Cheap Car Rentals in San Francisco

San Francisco, CA, United States

5 Feb — 12 Feb

Same drop-off

Sun 5/2

Noon

Sun 12/2

Noon

Driver's age:

26-65Other

San Francisco Car Rentals in 2023

Most popular company	SIXT
Price of gas per litre	26,279 ₫
Average price per day	49 ₫
Cheapest price per day	37 ₫

What is the cheapest time to rent a car in San Francisco?

January

1,032,379 ₫

February

1,313,937 ₫

March

1,665,884 ₫

April

1,947,442 ₫

May

1,947,442 ₫

June

2,064,758 ₫

July

2,041,295 ₫

August

1,830,126 ₫

September

1,501,642 ₫

October

1,525,105 ₫

November

1,337,400 ₫

December

1,478,179 ₫

Currently, the cheapest month to rent a car in San Francisco is January. The most expensive time to rent a car is June. 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.

Compare available car types for rental in San Francisco

	Small Cars	1,019,474 ₫ - 3,238,503 ₫
	All Car Types	985,218 ₫ - 3,511,679 ₫

To rent a Small car in San Francisco, the United States, you would pay an average price of 1,388,008 ₫/day. March is the cheapest month to rent a Small car in San Francisco, the United States (~1,019,474 ₫/day), while the most expensive month to rent that same car type is June (~3,238,503 ₫/day). In fact, March is about 27% cheaper than prices during the rest of the year to book a Small rental for San Francisco. When comparing with other car types available for rental in San Francisco, renting a Small car saves you 22% in costs. Please note that average prices are based on historical data and can vary depending on how early you book, availability for your travel dates, and vehicle popularity.

To rent a Medium car in San Francisco, the United States, you would pay an average price of 1,874,944 ₫/day. September is the cheapest month to rent a Medium car in San Francisco, the United States (~985,218 ₫/day), while the most expensive month to rent that same car type is June (~3,255,513 ₫/day). In fact, September is about 48% cheaper than prices during the rest of the year to book a Medium rental for San Francisco. When comparing with other car types available for rental in San Francisco, renting a Medium car is 6% more expensive. Please note that average prices are based on historical data and can vary depending on how early you book, availability for your travel dates, and vehicle popularity.

To rent a SUV car in San Francisco, the United States, you would pay an average price of 1,750,549 ₫/day. November is the cheapest month to rent a SUV car in San Francisco, the United States (~1,519,552 ₫/day), while the most expensive month to rent that same car type is August (~3,955,889 ₫/day). In fact, November is about 14% cheaper than prices during the rest of the year to book a SUV rental for San Francisco. When comparing with other car types available for rental in San Francisco, renting a SUV car saves you 2% in costs. Please note that average prices are based on historical data and can vary depending on how early you book, availability for your travel dates, and vehicle popularity.

Top rental agencies in San Francisco

All major car rental suppliers in San Francisco

Alamo

8.6

Very good

406 reviews•4 locations

Check prices

Overview

Recent reviews

10.0

Wonderful|Dec 2022

Excellent customer service in both union square and LAX!

10.0

Wonderful|Oct 2022

Staff were polite and helpful at pickup and dropoff.

10.0

Wonderful|Oct 2022

Was perfect

6.0

Okay|Aug 2022

Car had some strong “body odor” smell. Had to keep windows down while driving

8.0

Very good|Jun 2022

It's very expensive to rent a car but Alamo had the best price. The staff were excellent

8.0

Very good|Jun 2022

I loved the the car was a hybrid and averaged 50mpg on the highway.

1 out of 136

Enterprise

8.4

Very good

380 reviews•11 locations

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Overview

Recent reviews

6.0

Okay|Jul 2020

The car was good.

One of the staff members' masks was below their nose almost the entire time. They gave the car to me empty on gas. The tire air pressure was also low so I had to go pay to fix that, even though I've never done it before since I don't own a car and hence why I was renting one. I spent extra money doing that since I didn't know what I was doing and needed to try multiple times. They also charged me for 8 days of tax and insurance rather than the 7 that I had booked.

10.0

Wonderful|Nov 2022

Super easy and fast pick up and return process. Relieved the usual hassles of renting a car. Will use again!

6.0

Okay|Oct 2022

When I booked at San Francisco airport... It would have been nice to pick the car up at the airport. Not a $40 uber ride away.

10.0

Wonderful|Oct 2022

The employees at 340 O’Farrell we’re exceptionally friendly, warm, and efficient, especially the team upstairs in the parking lot where I was sent to both check in and pick up the one-way rental car I’d reserved. Kudos to them!

10.0

Wonderful|Oct 2022

Our entire rental experience was great. Gabe and his staff were a pleasure to work with. We are always pleased with Enterprise and the SFO rental office exceeded our expectations..

10.0

Wonderful|Sep 2022

Both pickup on Turk and dropoff on Santa Monica Blvd were extremely efficient and friendly. Car was a great deal. No complaints!

8.0

Very good|Aug 2022

Car wasn’t really clean but they remedied it when I mentioned it. Rental car prices have really gone up, which is a big problem. Staff s at both ends were really helpful and knowledgeable and nice.

1 out of 127

Sixt

7.7

Good

130 reviews•6 locations

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Overview

Recent reviews

10.0

Wonderful|May 2022

Khalid the manager was so helpful and friendly!

2.0

Poor|Apr 2022

I prepaid for the rental and was charged an additional $25 after returning the vehicle.

7.6

Good|Sep 2020

the staff, process, car was great

price, fuel level wasn't totally full

2.0

Poor|Jan 2023

I made a reservation and paid online. However, when I got to my destination I was told that I couldn’t pick up my car because there was a block on my account. After spending almost 45 min trying to get a hold of customer service, I was told that I would have to email billing and wait for them to respond within 48 hrs and then wait for my block to be released. This was all for a $12 toll. I was traveling for work and couldn’t get a reservation I paid for. I find it unacceptable that I was able to reserve and pay for a car and never once notified that I wouldn’t be able to pick up my car.

10.0

Wonderful|Nov 2022

Agent checking in was excellent and friendly and very professional!

8.0

Very good|Nov 2022

Good car. Easy pick up and drop off. But the guy checking in the car at drop off was way too pedantic - customers before and after me were complaining as even the tiniest mark easily rubbed off was being circled. Luckily I photographed damage to my vehicle at pick up. Took way too long to do the drop off as I waited almost 20mins for the car Infront of me to be checked then almost ten minutes to check my car. Apart from drop off all good.

8.0

Very good|Nov 2022

Upgrade to BMW was nice.

10.0

Wonderful|Nov 2022

The woman who helped me at the San Francisco location was AMAZING! The only complaint I have is that the vehicles available weren’t what I would consider luxury. For example, the most luxury sedan available was a BMW 3 series.

10.0

Wonderful|Oct 2022

The service during our rental experience was phenomenal. We received especially great service from Subhadra during our pickup at SFO. She was extremely helpful in talking us through our options and helping us arrive at the car that was the best fit for our trip.

1 out of 44

Budget

7.2

Good

215 reviews•6 locations

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Overview

Recent reviews

10.0

Wonderful|Jan 2023

Truck had a bad smell like maybe someone smoked in it

2.0

Poor|Dec 2023

They pulled a bait and switch on me at the check out counter. Told me that they didn't have the car I reserved (after calling to make sure), but they offered another without telling how costly the change would be.

8.0

Very good|Dec 2022

There was a candy in the car when I got it. I’d also asked for the smallest car and I got a Dodge Challenger which sucked down gas. It took almost a full tank to drive about four hours. This car made it more expensive and much more difficult for me to drive and I had to change my plans because I felt so uncomfortable driving it at night.

10.0

Wonderful|Nov 2022

Super easy pickup, no small print or added costs later, friendly staff that offered car upgrade and insurance discount

2.0

Poor|Nov 2022

I asked the SFO office to rebook their car instead. As we were too tired to go to The pickup address at the downtown. Turned out the price charged by budget at SFO for the same car that I supposed too pick up is multiple times higher

10.0

Wonderful|Oct 2022

Employees at both 675 Post St SF and West Los Angeles are extremely friendly and efficient!

1 out of 72

Thrifty

6.9

Okay

458 reviews•2 locations

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Overview

Recent reviews

2.0

Poor|Jul 2022

I was not able to pick up a rental at Thrifty. The counter was closed (at 10pm) yet my reservation was for 10pm. I was charged for this reservation (through rentalcars.com) even though I could not pick up the car. Shameless. Horrible. I've been emailing with rentalcars.com and they stand by their no refunds etc. But there was no service. Horrible.

4.0

Mediocre|Mar 2022

Waited over an hour in line at 2:30 on a Thursday at SFO with a reservation to get my rental. Made me late for my meeting. Agent was great

2.0

Poor|Jan 2023

Pricing was not accurate transparent. Ended up paying more than I booked it for. Waited in line for 2 hours just to get the car, Did not get the car I booked.

2.0

Poor|Nov 2022

Goo was a bad deal, but highly recommended by there agent.

6.0

Okay|Oct 2022

The car was clean and good. I think that 2 things ahould be noticed: 1.,I ordered the car to 11:00, when I came to pick up the car at 13:00, the let me wait more than 20 minutes till the car was ready. 2. I was explaoned that I can return the car without a fuel tabk full, and that I'll pay 6.13$ for a galon only for what i used, and that i need to give a deposit of more than 100$, and that what I did. When i returned the car, i was charged for the whole amount, and when i talked with thrifty thet explained that if i dont return the tunk full, i pay all the amount, that wasnt what I was explained.

2.0

Poor|Oct 2022

I went to pick up the car and they told me they didn't have a car available and that there was a 3-4 hours waitlist... That was really annoying because I had an out-of-town appointment I had to go to and had to cancel it.

4.0

Mediocre|Sep 2022

On arrival at SFO we had to queue for 90 minutes to actually get to speak to someone about picking up our pre-booked car, once we got to give our details we were then told we would have to wait 1hour to get the car! As it happens it was only 20 minutes. They were clearly under staffed and the staff that were there were under great pressure.

2.0

Poor|Sep 2022

absolutely catastrophic! I NEVER had the car. The company told me that they would not have a car available until 4 hours and that they would call me. I never had a call. I had lost my preservations for my activities that day. It's a shame. To avoid absolutely! And I will not fail to write it everywhere on the net.

1 out of 153

Dollar

6.8

Okay

329 reviews•5 locations

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Overview

Recent reviews

8.0

Very good|Aug 2020

The insurance cost more than the rental

4.0

Mediocre|Jan 2023

40 min wait to pick up! Ive experienced long waits at this SFO dollar multiple times. They literally know how many people are coming to pick up at what time

6.0

Okay|Jan 2023

No car on arrival, delayed pickup

2.0

Poor|Dec 2023

Reservation was for 11pm but the counter closes at 10pm so was not able to even get the car. This is at San Francisco International Airport, not sure why they’re closed at this time or would even take payment for a reservation after their closing time. Still no word on a refund…

6.0

Okay|Dec 2022

Dollar hit me with a 33% increase in my bill that Kayak didn’t make clear was going to happen at the desk. I thought I had paid it all upfront on-line but must have missed the reason why Kayak looked cheaper was because they let Dollae also charge for fees and taxes etc.

2.0

Poor|Nov 2022

The agent pushed hard to Howell me insurance. Even though I prepaid for insurance through my reservation he insisted that insurance didn’t actually cover the car I rented. It Dollar has different policies, then they shouldn’t rent through Kayak. Or Kayak needs to know that the policy is a fit before selling it.

2.0

Poor|Oct 2022

Bait and switch.

1 out of 110

Hertz

6.5

Okay

227 reviews•12 locations

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Overview

Recent reviews

5.6

Fair|Aug 2020

Car was fine.

So you sent me the address of where to pick up the car and when I got there everything was boarded up. I had to find another hertz car rental place walk 2 miles to it.

9.2

Wonderful|Jul 2020

Everything went well

A bit expensive

10.0

Wonderful|Jan 2023

Yes, I liked everything, and for the summer I am thinking of renting another car thanks.

2.0

Poor|Dec 2023

Went to pick car and they had no cars, none, not for anyone.

2.0

Poor|Dec 2023

They never could produce a car not did they provide much information. as to when. They just wanted money and no service.

8.0

Very good|Dec 2022

It was a good experience. The car was ready as booked, it was clean and was the right model. The staff were helpful. Overall, very positive

2.0

Poor|Oct 2022

I actually did not rent this car. I canceled the reservation with Hertz a few weeks ago. Kayak was never updated apparently. I actually contacted both kayak and hertz in the cancellation process, because despite canceling weeks in advance, I was charged $50 by hertz for the reservation. Their policy was confusing, and I was surprised and disappointed to be charged. I have no complaints with kayak, but was dissatisfied with this hertz experience.

2.0

Poor|Sep 2022

I didnt event use the rental service and the card payment was proceede. I claimed this few days ago and still havent got back any feedback

1 out of 76

Hertz Locations in San Francisco

1398 Bryant St

+1 415 934 0529

177 S Airport Blvd. South

No phone number provided

325 Mason Street

+1 415 771 2200

335 Powell Street

No phone number provided

364 O'farrell Street

+1 415 264 2441

3911 Alemany Blvd Suite 1003

+1 650 994 1192

3928 Geary Blvd.

+1 415 387 0136

500 Beach St #121

+1 415 674 8330

780 Mcdonnell Road

+1 650 624 6600

780 Mission Street

+1 415 957 9425

840 Ellis Street

+1 415 923 1119

950 Mason St

+1 415 398 3944

Avis

7.2

Good

75 reviews•6 locations

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Overview

Recent reviews

6.0

Okay|Jan 2023

Had to fill up oil, part-time frozen monitor screen quick customer service response but not willing to fully admit to the inconveniences

2.0

Poor|Oct 2022

Waited for two hours to get the car! Their system is slow, their service is not optimal nor friendly! Just bad experience for a lot of money! Will not use them again.

4.0

Mediocre|Aug 2022

Cranky staff…. Customer service in fixing an issue was non existent

8.0

Very good|Aug 2022

Good experience. Need to be careful as Tenderloin neighborhood is not the safest one.

2.0

Poor|Aug 2022

Got to the address where I was supposed to pick the car up. It was the correct address of the booking, but they said I would have to go to another place entirely as the booking was held at a different unit. Got to the other unit and the staff weren't overly helpful or friendly. Using their mobile phones behind the counter while I was trying to collect my booking. I did get given an upgrade as they didn't have available the car that I had booked, which was good. However my card was also charged a sum of $250 which stayed on my account for a while before disappearing, which worried me that they then had charged me for the upgrade. I had already paid in full in advance. Then on return there was a change to our flights. It meant we would need to leave the car back a little earlier (not later). Still at the reasonable time of 9.30-9.40 am indtead of 12 noon. For doing this and taking the car a shorter time I was charged $154 fine. A number that feels completely picked out of the sky, and just preying on people. Considering how unreliable airlines have been following the pandemic with the ability to stick to airline schedules, I find this fine particularly disgusting. All it serves to do is give the company MORE time to have the car ready for the next person, as usually there is a problem that they don't have the car/car type you ordered. It wasn't my first disappointing car hire experience, and I'm sure it won't be my last. Overall, the best thing about it was that the cost still was at what I'd consider a good level (for the initial booking, I in no way am referring to the extortionate fine). Would not use Avis again on principle, even if other companies would do the same thing. I just don't think they deserve anymore of my money.

2.0

Poor|Jul 2022

It took 3 hours to pick up the car 😩. And then the car I reserved was not available. The agent was great - but things are clearly broken at Avis.

1 out of 25

Car Rental FAQs

What is the cheapest rental car found in San Francisco?

In the past two weeks, Cheapflights users have found many deals under 1,158,846 ₫/day when booking a rental car in San Francisco. The best deal a user found was for 863,679 ₫/day from Sixt, booked on Dec. 18.

Which car rental company is considered to be the best in San Francisco?

Taking our users’ ratings and reviews into consideration, National (8.6 rating), Alamo (8.6 rating) and Enterprise (8.4 rating) seem to be the best rental car companies in San Francisco.

What are gas prices like in San Francisco?

The average gas price in San Francisco is 26,279 ₫/liter over the past month, costing you anywhere between 1,182,543 ₫ and 1,708,118 ₫ to fill up a car’s gas tank.

How much does it cost to rent a car in San Francisco for a week from Sixt?

From Sixt you can rent a car in San Francisco from about 8,111,920 ₫ per week on average.

How far in advance should I rent a car in San Francisco for the best price?

Generally, for a better deal in San Francisco it’s recommended to book in a timely manner (to save up to 5%). Cheapflights recommends you book around 18 days prior to your pickup date. Booking as early as you can also increases the likelihood that you’ll get the ideal car.

Can I rent a car for a month in San Francisco?

Yes, cars are available to be rented out for an entire month in San Francisco.

How much does it cost to rent a car in San Francisco for a month?

Prices can be as low as 34,765,368 ₫ if you consider booking with Sixt. That price represents savings of 25% compared to the San Francisco average. The monthly cost of a car rental in San Francisco is on average 34,765,368 ₫ (1,158,846 ₫/day).