New York car rentals

Renting a car when visiting New York State is a great idea. Once you use the car to get around the various neighborhoods of New York City, the rest of the state offers sprawling wilderness and wonderful scenery that would be tough to reach without a car. You can follow the Hudson River up north, or you can drive to Lake Erie and Niagara Falls for stunning views. Even closer to the city, you can explore the Catskill Mountains. The benefit of having a rental car rather than relying on public transportation is the freedom to see New York beyond just the city.

Expect to drive much slower in New York State than in other regions of the country. The maximum speed, unless otherwise posted, is 55 mph, but can drop down to 40 mph on select highways. Another thing to keep in mind is toll roads. New York has transitioned to cashless tolling, which means that a camera will be taking a picture of the license plate as you drive by. Some rental cars are equipped with an E-ZPass, but you may want to check your rental agreement for surcharges or just pay online yourself.

To rent a car in New York State, you must be at least eighteen years of age, though most companies will charge a “young renter” fee to renters under the age of twenty five. Prices can vary quite a bit between companies, however, so be sure to compare multiple options. Restrictions also apply to some categories of cars, including premium vehicles and SUVs. To rent a car, you must produce a driver’s license and proof of insurance. Foreign nationals can use an international driver’s license, but will most likely have to provide a passport or some other form of identification as well.

On average a rental car in New York costs $39 per day.

Standard (Nissan Frontier or similar) is the most frequently booked rental car type in New York.

In the past 72 hours, the cheapest rental cars were found at Hertz ($37/day), Ace ($42/day) and Dollar ($45/day).

Based on ratings and reviews from real users on KAYAK, the best car rental companies in New York are Enterprise (8.5, 1783 reviews), Alamo (8.5, 1623 reviews), and National (8.5, 209 reviews).

Take a look at our extensive car rental location map to find the best rental cars near you.

Based on car searches on KAYAK, the most popular cities to rent a car in New York are New York (67% of total searches of users looking to rent a car in New York), Buffalo (9%) and Brooklyn (8%).

On average a rental car in New York costs $598 per week ($85 per day).

On average a rental car in New York costs $2,561 per month ($85 per day).