Car Hire in Santa Barbara

- Search, Compare, and Save up to 70%!
✓ No Hidden Costs ✓ 24/7 Support ✓ Free Cancellation
Santa Barbara, USA - California
Unable to find any location
Driver's country of residence is United States of America (USA) and age is 30-65
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30 - 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80+
700+ Trusted Suppliers:

Cheapest Car Hire Rates

Santa Barbara Airport
Compact
Ford Focus or comparable
Ford Focus
  • 5
  • 2
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Thrifty
£32.41 per day
Santa Barbara Airport
Economy
Chevrolet Spark or comparable
Chevrolet Spark
  • 4
  • 1
  • 2
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Dollar
£32.75 per day
Santa Barbara Airport
Intermediate SUV
Toyota RAV4 or comparable
Toyota RAV4
  • 5
  • 3
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Budget
£39.68 per day
Santa Barbara Airport
Premium Regular Cab Pickup
Ford F-150 or comparable
Ford F-150
  • 5
  • 3
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Alamo
£40.45 per day

Most Popular Car Hire Deals

Santa Barbara Airport
Full-size
Chevrolet Malibu or comparable
Chevrolet Malibu
  • 5
  • 2
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Enterprise
£41.15 per day
Santa Barbara Airport
Standard
Volkswagen Jetta or comparable
Volkswagen Jetta
  • 5
  • 2
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
National
£42.44 per day
Santa Barbara Airport
Luxury
Hyundai Genesis or comparable
Hyundai Genesis
  • 5
  • 2
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Avis
£57.19 per day
Santa Barbara Airport
Standard Elite SUV
Audi Q3 or comparable
Audi Q3
  • 5
  • 4
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Enterprise
£49.89 per day
The above prices are only approximate and were last updated at 21:06 on 23/06/2025. Prices may vary based on the booking dates, length of rental, and car class.
Why book with us?
Special offers
As a market leader, we get special offers like contactless pick-ups, great prices, and free upgrades.
Award-winning
World's Leading Car Rental Booking Website in the World Travel Tech Awards (4 years in a row).
Highly-rated
A combined rating of 4.5 with 200k+ 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

Languages
English, Spanish
Currency
USD
Drive on
Right-hand side
Dialing code
+1
Average car hire price
£42 per day
Average car hire length
6 days
Speed limit within city centre
40 - 48 km/h or 25 - 30 mph
Speed limit out of city centre
88 - 104 km/h or 55 - 65 mph
Acceptable limit of BAC
0.08%
Average petrol price
£0.91 per litre or £3.45 per gallon
Lowest petrol price
£0.85 per litre or £3.20 per gallon
Highest petrol price
£1.07 per litre or £4.04 per gallon

Top 5 cities near Santa Barbara

Map of Car Hire Destinations

In which month is car hire in Santa Barbara the most affordable?

According to our data, prices for hiring a car in Santa Barbara fluctuate depending on the time of year. This graph displays the average hire prices in each month in order to help you find the best bargain.
Average price for hiring a car per day in Santa Barbara
January
£35.87
February
£34.41
March
£36.13
April
£35.46
May
£37.32
June
£45.27
July
£33.00
August
£61.79
September
£37.49
October
£60.98
November
£37.01
December
The best month to hire a car in Santa Barbara is August (when the average price is £33.00 per day). This is 20% less than the yearly average and 47% less than hiring in September (when the average price is £61.79).

This information can help you determine the low season. But note that these prices are only averages. The cost of your car hire is determined by the type of car you select, the length of time you hire it for, and how much in advance you book. Simply select your dates in the form at the top of the page to find out the exact prices.

What's the usual period for which people keep their hire cars, on average, in Santa Barbara?

Car hire lengths vary from month to month: in August, the average hirer keeps their car for 19 days, and in July, they keep their car for 2 days.
Average number of hire days in Santa Barbara
January
5
February
4
March
7
April
5
May
12
June
2
July
19
August
5
September
5
October
5
November
8
December

What is the most favoured month for hiring a car in Santa Barbara?

Given the number of searches made by our customers, the most popular month for hiring a car in Santa Barbara is August, and the least popular is July.
Popularity of Car Hire in Santa Barbara by Monthly Searches
January
96%
February
128%
March
80%
April
112%
May
112%
June
48%
July
207%
August
80%
September
128%
October
64%
November
48%
December

Car hire information

Car hire locations 3
Airport locations 1
Popular suppliers Dollar, Alamo
Popular car categories SUVs, Large cars, Medium cars, Convertibles
Lowest price £32 per day
Cheapest supplier Thrifty

Most popular car models of suppliers

Hire Agency Model Doors Luggage Type
Dollar Honda CR-V 5 3 SUVs
Dollar Mazda CX-5 5 3 SUVs
Dollar Honda Civic 4 2 Large cars
Dollar Jeep Renegade 4 2 SUVs
Dollar Volkswagen Jetta 2 2 Large cars
Dollar Volkswagen Jetta 4 2 Large cars
Dollar Nissan Rogue 5 3 SUVs
Dollar Ford Focus 3 2 Medium cars
Dollar Toyota Camry 4 2 Large cars
Alamo Nissan Rogue 5 3 SUVs

Car Hire Statistics

Highest-rated company
Alamo
8.8 / 10
)
Lowest-rated company
Budget
7.9 / 10
Total rental companies
8
Average daily price
£41.99
Lowest daily price
£32.41
Total cars available
285

Top 8 suppliers in Santa Barbara in 2025

Alamo
Alamo
Very good 8.8 / 1 review
1 location
£40 - £124
Enterprise
Enterprise
Very good 8.8 / 0 reviews
1 location
£41 - £119
National
National
Very good 8.4 / 0 reviews
1 location
£42 - £131
Thrifty
Thrifty
Very good 8.2 / 0 reviews
2 locations
£32 - £62
Dollar
Dollar
Very good 8.1 / 5 reviews
2 locations
£33 - £71
Hertz
Hertz
Very good 8 / 0 reviews
2 locations
£33 - £71
Avis
Avis
Average 7.9 / 0 reviews
2 locations
£40 - £61
Budget
Budget
Average 7.9 / 0 reviews
2 locations
£38 - £150
Download Our App
Book and manage your booking on the go
Log in or create an account
Get access to all your bookings in one place
Continue with email
By continuing you agree to DiscoverCars.com's
and
What's your email?
Please check your email
Please check your email
We've sent an email with a verification link to {email}
Click on the link in the email to log in.
Log in or create an account
Access exclusive partner deals and manage all your bookings in one place
Continue with email
By continuing you agree to DiscoverCars.com's
and
What's your email?
Please check your email
Please check your email
We've sent an email with a verification link to {email}
Click on the link in the email to log in.
Please select a pick-up location and dates