Because the state of Montana is a very large geographic area that contains relatively few people, your chances of having a large choice of rental cars is going to be better when you rent in the larger cities in Montana, such as Billings, Missoula, and Great Falls. Also, take into account the time of year you'll be driving when you rent a car in Montana. Because winters can offer very snowy and icy conditions on the road, a good choice for a vehicle may be a four-wheel-drive or an SUV. No matter what type of car you drive during this time of year, make sure you carry appropriate tire chains when you drive.
The state of Montana has its own laws and regulations regarding children riding in vehicles. For any child that is two years of age or less, they must ride in a rear-facing car seat. This car seat must be placed in the back seat of the car. For any child that is between two and five years old, they can ride in a forward-facing child seat but they still must remain in the backseat of the car. Once a child is over five years old they can begin to ride in a booster seat and they must ride in the seat until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall. The state of Montana recommends that children ride in the backseat of a car until they are at least thirteen years old.
Quite a few people who rent cars in Montana wonder if they can take the car across the border into Canada. Most rental car companies in Montana will let you take the car into Canada but it is important to let the rental car company know that you plan to do so. The rental car company will provide you with a non-resident insurance card to travel into Canada. It is also not uncommon to be able to rent a car in Montana and do a one-way rental to a city in Canada.
FAQs about renting a car in Montana
Though the state of Montana has relatively few people given its large size, there are still plenty of public transportation options to get you from place to place. If you plan on staying in some of the larger cities or Montana or you need to travel between these cities exclusively, you may get away with not renting a car while you are here. That said, if you plan on doing any exploring to any of the amazing destinations and outdoor activities found in the state, you most certainly will want a great rental car to do that. Take into account the type of traveling you will be doing, the number of people you'll be transporting, and the amount of stuff you will need to take with you when you think about what type of car to rent when you are in Montana.
Driving in Montana is not much different than any other state in the United States. You will drive on the right side of the road and all distances will be in miles and all speeds will be in miles per hour. In Montana, the maximum speed limit for cars is 75 mph and for trucks, it is 65 mph. It is important to remember that these maximums do not apply to all roads in Montana and, in fact, may only apply to certain roads in more remote areas. While handheld devices are not banned in the state of Montana, you can only talk on them when driving a car so long as you're doing so in a hands-free fashion.
Most rental car companies in Montana will expect you to be at least twenty one years old to rent a car. If you are between the ages of twenty one and twenty five, some rental car companies will add a surcharge to your rental. If you are less than twenty five, there may also be limits on the type of car that you could rent and as such, you may not be able to rent premium SUVs or luxury sedans, among others.
On average a rental car in Montana costs $38 per day.
Compact (Toyota Prius c or similar) is the most frequently booked rental car type in Montana.
In the past 72 hours, the cheapest rental cars were found at Alamo ($32/day), Avis ($36/day) and Hertz ($75/day).
Based on ratings and reviews from real users on KAYAK, the best car rental companies in Montana are Alamo (8.6, 743 reviews), Enterprise (8.6, 422 reviews), and Dollar (8.5, 208 reviews).
Based on car searches on KAYAK, the most popular cities to rent a car in Montana are Bozeman (50% of total searches of users looking to rent a car in Montana), Kalispell (23%) and Missoula (10%).
On average a rental car in Montana costs $1,066 per week ($152 per day).
On average a rental car in Montana costs $4,568 per month ($152 per day).