Car Hire in California

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500+ Trusted Suppliers:

Cheapest Car Hire Rates

City Centre Car Hire
Standard
VW Jetta or comparable
VW Jetta
  • 5
  • 2
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
SIXT
£ 42.75 per day
John Wayne Airport Car Hire
Economy
Toyota Yaris or comparable
Toyota Yaris
  • 4
  • 2
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Europcar
£ 44.21 per day
Los Angeles Arcadia Car Hire
Compact
Jeep Renegade or comparable
Jeep Renegade
  • 5
  • 3
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
GreenMotion
£ 44.46 per day
San Francisco Airport Car Hire
Intermediate
Kia Forte or comparable
Kia Forte
  • 5
  • 3
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
NUCarrentals
£ 44.74 per day

Most Popular Car Hire Deals

San Diego India Street Car Hire
Full-size
Nissan Altima or comparable
Nissan Altima
  • 5
  • 3
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Economy rent a car
£ 53.16 / per day
Palm Springs Airport Car Hire
Luxury
Chrysler 300 or comparable
Chrysler 300
  • 5
  • 2
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Dollar
£ 57.83 / per day
Los Angeles Airport Car Hire
Premium
Dodge Charger or comparable
Dodge Charger
  • 5
  • 4
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Ace Rent a car
£ 64.25 / per day
Palm Springs Airport Car Hire
Minivan
Chrysler Pacifica or comparable
Chrysler Pacifica
  • 7
  • 4
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Thrifty
£ 72.08 / per day
These prices are approximate and depend on the dates of the booking, hire length and type of car. This information was last updated at 14:50 on 2023-03-30.
Why book with us?
Special offers
As a market leader (see SimilarWeb), we get special offers like contactless pick-ups, great prices, and free upgrades.
Award-winning
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Highly-rated
A combined rating of 4.5 with 90k total reviews on platforms like Trustpilot, Google, and Review Center.
4M users
Have already booked on one of the fastest-growing car rental booking websites.

Travel Information

Language
English
Currency
USD
Drive on
Right-hand side
Dialing code
1
Average car hire price
£ 52.93 / per day
Average car hire length
9 days
Speed limit within city centre
40 - 120 km/h
25 - 75 mph
Speed limit out of city centre
72 - 120 km/h
45 - 75 mph
Acceptable limit of BAC
0.05%
Average gasoline price
£ 0.81 / 1 liter
Highest gasoline price
£ 1.23 / 1 liter
Lowest gasoline price
£ 0.63 / 1 liter

One-way Car Hire in California

Here are the most popular one-way car hire options for pickup in California and drop off in another country:

  • From California to Nevada - 342 offers from £ 34.31 per day
  • From California to Arizona - 68 offers from £ 44.82 per day
  • From California to Colorado - 125 offers from £ 69.35 per day
  • From California to New York - 120 offers from £ 67.66 per day
  • From California to Texas - 27 offers from £ 72.92 per day

Top 7 Most Popular Cities in California

  1. Car Hire in San Francisco starting at £ 68.03 per day
  2. Car Hire in Sacramento starting at £ 62.21 per day
  3. Car Hire in Oakland starting at £ 44.94 per day
  4. Car Hire in Fresno starting at £ 60.07 per day
  5. Car Hire in Santa Barbara starting at £ 71.68 per day

Top 6 Most Popular Destinations in California

  1. Car Hire at San Francisco Airport starting at £ 44.70 per day
  2. Car Hire at Oakland Airport starting at £ 44.94 per day
  3. Car Hire at Fresno Airport starting at £ 60.07 per day
  4. Car Hire at San Diego India Street starting at £ 50.17 per day

Map of Car Hire Destinations

During which month is it most affordable to hire a car in California?

Our data shows how prices for hiring a car in California fluctuate depending on the time of year. This graph can help you find the best bargain.
Average Price for Hiring a Car in California
£ 35.66
January
£ 42.87
February
£ 49.13
March
£ 55.33
April
£ 56.62
May
£ 54.99
June
£ 60.52
July
£ 57.39
August
£ 53.38
September
£ 75.12
October
£ 50.51
November
£ 52.01
December
The cheapest month to hire a car in California is January with prices starting at £ 35.66 for an Economy class cars. The most expensive month in which to hire a car is October with prices for for a Compact class) starting at £ 75.12. The average cost over the course of the entire year is £ 54. You can use this to plan your trip at the time of year when it would be most economical to hire a car. Note that these prices are only averages. The amount of time you hire a car for and the time at which you book will influence the prices.

How many days do people keep their hire cars, on average, in California?

Hirers picking up a car in California keep them for an average of 10 days during in July, while those picking up their cars in October keep them for an average of 2.
Average Hire Length in California
8
January
7
February
6
March
8
April
8
May
9
June
10
July
9
August
9
September
2
October
8
November
8
December

What time of year is most favoured for hiring a car in California?

Though California is popular for travellers all year long, the month for which the highest number of people search for a hire car is in October. in November is the month that sees the lowest demand for hire cars.
Monthly Car Hire Searches in California Compared to the Yearly Average
39%
January
38%
February
50%
March
84%
April
75%
May
104%
June
123%
July
141%
August
73%
September
399%
October
32%
November
43%
December

Car Hire Information

Car hire locations 44
Airport locations 20
Popular suppliers Alamo, MEX RENT A CAR, Dollar, Europcar, GreenMotion
Popular car categories SUVs, Large cars, Small cars, Medium cars
Lowest price £ 43 per day
Cheapest supplier SIXT

Most Popular Car Hire Models

Hire Agency Model Doors Luggage Type
MEX RENT A CAR Kia Rio 4 1 Small cars
Dollar Mazda 3 5 3 Large cars
GreenMotion Nissan Versa 5 1
Dollar Nissan Rogue 5 3 SUVs
Alamo Nissan Kicks 5 2 SUVs
Alamo Nissan Rogue 5 3 SUVs
Alamo Ford Edge 4 3 SUVs
MEX RENT A CAR Volkswagen Vento 4 2 Medium cars
GreenMotion Hyundai Accent 4 2 Small cars
Elita Rent A Car Chevrolet Cruze 4 2 Medium cars

Our Customers' Reviews

Because we want to make sure each review listed here is left by a real customer, we don’t have an option to post a review here. Instead, we ask each and every customer to leave a review after they return their rental car. This way, you know that all reviews are authentic, verified, and trustworthy.

United Kingdom
Jeep Wrangler Sport
1 July 2022
We rented a Jeep Cherokee which easily stored our 4 suitcases and things for our 3 week road trip. The A/C was great in the desserts and being able to remove the hard roof at the coast was superb, an all round great car and drive. Thank you
United Kingdom
Kia Rio
25 September 2021
We booked this car for LA, which meant we spent most of our time stuck in traffic. The car was very comfortable and CarPlay meant it was easy for us to make good progress on our podcasts while barely moving on the 101/405/etc.

Car Hire Statistics

Highest rated company
Alamo
9.4 / 10
Lowest rated company
Economy rent a car
6.38 / 10
Total number of reviews
70
Total rental companies
26
Average daily price
£ 52.93
Lowest daily price
£ 12.70
Total cars available
1638

Top 26 Hire Companies in California in 2023

Alamo
Alamo
Remarkable 9.4 / 247 reviews
16 locations
£ 64 - £ 193
Enterprise
Enterprise
Remarkable 9.3 / 38 reviews
18 locations
£ 66 - £ 273
SIXT
SIXT
Remarkable 9.1 / 62 reviews
11 locations
£ 43 - £ 203
National
National
Outstanding 8.7 / 22 reviews
24 locations
£ 68 - £ 273
Hertz
Hertz
Outstanding 8.7 / 13 reviews
14 locations
yesaway
yesaway
Outstanding 8.6 / 67 reviews
2 locations
Carwiz
Carwiz
Outstanding 8.5
1 location
Avis
Avis
Outstanding 8.5 / 113 reviews
15 locations
Payless
Payless
Outstanding 8.4 / 1 reviews
7 locations
Airport Van Rental
Airport Van Rental
Outstanding 8.4 / 2 reviews
3 locations
Rent a Wreck
Rent a Wreck
Outstanding 8.4
1 location
Budget
Budget
Outstanding 8.3 / 17 reviews
14 locations
£ 73 - £ 197
Advantage
Advantage
Outstanding 8.3 / 20 reviews
2 locations
Dollar
Dollar
Outstanding 8.2 / 114 reviews
12 locations
£ 59 - £ 73
Elita Rent A Car
Elita Rent A Car
Outstanding 8.2 / 56 reviews
2 locations
£ 64 - £ 71
NextCar
NextCar
Outstanding 8.2 / 4 reviews
3 locations
Thrifty
Thrifty
Great 7.9 / 77 reviews
12 locations
£ 48 - £ 119
FOX
FOX
Great 7.9 / 239 reviews
8 locations
£ 86 - £ 158
MEX RENT A CAR
MEX RENT A CAR
Great 7.7 / 483 reviews
2 locations
£ 92 - £ 118
Europcar
Europcar
Great 7.5 / 175 reviews
4 locations
£ 44 - £ 79
Priceless
Priceless
Great 7.2 / 24 reviews
7 locations
NUCarrentals
NUCarrentals
Great 7.1 / 21 reviews
5 locations
£ 45 - £ 47
Midway
Midway
Great 7 / 20 reviews
8 locations
Ace Rent a car
Ace Rent a car
Good 6.7 / 199 reviews
4 locations
£ 62 - £ 299
GreenMotion
GreenMotion
Good 6.6 / 171 reviews
6 locations
£ 44 - £ 160
Economy rent a car
Economy rent a car
Good 6.4 / 22 reviews
3 locations
£ 50 - £ 267
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