Eagle Rent A Car car rental locations in California
15 Locations
National car rental locations in California
15 Locations
Midway car rental locations in California
13 Locations
Sixt car rental locations in California
13 Locations
Alamo car rental locations in California
10 Locations
Thrifty car rental locations in California
10 Locations
Zeeba Rent-A-Van car rental locations in California
10 Locations
Top tips for renting a car in California
California is an incredibly vast and geographically diverse state, so there are some important things to remember when deciding about renting a car here. One thing to keep in mind is the type of driving you'll be doing in your rental car. If you will be staying in a major city, such as Los Angeles or San Francisco, a compact car is a great idea for traveling short distances and being able to find places to park when you arrive. If you will be traveling over long distances or you will be taking part in many of the outdoor adventures you can find in the state, a van or an SUV would be a better choice. There are some parts of the state that can have snowy and icy roads during wintertime, especially in some of the mountainous regions, so plan your rental accordingly if you are renting during this time of the year.
When you are driving a car in California, it is important to remember the laws governing children riding in cars. In California, if a child is two years old or younger, they must ride in a car seat that is rear-facing. The exception to this rule is if the child weighs more than 40 pounds or is more than 40 inches tall. For any children that are under the age of eight, they must sit in a car seat or a booster seat in the backseat. Any passenger in a vehicle that is over sixteen years old is subject to California's Mandatory Seatbelt Law.
Because California sits right on the border with Mexico, a question that often comes up is if a rental car can be driven into Mexico. Most rental car companies will let you take your car into Mexico but the rental will have certain restrictions, such as the need to purchase additional insurance to legally drive the car in Mexico. It is also important to remember that most rental car companies will not allow you to book one-way rentals into Mexico.
FAQs about renting a car in California
The choice about whether or not to rent a car in California comes down to how you plan on traveling while you are in the state. If you plan on staying in a large city, you can usually rely on public transportation or other transportation options, such as taxis and rideshare cars. While you can find public transportation options or flight options to take you longer distances in the state, in general, having a car is a much more convenient way to travel long distances in the very large state of California. Even if you plan on staying in a major city, if you will be making long trips from one side of the city to the other, a car is going to be a very convenient way to do that.
Driving in the larger cities in California, such as Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, can be a bit of a challenge for those that are not accustomed to driving here. You will often find very heavy traffic during many times of the day in and around the center of all the cities. For those that are not accustomed to trying to merge on and off congested freeways, this type of driving can be somewhat nerve-wracking. There are several toll roads that you will find throughout the state of California, especially as you get into major cities, so take that into account as you plan your route.
For the most part, most rental car companies will let anybody that is twenty one years or older rent a car. A couple of exceptions to this age limit is if you plan on renting a luxury car or a premium SUV. In this case, the rental car company may expect you to be twenty five years old to rent a car. This age limit may also be imposed if you plan on using a debit card for your rental rather than a credit card.
On average a rental car in California costs $31 per day.
Mini (Nissan Quest or similar) is the most frequently booked rental car type in California.
In the past 72 hours, the cheapest rental cars were found at NU Car ($27/day), GREEN MOTION ($30/day) and U-Save ($30/day).
Based on ratings and reviews from real users on KAYAK, the best car rental companies in California are Alamo (8.8, 3303 reviews), National (8.5, 219 reviews), and Enterprise (8.3, 4993 reviews).
Based on car searches on KAYAK, the most popular cities to rent a car in California are Los Angeles (48% of total searches of users looking to rent a car in California), San Francisco (28%) and San Diego (13%).
On average a rental car in California costs $497 per week ($71 per day).
On average a rental car in California costs $2,129 per month ($71 per day).