SAN FRANCISCO - Surprising results from a recent survey consumers could be paying two or three times more to rent a car than another traveler renting the same vehicle in the same city on the same day, AAA of Northern California announced recently.

"What we found in our research could end up saving people a lot of money," said AAA spokesman Atle Erlingsson.

AAA found the difference between the most expensive and cheapest rates in a city can vary anywhere between 18 and 190 percent - with an overall average of 77 percent.

The message to travelers: shop around.

AAA of Northern California surveyed the nation's top eight rental car companies by calling the toll-free numbers and requesting reservations at 10 major travel destinations.

The quotes were for a weekend rental from July 26 to July 28, with a compact car, similar in size to the Dodge Neon, Ford Focus or Chevrolet Cavalier, and included the standard unlimited mileage, plus all mandatory taxes, surcharges and fees. No special discount, such as AAA or a frequent flier membership was applied.

The largest price discrepancy in the survey was found in Las Vegas, where Avis quoted the highest rate of $125.83, compared to the lowest rate from Thrifty from $43.37.

That is a difference of 190 percent, or $82.46.

The next largest gap was in Orlando, with a 95 percent difference from the highest to lowest quote, followed by Los Angeles and San Francisco, both at 85 percent.

"This proves the importance of doing your homework, calling around, and making sure you have several estimates before booking a rental car," said Erlingsson. "Fifteen minutes of research could easily save you upwards of $75," the AAA spokesperson said.