Car Rental in Santa Barbara

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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
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  • 30 - 65
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1000+ Trusted Suppliers:

Cheapest car rental rates

Santa Barbara Airport
Compact
Ford Focus or similar
Ford Focus
  • 5
  • 2
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Thrifty
$43.29 per day
Santa Barbara Airport
Economy
Chevrolet Spark or similar
Chevrolet Spark
  • 4
  • 1
  • 2
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Dollar
$43.74 per day
Santa Barbara Airport
Intermediate SUV
Toyota RAV4 or similar
Toyota RAV4
  • 5
  • 3
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Budget
$53.80 per day
Santa Barbara Airport
Standard
Volkswagen Jetta or similar
Volkswagen Jetta
  • 5
  • 2
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Alamo
$59.33 per day

Most popular car rental deals

Santa Barbara Airport
Full-size
Toyota Camry or similar
Toyota Camry
  • 5
  • 2
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Avis
$59.40 per day
Santa Barbara Airport
Premium Regular Cab Pickup
Ford F-150 or similar
Ford F-150
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Enterprise
$75.19 per day
Santa Barbara Airport
Standard Elite SUV
Audi Q3 or similar
Audi Q3
  • 5
  • 4
  • 4
  • A/C
  • Auto.
National
$86.54 per day
Santa Barbara Airport
Luxury
Audi A4 or similar
Audi A4
  • 5
  • 2
  • 5
  • A/C
  • Auto.
Alamo
$85.68 per day
The above prices are only approximate and were last updated at 3:25 AM on 6/17/25. 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
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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
Country code
+1
Average car rental price
$63 per day
Average car rental length
6 days
Speed limit within town
40 - 48 km/h or 25 - 30 mph
Speed limit out of town
88 - 104 km/h or 55 - 65 mph
Acceptable limit of BAC
0.08%
Average gas price
$1.25 per liter or $4.73 per gallon
Lowest gas price
$1.15 per liter or $4.35 per gallon
Highest gas price
$1.45 per liter or $5.49 per gallon

Top 20 cities near Santa Barbara

  1. Santa Monica from $51.40 per day
    132.2 km / 82.1 miles away
  2. Bakersfield from $51.40 per day
    133.4 km / 82.9 miles away
  3. Hollywood from $53.80 per day
    136 km / 84.5 miles away
  4. Burbank from $42.40 per day
    138.5 km / 86.1 miles away
  5. Beverly Hills from $51.40 per day
    139.5 km / 86.7 miles away
  6. Los Angeles from $42.13 per day
    142.5 km / 88.5 miles away
  7. Long Beach from $51.40 per day
    169.6 km / 105.4 miles away
  8. Anaheim from $43.21 per day
    191.7 km / 119.1 miles away
  9. Santa Ana from $42.40 per day
    200 km / 124.3 miles away
  10. Ontario from $42.30 per day
    210 km / 130.5 miles away
  11. Fresno from $46.48 per day
    261.5 km / 162.5 miles away
  12. Monterey from $58.79 per day
    300.9 km / 187 miles away
  13. San Diego from $45.47 per day
    309.5 km / 192.3 miles away
  14. Palm Springs from $42.24 per day
    314 km / 195.1 miles away
  15. Mammoth Lakes from $60.70 per day
    367.1 km / 228.1 miles away
  16. San Jose from $42.33 per day
    376.8 km / 234.1 miles away
  17. San Francisco from $46.70 per day
    421.8 km / 262.1 miles away
  18. Oakland from $48.35 per day
    424.2 km / 263.6 miles away
  19. Sacramento from $40.40 per day
    499.7 km / 310.5 miles away
  20. Santa Rosa from $59.80 per day
    525.9 km / 326.8 miles away

Top 20 locations near Santa Barbara

  1. Santa Barbara Airport from $43.29 per day
  2. Meadows Field Airport from $51.40 per day
    133.4 km / 82.9 miles away
  3. North Hollywood Lankershim Blvd from $355.55 per day
    136 km / 84.5 miles away
  4. Burbank Airport from $42.40 per day
    138.5 km / 86.1 miles away
  5. Los Angeles Airport from $42.13 per day
    142.5 km / 88.5 miles away
  6. Westchester from $47.07 per day
    144.2 km / 89.6 miles away
  7. Downtown from $43.74 per day
    151 km / 93.8 miles away
  8. Long Beach Airport from $51.40 per day
    169.6 km / 105.4 miles away
  9. John Wayne Airport from $42.40 per day
    200 km / 124.3 miles away
  10. Ontario Airport from $42.30 per day
    210 km / 130.5 miles away
  11. Fresno Airport from $46.48 per day
    261.5 km / 162.5 miles away
  12. Monterey Airport from $58.79 per day
    300.9 km / 187 miles away
  13. San Diego Airport from $45.47 per day
    309.5 km / 192.3 miles away
  14. Palm Springs Airport from $42.24 per day
    314 km / 195.1 miles away
  15. San Diego Cross Border Xpress from $50.79 per day
    338 km / 210 miles away
  16. San Jose Airport from $46.48 per day
    376.8 km / 234.1 miles away
  17. San Francisco Airport from $46.70 per day
    421.8 km / 262.1 miles away
  18. Oakland Airport from $48.35 per day
    424.2 km / 263.6 miles away
  19. San Francisco Union Square Downtown from $47.14 per day
    439.1 km / 272.8 miles away
  20. Sacramento International Airport from $46.40 per day
    499.7 km / 310.5 miles away

Map of car rental locations

What is the cheapest month to rent a car in Santa Barbara?

Car rental prices in Santa Barbara vary by time of year. This graph shows the average prices per month to help you find the best time of year to rent.
Average rental costs per day in Santa Barbara
January
$48.04
February
$46.08
March
$48.39
April
$47.49
May
$51.45
June
$56.46
July
$44.20
August
$82.76
September
$51.05
October
$77.34
November
$49.57
December
The cheapest month to rent a car in Santa Barbara is August (when prices average $44.20 per day). This is 19% cheaper than the yearly average and 47% cheaper than renting in September (when prices average $82.76).

This information can help you identify the low season. But these are only average numbers. How much your car rental will cost will depend on the type of vehicle you rent, how long you’ll rent it for, and how far ahead you book. Simply enter your dates in the form at the top of the page to see the exact prices.

What’s the usual rental length in Santa Barbara?

How long travelers keep their rental cars for varies from month to month: in August, the average renter keeps their car for 19 days, and in July, they keep their car for 3 days.
Average number of rental days in Santa Barbara
January
5
February
4
March
7
April
5
May
10
June
3
July
19
August
5
September
5
October
4
November
8
December

What's the most popular month to rent a car in Santa Barbara?

Based on the number of searches by our customers, the most popular month for renting a car in Santa Barbara is August, and the least popular is December.
Monthly searches in Santa Barbara by pick-up date relative to the average
January
92%
February
122%
March
76%
April
107%
May
122%
June
76%
July
199%
August
76%
September
107%
October
76%
November
46%
December

Car rental information

Car rental locations 3
Airport locations 1
Popular suppliers Dollar, Alamo
Popular car categories SUVs, Large cars, Medium cars, Convertibles
Lowest price $43 per day
Cheapest supplier Thrifty

Most popular car models of rental suppliers

Rental Supplier 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 Volkswagen Jetta 2 2 Large cars
Dollar Volkswagen Jetta 4 2 Large cars
Dollar Jeep Renegade 4 2 SUVs
Dollar Ford Focus 3 2 Medium cars
Dollar Nissan Rogue 5 3 SUVs
Dollar Toyota Camry 4 2 Large cars
Alamo Nissan Rogue 5 3 SUVs

Car rental statistics

Highest-rated company
Alamo
8.8 / 10
)
Lowest-rated company
Avis
7.9 / 10
Total rental companies
8
Average daily price
$63.37
Lowest daily price
$43.29
Total cars available
305

Top 8 suppliers in Santa Barbara in 2025

Alamo
Alamo
Very good 8.8 / 1 review
1 location
$57 - $154
Enterprise
Enterprise
Very good 8.8 / 0 reviews
1 location
$58 - $161
National
National
Very good 8.4 / 0 reviews
1 location
$59 - $177
Thrifty
Thrifty
Very good 8.2 / 0 reviews
2 locations
$43 - $83
Dollar
Dollar
Very good 8 / 5 reviews
2 locations
$44 - $138
Budget
Budget
Very good 8 / 0 reviews
2 locations
$51 - $198
Hertz
Hertz
Very good 8 / 0 reviews
2 locations
$51 - $198
Avis
Avis
Average 7.9 / 0 reviews
2 locations
$54 - $137

Highly recommended by our customers

Jun 18, 2025
Price
economic price
Chan Hoon Haan
Jun 18, 2025
Seamless process. New economic car
Rented a car for holidays. No problems
Adam Lebek
Jun 18, 2025
Site is very easy to use
Site is very easy to use
Lavinia
Jun 18, 2025
Everything OK
Everything OK
Farhad Hakimzadeh
Jun 18, 2025
good
It was easy to rent the car.
George Kovacs
Jun 18, 2025
quick booking
The booking itself was easy
Alexandra Bellon
Jun 18, 2025
Easy to book we have used this company…
Easy to book we have used this company a few times with no problems
hassan memi
Jun 18, 2025
The information about offers is clear
The information about offers, timing, places, prices and its process reservation is completely easy, clear and fast. I wish to have the same experience at picking up and dropping off the vehicle in Porto-Portugal
Edgar
Jun 18, 2025
its really ok
its really ok
Pawel Jan Kowal
Jun 18, 2025
Friendly Staff & No Hidden Fees!
Really great experience! The staff were super friendly and took the time to explain every small detail clearly. No hidden fees at all – unlike some other places I’ve used before. Everything was upfront and easy. Highly recommend!
Zoltan
Jun 18, 2025
Price
Price and information.
Nurdin Halilovic
Jun 18, 2025
Easy to book
Easy to book, will see when we pickup the car in September and how easy the return is and update the review.
Johnny Marchetti
Jun 18, 2025
Good prices and very easy to book.
Good prices and very easy to book.
William
Jun 17, 2025
excelllent
excelllent
DIANA MARCELA CARDENAS CADENA
Jun 17, 2025
I have been using discover cars for the…
I have been using discover cars for the last 4 or 5 years and have never had any problem with them and I have also had their insurance and they have always paid claims .
Chris Jackson
Jun 17, 2025
Easy to deal with
Easy to deal with, good communication
Mark Mardell

Santa Barbara

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Driver's country of residence is United States of America (USA) and age is 30-65
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