San Francisco car hire information
| Pick-up location | San Francisco |
|---|---|
| Car types | Compact, Convertible, Full-size, Full-size SUV, Intermediate, Intermediate SUV, Luxury, People carrier, Premium, Standard, Standard SUV |
| Hire locations | 96 |
| Airport locations | 27 |
| Popular agencies | Thrifty, Avis, Alamo, Sixt |
Cheap car hire in San Francisco
| Compact | R970/day |
| Intermediate | R971/day |
| Standard | R1 171/day |
| Full-size | R1 171/day |
| People carrier | R1 937/day |
| Full-size SUV | R2 392/day |
| Premium | R1 199/day |
| Luxury | R1 199/day |
| Convertible | R1 507/day |
| Intermediate SUV | R1 270/day |
| Standard SUV | R1 273/day |
Top tips for hiring a car in San Francisco
- While driving around the city of San Francisco can prove tricky because of its steep hills and crowded streets, renting a car is a great option for travelers looking to explore other destinations outside the city. Driving is the best way to get to nearby places that are a must in every itinerary, such as the Bay Area, Muir Woods, and Sausalito. For an unforgettable wine tasting experience, drive to Napa Valley, which is only about 50 miles away from San Francisco.
- All the big car hire agencies can be found at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) Car Rental Center, which is accessible from all the airport terminals by taking the AirTrain Blue Line service. AirTrain stations are located in all the terminals at the airport. There is also a free shuttle service from the SFO hire Car Center to other off-site hire car agencies.
- San Francisco is known for its steep hills, and the city center is filled with packed roads, one-way streets, and expensive parking, so you might want to avoid driving in that area. When parking on one of the city's hills, make sure to turn the wheels towards the curb when the car is facing downhill, and turn them away from the curb when the car is facing uphill -- and don't forget to use your parking brake.
- San Francisco is one of the worst cities in the United States when it comes to traffic congestion. Rush hours can easily add one or more hours to your travel time, so take that into consideration and avoid driving into or out of the city between 7:30 and 9 a.m., and 3:30 and 7 p.m. Because of its geographical features, SF can get quite foggy and windy, so make sure you take extra precautions while driving if the weather conditions aren't great.
- 25% of our users found a car hire in San Francisco for R1 833 or less
- Book your car hire in San Francisco at least 2 days before your trip in order to get a below-average price
- Off-airport car hire locations in San Francisco are around 3% more expensive than airport locations on average
- Standard car hire in San Francisco are around 27% cheaper than other car types, on average
FAQs about hiring a car in San Francisco
San Francisco car rental reviews and directory
Alamo
8,6
Very Good
1014 reviewsCleanliness
8.8
Comfort
8.8
Pick-up/Drop-off
8.6
Value for money
8.3
4 locations in San Francisco
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Reviews
10,0 Wonderful
May 2021
Pros:
Pick up and drop off were super easy. Great car!Cons:
It would have been nice to pick up my car when I first landed, but it was 12:30 am so they were closed. HAd to come back in the morning to get my car.10,0 Wonderful
Nov 2020
Pros:
Great attention. Car was neat. Quick pick up and return10,0 Wonderful
Sep 2020
Pros:
The drop off was great, loved that you end up on the top floor where the people mover is located. Very personable and helpful agent checked me in.Cons:
Going over information about traveling tolls- didnt' even realize there was a fact sheet in the rental agreement folder.9,2 Wonderful
Sep 2020
Cons:
Crumbs on right front seat.5,2 Fair
Aug 2020
Pros:
Premium carCons:
You lied to me about the price. I was charged more at the rental company, so I called and was told not to worry. But I received my bill yesterday and the charge is the higher one.8,8 Very Good
Jul 2020
Pros:
drop off super easy and efficientCons:
check in processFox
5,5
Fair
1088 reviewsCleanliness
6.2
Comfort
6.1
Pick-up/Drop-off
4.8
Value for money
5.6
One location in San Francisco
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8,0 Very Good
Oct 2020
Pros:
Jose was great and super helpful. I also had an incident with lost keys and Philip was incredibly responsive and accommodating especially when there was a mix up.Cons:
The lost and found process could have been more organized/smoother.7,6 Good
Jan 2020
Pros:
the dropoff was quick and easy. Pickup was a 2 hour wait in a line only to find a clerk who didn't know how to handle long-term rentals, and another wait for the manager.Cons:
more help at the pickup line, or better staffing for expected surges.8,4 Very Good
Jan 2020
Pros:
Yes, staff were very helpful.Cons:
At first they offered us a smelly old Toyota RAV from Utah, with the windows open. That was a clue - really smelly. And we wanted a SUV for the all-wheel drive; that one was only 2-wheel drive.2,8 Poor
Jan 2020
Cons:
Outrageous daily fees for tolls. Did not give me the car I asked for; gave me a car with less comfort and worse mileage.2,0 Poor
Jan 2020
Cons:
Cheaters3,2 Poor
Jan 2020
Pros:
This was a horrible experience getting dragged through the coals by car rentals.com and foxCons:
Problem 1: I accidentally submit the rental for two days and I only neede the car one. There was no way to change this even after retuning the car in ) hours I still had to pay for two. Kayak said the car would be fifteen dollars a day... the site recharged me 58 dollars (two days) and the guy at the counter tried to charge me 123 dollars with tacked in charges. How we got to 123 dollars from 15 is mysterious. I had to fight to get the total down to 70 and this still seems like way too much for borrowing a car for 6 hours.Enterprise Rent-A-Car
8,5
Very Good
860 reviewsCleanliness
8.6
Comfort
8.7
Pick-up/Drop-off
8.3
Value for money
8.4
11 locations in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
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Reviews
10,0 Wonderful
May 2021
Pros:
All the staff I encountered were friendly and helpful.10,0 Wonderful
Apr 2021
Cons:
First car's media center wasnt working so they switched us to a comparable car.10,0 Wonderful
Mar 2021
Pros:
The staff were extremely helpful. I ended up changing my reservation to an earlier time with no cost, then was unable to make it in that early due to unexpected circumstances. They ended up adjusting it so I could bring it back later on my return date, which they didn’t have to do. Staff is very friendly and laid back. Will definitely come back to this location.Cons:
Nothing10,0 Wonderful
Dec 2020
Pros:
The staff was excellent, extra efficient and professional. The cars they have in their fleet are top notch. Ill be sticking with Enterprise in the future.Cons:
Nothing10,0 Wonderful
Dec 2020
Cons:
Excellent experience6,0 Okay
Nov 2020
Pros:
The staff really Did their best to make sure I was satisfied with my vehicle and their serviceCons:
They did not have the car I reserved for me because they were busy. My pickup wait time was about an hour. The tire pressure light was in the whole drive to LA. Then on the drive down a notice for an oil Change came up. There also wasn’t any wiper fluid.Sixt
7,7
Good
234 reviewsCleanliness
8.4
Comfort
8.3
Pick-up/Drop-off
7.5
Value for money
7.6
6 locations in San Francisco
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8,0 Very Good
Nov 2022
8,0 Very Good
Nov 2022
10,0 Wonderful
Nov 2022
10,0 Wonderful
Oct 2022
6,0 Okay
Oct 2022
10,0 Wonderful
Oct 2022
Avis
7,2
Good
180 reviewsCleanliness
8.0
Comfort
7.7
Pick-up/Drop-off
7.0
Value for money
7.1
6 locations in San Francisco
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2,0 Poor
Oct 2022
2,0 Poor
Apr 2021
Pros:
Nothing.Cons:
The location was closed when I got there. How was I able to make a reservation at 5pm when the place closes at 5pm? On top of that, I got there at 4:50 p.m and the location was closed. I attempted to go to the airport Avis location and swap my reservation there but the rate was 3x more expensive and the reservation non transferable. Ended up not getting a car and had to cancel all my plans for the weeeknd. On top of all of this, Avis is now charging me a no show fee.2,0 Poor
Mar 2021
Pros:
NothingCons:
Couldn't even pick up my car8,0 Very Good
Mar 2021
Pros:
The staff at the pickup was very friendly and helpful.Cons:
I was unable to find the return location, tried calling and no answer. Ended up being late by 20 min and getting charged for a whole extra day. The drop off process was pretty bad.8,8 Very Good
Nov 2020
Pros:
Very cleanCons:
Pickup, the store we went to was very confused about our rental and the car had some flapping underneath4,8 Mediocre
Aug 2020
Cons:
They didn't have a small-sized car that I originally requested, and first gave me a large Ford sedan that was very loud (the moment you turn it on, it makes a VROOM noise without accelerating), and when I requested a different car they said they only had a large SUV, so I ended up taking that which was very uncomfortable to drive.Budget
7,1
Good
463 reviewsCleanliness
7.8
Comfort
7.8
Pick-up/Drop-off
7.2
Value for money
6.8
6 locations in San Francisco
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10,0 Wonderful
Oct 2022
4,0 Mediocre
Oct 2022
2,0 Poor
Sep 2022
10,0 Wonderful
Sep 2022
2,0 Poor
Aug 2022
10,0 Wonderful
May 2022
Thrifty
6,8
Okay
840 reviewsCleanliness
7.6
Comfort
7.4
Pick-up/Drop-off
6.6
Value for money
6.6
2 locations in San Francisco
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1,9 Poor
Jul 2021
10,0 Wonderful
May 2021
Pros:
Excellent serviceCons:
Keep it up the excellent service2,0 Poor
May 2021
Cons:
We waited over 2 hours for a reservation we had made a month before our trip. As an apology for waiting, the associate at the desk assured us we could return the car empty, but we were charged over $100 for gas upon return. On the way out of the lot after we finally were placed in a car, the parking lot attendant lowered the security gate on our car, and the replacement they gave us was an older model than we paid for, and very dirty and smelly.2,0 Poor
May 2021
Pros:
NothingCons:
Everything - surly staff, long wait in line only to be told my car wouldn't be available for 1.5-2.0 hours. Ended up in a tiny compact car that killed my back. When I dropped off the staff member was swearing to himself and banging things around before he got to me. Terrible. I will never rent from Thrifty again.4,0 Mediocre
May 2021
Pros:
Staff was good. Need to work with customers to give them a better option when renting carCons:
Offer a better car option......2,0 Poor
May 2021
Pros:
We liked the size of the car and the gas mileage. Drop off was fine.Cons:
Pick-up was terrible. They did not have enough cars even for those of us who booked ahead of time. Long line and minimum wait was 2 hours from scheduled time. Very inconvenient to all parties. Understaffed and rented far more cars than they had available. Very poor planning.Hertz
6,5
Okay
407 reviewsCleanliness
7.6
Comfort
7.1
Pick-up/Drop-off
6.3
Value for money
6.3
12 locations in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
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2,0 Poor
Oct 2022
10,0 Wonderful
Dec 2022
8,0 Very Good
Dec 2022
2,0 Poor
Dec 2021
6,0 Okay
Dec 2021
10,0 Wonderful
Dec 2021
Dollar
6,4
Okay
671 reviewsCleanliness
7.5
Comfort
7.3
Pick-up/Drop-off
6.4
Value for money
6.4
5 locations in San Francisco
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2,0 Poor
May 2021
Pros:
NothingCons:
The 2 hour wait to pick up the car and having 1 person on duty killed the enjoyment of the rental.2,0 Poor
May 2021
Cons:
They ran out of cars, we had to wait over an hour to get a vehicle. And the total cost of the car was over $200 more than quoted.2,0 Poor
Apr 2021
Pros:
Scheduled a 10:00pm pick up. Arrived before 10. The Dollar counter at SFO was closed, and Dollar left us literally stranded at the airport. Luckily the Avis desk was open, but of course they only had SUV’s available.. so my $130 rental turned into a $200 rental and about an about of lost time at the airport. The receptionist at the Avis desk admitted that they (Avis) and most other employees at the rental car desks will commonly leave early well before the stated hours of operation, stranding people at the airport. I politely told her what I thought of her and took my overpriced “SUV” which turned out to be a Ford Escape.. hardly an SUV.Cons:
Everything.2,0 Poor
Apr 2021
Pros:
I was confirm a luxury spot car on reservation. Agent just gave me a premium car instead. When I confront him with my booking email and he said it is their computer error , they never had this category. He said they only have it as prestige group. He could only offer premium to me. When he offer the insurance o me, I said I already purchased the insurance along with my booking. He is not pleasant and said it is the online thing again.Cons:
Agent should deliver what it was confirm on booking. They should not down grade customer request.10,0 Wonderful
Apr 2021
Pros:
Dollars car rental is goodCons:
CarRentals.com with extremely poor and customer unfriendly service.10,0 Wonderful
Dec 2021
Pros:
Great attendant at check out. Offered a great upgrade option for my mystery pick up.Cons:
I was not aware that there would be a $200 deposit upon pick up.National
8,7
Very Good
57 reviewsCleanliness
8.7
Comfort
8.5
Pick-up/Drop-off
8.8
Value for money
8.7
6 locations in San Francisco
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10,0 Wonderful
Jun 2021
10,0 Wonderful
Nov 2018
Pros:
Loved every minute of it. Will be back again.2,0 Poor
Sep 2018
Cons:
I’m local to the area, and without a round trip airline ticket, they would not let me rent a vehicle with my debit card.9,6 Wonderful
Sep 2018
Pros:
The car at pickup had almost empty gas but on request, the agent filled it up.Cons:
National should provide pick up service within a few miles.4,8 Mediocre
Aug 2017
Cons:
Was hard to see in the dark garage, but once you got into the sunlight you could see a few dents, and also how dirty the car was. Then, a few miles in the car started saying it was overdue for an oil change, that makes me wonder how well they check these cars over when it's already OVERdue! Not too thrilled about it.6,8 Okay
Jul 2017
Pros:
Everything but the child seatsCons:
Car seats were really bad value for $13/day per piece (we needed 2). They were the cheapest possible seats, it would have been cheaper to just buy them. There was no good solution for a 42lb kid - too young for a booster seat, too big for the car seat. We had to shoehorn her into the available seat. Pickup of the car was good, but the person in charge of car seats was rude and seemed annoyed by my request to see available seats.Europcar
5,6
Fair
32 reviewsCleanliness
6.4
Comfort
6.1
Pick-up/Drop-off
5.4
Value for money
6.2
One location in San Francisco
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4,0 Mediocre
Jan 2018
Pros:
Friendly staff (shuttle bus driver waited for us)Cons:
Dropoff in San Francisco far away from airport and rental center (used by other brands)2,0 Poor
Feb 2023
2,0 Poor
Jan 2023
2,0 Poor
Dec 2022
10,0 Wonderful
Nov 2022
10,0 Wonderful
Nov 2022
Economy Rent a Car
5,2
Fair
15 reviewsCleanliness
6.0
Comfort
5.7
Pick-up/Drop-off
4.2
Value for money
5.6
One location in San Francisco
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5,2 Fair
Jan 2020
Pros:
Pickup was poor, dropoff was great, easy and quick.5,6 Fair
Nov 2019
Pros:
Convenient downtown location to those of us who do not want to go to the airport.Cons:
The trunk latch broke when I got my luggage out upon arriving at my destination. I had to take a shoelace out of my sneaker to tie the trunk shut!!2,0 Poor
Oct 2019
Pros:
I arrived 3 hours after my reservation began and after waiting approximately 45 minutes in line I was told that they were sold of cars despite already charging. Caveat emptor!Cons:
They could have had a car for my reservation? They literally stole my money.3,2 Poor
Oct 2019
Pros:
drop off was decentCons:
waited forever (1 hr to pick up) , the car was cleaned but some objects were left behind from previous renters, charges and rates were not super easy to decide on. I had to do a lot of the work I expected the staff to do (walk around the car and mark chips & digs). very slow!10,0 Wonderful
Oct 2019
Pros:
Very close to Union Square in San Francisco making it easy and convenientCons:
Wait time can be lengthy if they are busy.4,8 Mediocre
Sep 2019
Pros:
Prices are goodCons:
Stopped the self drop-off at time of your choice. That was the reason why I went there in the first place...3 locations in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
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2,0 Poor
May 2023
6 locations in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
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3 locations in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
San Francisco airport
+1 650 777 9993
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
323 South Canal St
+1 650 343 3052
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
2200 Cesar Chavez
+1 415 401 7659
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
8 10th St.
+1 415 525 4214
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
San Francisco Airport International SFO
+1 650 343 3052
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
San Francisco Airport International SFO
+1 415 917 2713
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
780 N Mcdonnell Rd Car Rental Center San Francisco Ca
+1 415 917 2713
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
1001 Bayhill Drive, Suite 299, San Bruno, CA
+1 415 370 8478
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
780 Mcdonnell Road
310-645-2019
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
349 Mason Street
+1 415 928 4414
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
2955 3rd Street
+1 800 732 7368
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
San Francisco Airport. On-airport. San Francisco International Airport. 780 N Mcdonnell Road
+1 415 917 2713
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
230 Grant Ave
+1 855 359 2227
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
2415 Mendell St
+1 415 259 4746
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
687 Folsom St, San Francisco, , USA California
+1 914 368 0091
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One location in San Francisco
Locations in San Francisco
San Francisco International Airport（contact +1 6504666123）
+1 800 781 1023
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Car hire locations in or near San Francisco
Good to know
Most popular agency | Avis |
|---|---|
Most popular car type | Standard |
Average price | R1 841/day |
Good deal | R1 833/day |