Almost all renters pick up their vehicles at the airport they fly into. LAX and San Francisco Airport are the most popular entry points and have an enormous selection of rental cars.

If staying in the city for some time before heading to other parts of the state, you can also pick up a rental car in the city when you're ready to use it.

One of the most popular routes for one-way rentals is traveling from San Francisco to Los Angeles or vice-versa. If you take your time and travel down US 1 along the coast, it would be a drive you'll remember for the rest of your life.

Keep in mind: Most car rental companies charge a fee for one-way rentals, but this will be included in the total if you searched using your desired drop-off location.

California has the largest population of Spanish-speaking residents in the United States. Roughly a fifth of its residents primarily speaks Spanish in their households. In Los Angeles and San Diego, this share is even higher.

There are also a large number of Chinese speakers. They are concentrated in the Bay Area but are also in Southern California.

As usual in the United States, if you speak English, you will have no problem communicating.

Joshua Tree National Park. When in Southern California, Joshua Tree National Park is a great option for a trip into nature. Known for the trees from which it gets its name, the park spans two different deserts, the Mojave and Colorado. There are many different hiking trails and great places to rock climb. It is also a great place to observe the night sky due to its lack of light pollution.

The perhaps more popular Death Valley is a few-hour drive to the north and is also a great place to immerse yourself in a desert landscape. If visiting either, be sure to take plenty of water as dehydration is the number one danger by far.

There are many gas stations all over California, though like anywhere else in the world, they are mainly located in and near populated areas. Unless you plan to travel in the northern part of the state or national parks like Joshua Tree, you'll never be far from a station. That said, if you do plan to visit these places, be sure to fill up when you get a chance and look at a map ahead of time to prepare.

Prices at California's gas stations are shown per gallon (1 gallon = 3.79 liters).

As of January 2022, the average price in California is $4.65 per gallon (or about $1.22 per liter) for regular. Gas prices in California are usually the most expensive in the country due to higher taxes on it. Gas is slightly cheaper in the central part of the state than don't he coast and in the larger cities.

The simple answer to this is probably for as long as you plan to stay in the state. The more complicated answer is that you'll have to figure out what you plan to do to know when you'll need a car and when you won't.

If visiting Southern California, you'll likely want a car for your entire trip. While parking may be expensive (you'll almost certainly have to pay to park at your hotel), public transportation in the city is limited and taxis and rideshares can be expensive. There's really no getting around driving when you're in LA or Orange County.

If visiting the Bay Area, particularly San Francisco, for more than a day, you may want to not have a car for that part of your trip. Parking in San Francisco at hotels can be very expensive and it is easy to get around the city with public transportation.

If you plan to hit the national park or Napa or Sonoma Valleys, then you'll want a car the whole time as it's by far the most convenient way to get around these parts of the state.

Different destinations in California have different price dynamics, depending on the number of tourists, time of the year, and other factors. With that in mind, here are some average numbers to give you an idea of the cost of a rental car in the state from data compiled in June 2024.

In Los Angeles, the average price of a rental car per day is $36 in January, $62 in August, and $42 in November. Keep in mind that this is the average price — you can find much cheaper deals based on the type of car and other factors.

In San Francisco, the average daily price is $38 in January, $365 in August, and $54 in November.

In San Diego, the average price of a rental car per day is $36 in January and $67 in August. In September, a car costs, on average, $51 per day.

There are some cheap rental car companies in California. On the whole, the state's car rental prices are similar to those in the rest of the United States. You may end up being able to find a car for as little as $20 a day — though be sure to see the caveats below.

Obviously, your destination also influences the price — cars tend to be more pricey around popular tourist destinations. However, that conventional wisdom doesn't hold in California. Prices are generally lower in the most popular places — San Francisco and Los Angeles — due to the sheer number of cars available there.

Keep in mind: Booking a car in advance is a tried and true method for getting a much lower price, especially if you plan to travel to California during the summer. A car booked a month before the trip can cost half as much as the same car booked a couple of days before you travel.

Booking a car for a longer period of time is also a good idea — due to different commissions and other fees, booking a car in California for a longer period can cost significantly less per day.

Price is obviously a huge factor when choosing a car rental company, but it shouldn't be your only consideration — often, for a couple of dollars more, you can find a much better overall deal. Instead, try to look for a company that offers both a good price and has a good rating from previous renters.

Also, make sure you are familiar with the rental conditions! Different rental car suppliers will have different conditions. The rental conditions can influence the final price of the car and are important to be aware of in general.

You can find the rental conditions when searching for a rental car on our website.

Some of the most important things when picking up a rental car is knowing your rental car supplier's fuel and mileage policies along with its driver requirements.

Mileage policy :
A rental supplier's mileage policy is the maximum permitted distance that you are allowed to travel per day (or sometimes per week) with your rental car. Once you exceed the permitted distance, you will be required to pay an extra fee for every additional mile you drive. There might also be the maximum permitted mileage for the whole of the rental period.

Different rental car suppliers have different mileage rules. It's important to know about them before booking your car, especially if you plan to drive a lot or travel long distances during your trip.

Also, keep in mind that many rental companies restrict the allotted mileage for residents of California.

You can find the supplier's mileage policy in their rental conditions:

Driver requirements:
Different rental car companies will have different requirements for drivers. These may include:

Choosing the right insurance is very important as it will protect you in case anything goes wrong during your rental period. If you have your own personal insurance, it may or may not cover your rental car — you should ask your insurance carrier to find out.

We strongly recommend you choose our own Full Coverage. Not only does it come at a reasonable price and covers most potential scenarios, but it will also give you clarity and peace of mind as you will have 24/7 support from our team for any issue that you might have.

Check the Insurance section of our Help Center to learn more about choosing the right insurance and everything related to it.

Small cars are the cheapest type of cars, costing as little as $11 per day. The lowest price is $13 for medium cars, $16 for large cars. Of course, this changes depending on the season and demand.

There are a number of local companies in California. But all of the major brands also have huge fleets at the main airports in the state. And while some of the smaller companies that you may not have heard of before may offer what looks like a lower price, be sure to find out how much their mandatory fees cost like their toll package. Also, see in advance if they will accept your car insurance as coverage as some of them only accept insurance from certain companies. If you are required to purchase the rental company's coverage, expect the total price to perhaps double.

The main factors for choosing a rental car should be the price and rating of the company. Keep in mind that the well-known large brands have been operating in California for decades.

To pick up a rental car, you'll need to have your booking confirmation voucher, passport, driver's license, a credit card on the main driver's name, and all the other necessary documents.

When making the reservation, you will see your rental car's pickup location, of which there are many types. Since most travelers tend to pick up their rental cars at the airport, we'll mainly focus on the pickup locations in or near the airport. These are the most popular pickup location types:

• Meet & Greet. With this type of pickup location, you'll be met by an employee of the car rental company in the arrivals hall of the airport which you normally enter right after leaving the baggage claim area. The employee will usually have a printed sign with your name on it. The employee will take you to the company's office to proceed with signing the rental contract and collecting the car's keys.
• In the terminal. In this case, you will have to find your rental car company's desk yourself. The desk will be usually located in the arrivals hall. Once you've found the desk, you can present your documents and continue with the pickup procedure. Do keep in mind that you might have to wait in line.
• Shuttle bus. In certain cases, the car rental company's desk might be located outside the airport's terminal. Sometimes you can reach it on foot, but in most cases, you need to take a shuttle bus. For this, you'll need to find the shuttle bus stop inside the airport, the location of which will be given to you when making the booking. Sometimes, the shuttle bus is shared by multiple car rental companies while others have their own shuttle service just for them. Look for the name and the logo of your rental company to make sure you take the right shuttle bus.
• Delivery service. This type of pick-up is similar to Meet & Greet but takes even less time to complete as you won't need to go to the car provider's office to sign the agreement.
• Car rental center. This means that your car rental company shares its location with other companies. The car rental center is located in the arrivals hall, in another part of the terminal, or in a separate building next to the terminal.
• Outside terminal. This pick-up location means that your car rental company has an individual desk located outside the airport's terminal, but within the larger airport complex, that can usually be reached on foot

At the pickup location: After the car rental company checks your documents and make sure you have enough deposit on your credit card, you will receive the car's keys and be taken to the rental car which will usually be parked in a nearby parking lot.

Inspect the car: Upon picking up the car, you will have to sign a document called the check-out form. If your rental car has any scratches or other types of damage, they should be listed on the form. Inspect the car carefully — if it has any scratches or other issues that are not listed, make sure to point them out to the employee before signing the check-out form. The form will also list the mileage and the amount of fuel the car has at the pickup time.

Take photos: It is generally a very good idea to take photos of the car before picking it up, preferably from multiple angles and including the inside of the car with the odometer showing the previous mileage on the car and of the amount of fuel in the tank (read more about fuel on our Fuel Policy section above). The photos should have a timestamp to show the date and time when they were taken; most pictures taken with mobile and digital cameras have them.

Find out the drop-off location: Before leaving with the car, make sure you find out the exact drop-off location and the directions to get there. While it will often be the same as the pickup location, it might also be in a completely different part of the airport (this is especially the case with the larger airports that have multiple terminals).

Returning the car: When dropping off the car at the end of your trip, carefully check the vehicle in the presence of an employee of the rental company. If any new scratches or damages are found, the company employee should point them out in your presence. If there are none, the car's check-in form should state that the car has been returned in the same condition. The same applies to the cleanliness of the car (if you return a car that is not clean, the company might later charge an extra cleaning fee). Make sure to check the car's trunk and the glove compartment to avoid leaving any personal belongings in the vehicle.

You might also want to add some extras for your rental car such as a GPS system, a child's seat, second-driver permission (if you're traveling with a friend or a family member who can and wants to drive). You may also need snow chains if you are planning to drive to the mountains in winter. Be sure to search for them in advance and add them before making the booking. Not every rental car supplier will have all of these extras available. Adding extras will influence the final price of a car and different car rental companies offer them for different prices.

Unlike in many places in Europe, speed cameras are not used much in the United States. Speed is typically controlled by patrolmen.

In October of 2023, a law was passed allowing speed cameras to be installed in 2024 in Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, Long Beach, and San Francisco. San Francisco has approved a plan to install 33 speed cameras as of May 2024. There's no clear date of when they will start operating, though.

Your best bet to avoid being charged with drunk driving is to not drink at all before getting behind the wheel. That being said, anything over .08% BAC is a DUI in California. While cannibas is legal in California, it is forbidden to both use it while in a moving vehicle and have an open container of it in the vehicle similar to alcohol.

There are a few toll roads in California in addition to express lanes and bridges (primarily in the Bay Area).

In the Los Angeles Area, there are a few toll roads in Orange County. While these roads don't have toll booths, you can preregister your rental car and the tolls will be charged to your credit card. This means you don't need a FastTrak transponder and don't need to take any toll package offered by the rental company.

Los Angeles has express lanes on I-10 and I-110. They require a FastTrak transponder to use. If your rental car doesn't have one, or you want to not take the company's toll package, simply avoid these lanes.

In the Bay Area, all bridges are tolled. Some of them have tolls in both directions while others just in one direction. There are still toll booths at all of them except the Golden Gate Bridge. For the Golden Gate Bridge, you can register your rental car's license plate online. Keep in mind if you don't do this, the toll will be charged to the rental company which will then charge it to you with an additional administration fee.

While a FastTrack transponder would be convenient in the Bay Area, it is not necessary and you can get by without and save money by avoiding the fees the rental companies charge for use of it.

In other parts of the state you won't have to worry about toll roads at all.

Note: The Golden Gate Bridge is tolled only in the inbound direction. You do not have to pay the toll when leaving the city heading north.