Car Hire in California
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Cheapest Car Hire Rates
City Centre
Standard
Volkswagen Jetta or comparable
£30.17 per day
Oxnard Airport
Economy
Kia Rio or comparable
£30.22 per day
Monrovia City Centre
Intermediate SUV
Toyota RAV4 or comparable
£40.11 per day
San Francisco Convention Center
Full-size Elite
Audi A5 Sportback or comparable
£40.25 per day
Most Popular Car Hire Deals
San Diego Cross Border Xpress
Compact
Chevrolet Onix or comparable
£43.75 per day
San Jose Airport
Full-size
Toyota Camry or comparable
£47.64 per day
San Diego Airport
Premium
Premium (BMW 2 Series) or comparable
£48.09 per day
Los Angeles Financial District
Intermediate Elite
Polestar 2 or comparable
£73.14 per day
The above prices are only approximate and were last updated at 02:53 on 13/04/2025. 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
£44 per day
Average car hire length
7 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
£0.70 per litre or £2.64 per gallon
Lowest petrol price
£0.56 per litre or £2.10 per gallon
Highest petrol price
£1.02 per litre or £3.86 per gallon
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 £33.38 per day
- From California to Arizona - 68 offers from £43.61 per day
- From California to Colorado - 125 offers from £67.48 per day
- From California to New York - 120 offers from £65.83 per day
- From California to Texas - 27 offers from £70.96 per day
Map of Car Hire Destinations
In which month is car hire in California the most affordable?
Prices for hiring a car in California fluctuate depending on the time of year. This table and graph can help you find the best bargain.
Average price for hiring a car per day in California
The best month to hire a car in California is March — when the average price for a hire is £28.87 per day. This is 19% less than the yearly average and 33% less than hiring a car in July (when the average price is £43.39 per day).
This information can help you determine the low season. But note that these prices are only averages. The cost of your 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 type in your dates in the form at the top of the page in order to find out the exact prices.
This information can help you determine the low season. But note that these prices are only averages. The cost of your 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 type in your dates in the form at the top of the page in order to find out the exact prices.
How many days do people keep their hire cars, on average, in California?
How long renters typically keep their vehicle sometimes varies depending on the time of year. Travelers tend to keep their rental cars longer in June — an average of 9 days. They tend to keep them for a shorter time in November — an average of 6 days.
Average number of hire days in California
Which month is most favoured for hiring a car in California?
Given the number of customers searching for a car in California, April is the most popular, while October is the month that sees the lowest demand.
Monthly Car Hire Searches in California Compared to the Yearly Average
Car hire information
| Car hire locations | 273 |
| Airport locations | 33 |
| Popular suppliers | Thrifty, FOX, Dollar, Alamo, SIXT |
| Popular car categories | SUVs, Large cars, Medium cars, Small cars |
| Lowest price | £30 per day |
| Cheapest supplier | Thrifty |
Most popular car models of suppliers
| Hire Agency | Model | Doors | Luggage | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thrifty | Nissan Rogue | 5 | 3 | SUVs |
| Thrifty | Mazda 3 | 5 | 3 | Large cars |
| Thrifty | Ford Focus | 4 | 2 | Medium cars |
| Thrifty | Volkswagen Jetta | 4 | 2 | Large cars |
| FOX | Toyota Corolla | 4 | 1 | Large cars |
| FOX | Kia Sportage | 5 | 2 | SUVs |
| Alamo | Nissan Rogue | 5 | 3 | SUVs |
| FOX | Nissan Versa | 4 | 2 | Medium cars |
| Dollar | Honda CR-V | 5 | 3 | SUVs |
| FOX | Hyundai Santa Fe | 5 | 2 | SUVs |
Our customers' reviews
Because we want to make sure each review listed here is left by a real customer, we don’t have the 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.
CC
United Kingdom
Jeep Wrangler Sport
01/07/2022
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
AF
United Kingdom
Kia Rio
25/09/2021
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
9.2 / 10
Lowest-rated company
Zezgo
4 / 10
Total number of reviews
62
Total rental companies
28
Average daily price
£44.18
Lowest daily price
£30.17
Total cars available
8415
Top 28 suppliers in California in 2025
Alamo
18 locations
£63 - £197
Enterprise
25 locations
£74 - £262
Black&White Car Rental
2 locations
£101 - £543
SIXT
23 locations
£41 - £168
National
26 locations
£40 - £282
yesaway
2 locations
£44 - £116
Thrifty
103 locations
£30 - £203
Hertz
44 locations
£30 - £203
Payless
6 locations
£30 - £203
Flexways
3 locations
£95 - £299
Avis
190 locations
£30 - £519
Dollar
100 locations
£49 - £210
Routes Car Rental
1 location
£49 - £210
Budget
192 locations
£39 - £559
Advantage
2 locations
£39 - £559
Elita Rent A Car
2 locations
£39 - £559
Surprice
1 location
£39 - £559
FOX
7 locations
£44 - £191
MEX RENT A CAR
3 locations
£44 - £152
NextCar
3 locations
£57 - £109
Europcar
7 locations
£54 - £133
U-Save
4 locations
£60 - £167
Midway
8 locations
£114 - £1,350
Priceless
9 locations
£114 - £1,350
Ace Rent a car
4 locations
£51 - £81
NUCarrentals
5 locations
£51 - £81
GreenMotion
4 locations
£83 - £169
Zezgo
1 location
£47 - £64
Awards
World Travel Tech Awards - World's Best Car Rental Booking Website 2023
World Travel Tech Awards - World's Best Car Rental Booking App 2023
Magellan Awards Gold Winner 2023
Travel & Hospitality Awards 2021
FT 1000: Europes Fastest Growing Companies - Top 300 Companies 2021
FT 1000: Europe's Fastest Growing Companies - Top 100 Companies 2020
Uzakrota Travel Awards - World’s Leading Car Rental Website 2022
Inc. 5000 Europe - Top 500 Companies 2019
Trustpilot - Top 10 Car Hire Agencies
SimilarWeb - Top 50 Car Hire Websites
Our clients highly recommend us
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