Cheap Car Rentals in Des Moines

Des Moines, IA, United States

15 Feb — 22 Feb

Same drop-off

Wed 15/2

Noon

Wed 22/2

Noon

Driver's age:

26-65Other

What is the cheapest time to rent a car in Des Moines?

January

1,414,427 ₫

February

1,296,558 ₫

March

1,791,607 ₫

April

1,768,033 ₫

May

2,027,345 ₫

June

2,310,231 ₫

July

2,333,804 ₫

August

2,168,788 ₫

September

1,626,591 ₫

October

1,626,591 ₫

November

1,720,886 ₫

December

1,815,181 ₫

Currently, the cheapest month to rent a car in Des Moines is February. The most expensive time to rent a car is July. The cheapest prices for each month are shown above, but prices will vary based on availability, how far out you book your rental car, and of course, car type.

Top rental agencies in Des Moines

All major car rental suppliers in Des Moines

Alamo

8.7

Very good

41 reviews•1 location

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Overview

Recent reviews

10.0

Wonderful|May 2022

Everything was great

10.0

Wonderful|Sep 2022

Very helpful and friendly.

10.0

Wonderful|Mar 2021

Staff was very helpful picking up and returning. Very convenient location in the airport and the cars are right outside the door in the baggage claim area

6.0

Okay|Aug 2020

Nice sized suv

The gas gauge was way off. No horse power.

9.6

Wonderful|Jan 2020

Staff was super helpful. Class of vehicle rented wasn't available so they provided an upgrade and reduced the price for the trouble. Would highly recommend!

10.0

Wonderful|Sep 2019

Outstanding service. They were swamped when we got there, but they dealt with the long quickly. They did not have our size of car so they gave us a choice of upgrade that would suit us and gave us free gas to compensate the mileage. And they were very happy to do it. So we are very happy!

It was as good as it could have been.

1 out of 14

Enterprise

8.3

Very good

52 reviews•3 locations

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Overview

Recent reviews

10.0

Wonderful|Sep 2022

Matt and Alex are both Awesome !!!!!! Best customer service ever.

10.0

Wonderful|May 2022

Thank you!

6.0

Okay|Apr 2022

The site is not at the airport and it takes forever to get to via cab or Uber (practically nonexistent in Des Moines). Pay the extra cost to get it at the airport and not this site. The people are nice but it was a nightmare after 40 hours of travel.

10.0

Wonderful|Dec 2021

Then rental was simple and fast. The only thing that I wish was better is the ability to add an extra day at a cheaper price. Thanks, Gary W.

7.9

Good|Oct 2021

Initially I was given a car that smelled strongly of marijuana. I mentioned it to the Enterprise employee and she agreed the smell was strong. After another minute of her finishing paperwork and me noticing there was an indicator that one of the tires was low, I finally said: Is there seriously not another car here that doesn't smell? Maybe one that has air in all the tires? She said we'd have to talk to the manager. So we did. He had no problem moving me to the other car. So, why didn't she make it right in the first place?

10.0

Wonderful|Oct 2021

My travel plans changed and they very good about accomdating the modification is car return location and time.

1 out of 18

Hertz

8.0

Very good

30 reviews•1 location

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Overview

Recent reviews

10.0

Wonderful|Dec 2021

Service and ease of getting car

2.0

Poor|May 2022

Car was dirty, went to exchange it in Davenport location they said they couldn’t help me and turned me away. The hertz inside the moline airport was wonderful.

6.0

Okay|Apr 2022

Allow different type cars to drop off in different location than pickup locations.

10.0

Wonderful|Mar 2022

Thanks

10.0

Wonderful|Jan 2022

The Herrtz representative took care of us when we picked up the vehicle. She upgraded us to an all wheel drive vehicle when she realized that we would be driving in a snow storm. No prompting from myself, she just offered the upgrade for no additional cost. The vehicle was very clean and suited our needs perfectly.

10.0

Wonderful|Oct 2021

Easy pick up & drop off. Customer service let me change my drop off location due to distance from my home. Friendly employees! It was an perfect experience

1 out of 10

National

1 location

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Overview

Thrifty

7.1

Good

18 reviews•2 locations

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Overview

Recent reviews

8.0

Very good|Jul 2020

staff was very friendly. Drop off was confusing as it was no longer Thrifty but Hertz

9.6

Wonderful|Mar 2020

The entire experience could not have been easier and more convenient.

2.8

Poor|Dec 2019

My car stopped working. Had to get an uber to get where I needed to go. The lyft they got me didnt even bring me to the right place to pick up my car at first. I had an extremely disappointing experience.

2.0

Poor|Jul 2019

I reserved a 7 passenger and after my card was scanned and I walked outside, I noticed I was given a 5 passenger. Transaction was supposed to be avoided but there continues to be a hold on my account

5.6

Fair|Jul 2019

Staff was incredibly rude and very unhelpful

10.0

Wonderful|Jun 2019

It as quick and easy

1 out of 6

Dollar

6.9

Okay

9 reviews•1 location

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Overview

Recent reviews

2.0

Poor|Jul 2018

I booked through Kayak and they took my debit card number and the reservation was made. When I got to Dollar rental they said I needed a credit card. I was never told during the booking process that I needed a credit card to make this reservation so I was extremely inconvenienced. Now I have to try to get a refund for the insurance I paid for.

10.0

Wonderful|Jun 2018

Lots of room, great gas mileage, very comfortable, great customer service.

8.0

Very good|Mar 2018

We requested an intermediate SUV to drive from Iowa to California and back. Dollar gave us the Ford Escape. It was comfortable, handled really well, had good pickup, and many features you'd find in a more expensive car. Gas mileage was reasonable and the price Dollar charged me was more than fair.

I had to get an oil change once I reached California. However, Dollar reimbursed me for my cost when I returned. Dollar also said that any Hertz or Dollar outlet will handle that type of maintenance when needed on the road.

3.6

Poor|Feb 2016

The car didn't break down.

Besides having no modern amenities (usb outlet/bluetooth), the car smelled terrible. At one point I even searched the car to see if anything had been left behind... like a bag of poop. I bought two car air fresheners, but the stank overpowered them. Nasty 3 days.

10.0

Wonderful|Jan 2016

Easy drop off and pick up

9.2

Wonderful|Jan 2016

Fine car, very clean. Service at the counter at pickup and dropoff was great.

Only difficulty is that windshield wipers were terrible. Made for horrible visibility, especially at night, in the snowy/slushy conditions.

1 out of 3

Payless

6.9

Okay

18 reviews•1 location

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Overview

Recent reviews

8.0

Very good|Jan 2022

Pricing is very good. Service was also great - very friendly. The car wasn’t clean outside and the oilservice was overdue.

10.0

Wonderful|Nov 2022

Car windshield wipers gif not work correctly

4.0

Mediocre|Aug 2022

The agents at the desk were too slow and there were only two of them so the wait was way beyond what I expected…

4.0

Mediocre|Feb 2022

Description if car is fast or not immediately upon key exchange … I thought the dude said A Mitsubishi Lancer…not a Mirage.. which was as slow as you say it..

7.9

Good|Jul 2021

Super easy to pick and drop off rental car. No hassles at all! It was a little slow when we picked up the car at the airport due to lack of staff. Other than that, it was SUPER EASY!

10.0

Wonderful|Dec 2020

Thanks y’all are great

1 out of 6

Budget

6.8

Okay

25 reviews•1 location

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Overview

Recent reviews

10.0

Wonderful|Oct 2022

Absolutely wonderful experience ❤️

10.0

Wonderful|Sep 2022

Quick and easy pick up and drop off

2.0

Poor|Jun 2022

Very long line unexpectedly, very slow and unhelpful staff, when I walked to the car with bad directions outdoors a little ways away, the car was dirty and had not been cleaned. I won't use Budget again. They really suck.

2.0

Poor|Feb 2022

The vehicle had only ¾ of a tank of fuel when I picked it up. I paid for the full fuel service when I picked up the vehicle. Upon return the I had two employees lie to me. One said only a manager could refund the fuel charge and the manager would be in to the counter in an hour but never arrived and a second told me she would reimburse my credit card for the fuel charge but did not. I was also charged a $200 dollar deposit at the counter that was not disclosed anywhere when I made the reservation. I will never rent throughout Kayak or Budget again.

6.0

Okay|Nov 2021

Easy pick up at the airport, counter personnel pleasant, car in pretty good shape only a few dings. However, when paying top rate for a rental we expected the car to have been cleaned inside and out. Obviously ours was not. We found empty fast food bags and and a plastic drink bottle under the seat. Also when we tried to use the windshield wiper there was no fluid to wash the window.

6.0

Okay|Nov 2021

Actual price was much higher than what Ireserved on Kayak.

1 out of 9

Car Rental FAQs

Which car rental company is considered to be the best in Des Moines?

Taking our users’ ratings and reviews into consideration, National (9.6 rating), Alamo (8.7 rating) and Enterprise (8.3 rating) seem to be the best rental car companies in Des Moines.

What are gas prices like in Des Moines?

The average gas price in Des Moines is 23,810 ₫/liter over the past month, costing you anywhere between 1,071,429 ₫ and 1,547,619 ₫ to fill up a car’s gas tank.

How much does it cost to rent a car in Des Moines for a week from Budget?

Renting a car in Des Moines for a week can be a great option for travel. Budget, the most popular car rental company for this area, offers rental cars for around 33,694,720 ₫/week on average.

How far in advance should I rent a car in Des Moines for the best price?

Renting your favorite car model can become more difficult the closer you are to your desired travel date. It’s ideal to book early to have that peace of mind. An early booking can save you up to 14% in Des Moines - we recommend booking at least 14days in advance.