or 2 days pays the full rate. A booking of 3 or 4 days gets 10% off, and 5 or 6 days gets 15%. A week up to 13 days gets 20%, two weeks gets 30%, three weeks gets 40%, and 28 days or more gets 50%. Two weeks is long enough to stop noticing that the coach doors close themselves at a touch.

Run those numbers on the $1,595 Black Badge in Orange County.

• 3 days, $4,306.50
• 7 days, $8,932, or $1,276 a day
• 14 days, $15,631, or $1,116.50 a day
• 28 days, $22,330, or $797.50 a day

The miles pool across the booking. On a car with 100 miles a day, 7 days give you 700 miles to spend however you like. Past that, the mile rate decides the bill. Say you keep a car 4 days and drive 520 miles. That's 120 extra miles, which comes to $360 at $3 a mile and $720 at $6 a mile. Tell us about a long trip when you book. We'll price the miles in up front so nothing lands on the bill afterward.

A long booking is where the Cullinan earns its shape. Load the bags through the Clasp, which is the split tailgate whose two halves open on motors. Then cross the bridge to Coronado with friends in the back. Their seats sit higher than yours, and Rolls Royce calls that layout Pavilion Seating.

Cullinan rental price next to three other SUVs

The Aston Martin DBX is the closest cross-shop below it. The grey DBX in Los Angeles lists at $1,095 a day, with a $2,000 hold and $5 a mile. It makes 542 hp and gets to 60 in 4.3 seconds. Its grey body hides an orange cabin until a door opens.

The Lamborghini Urus costs less and moves faster. The white 2023 Urus in Orange County lists at $995 a day, with a $2,000 hold and $3 a mile. It makes 641 hp and gets to 60 in 3.6 seconds.

The Bentley Bentayga S is the step down at $795 a day, with a $1,000 hold and $4 a mile. Its 542 hp V8 pops on the overrun. The Cullinan measures about 61 decibels at 70 mph, against 65 for the Bentayga. You notice those 4 decibels on the long run out to Palm Springs Airport, where the Cullinan feels like a closed room.

Read two lines before you pick a color

Two Cullinans at the same daily rate can cost very different amounts by the end of the weekend. The hold and the mile rate make that difference. Check those two lines on the listing first, then choose the cabin you want to open the door on.