Survey
A Comparison of Car Rental Rates in the USA - Winter 2024 / 2025
December 18, 2024
The island of Maui in Hawaii is the most expensive destination in the United States for renting a car this winter, according to a survey by Cheapcarrental.com.
The survey compared rental car rates at 100 U.S. airports during the period from December 2024 to February 2025. With an average rate of $101 per day for the most affordable car, Maui's Kahului airport emerged as the priciest destination.
Second most expensive is Little Rock, Arkansas where renters can expect to pay $93 per day for the least expensive car, while Palm Springs completes the podium with a daily rate of $90. Just a couple of dollars cheaper are rental cars in Charleston, South Carolina and Boise, Idaho.
At the other end of the spectrum, the cheapest destination to rent a car this winter are San Diego International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport, with average rates of just $39 and $36, respectively, for the cheapest available rental car.
On average, across all 100 airports considered by the survey, the average daily rental rate is $61.50 – down about 34% compared with rates during summer 2024. Car rental rates typically reach their winter peak over Christmas: for the period Deceember 21-26, for example, the average rate surges to $75 per day, and at certain airports, such as JFK in New York or Boston Logan, you will have to pay double the regular price.
The following table compares car rental rates at 100 US destinations this summer. Prices shown reflect average rates for the most affordable rental car for the period December 1, 2024- February 28, 2025.
About the Methodology
Rates were established in late November, based on CarTrawler.com comparison technology. For each destination, the leading 10 car rental companies located at the airport terminal or the airport’s official rental center were identified. Rates include all taxes and fees.
Press Contact:
Michelle Walters: press@cheapcarrental.com
December 18, 2024
The island of Maui in Hawaii is the most expensive destination in the United States for renting a car this winter, according to a survey by Cheapcarrental.com.
The survey compared rental car rates at 100 U.S. airports during the period from December 2024 to February 2025. With an average rate of $101 per day for the most affordable car, Maui's Kahului airport emerged as the priciest destination.
Second most expensive is Little Rock, Arkansas where renters can expect to pay $93 per day for the least expensive car, while Palm Springs completes the podium with a daily rate of $90. Just a couple of dollars cheaper are rental cars in Charleston, South Carolina and Boise, Idaho.
At the other end of the spectrum, the cheapest destination to rent a car this winter are San Diego International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport, with average rates of just $39 and $36, respectively, for the cheapest available rental car.
On average, across all 100 airports considered by the survey, the average daily rental rate is $61.50 – down about 34% compared with rates during summer 2024. Car rental rates typically reach their winter peak over Christmas: for the period Deceember 21-26, for example, the average rate surges to $75 per day, and at certain airports, such as JFK in New York or Boston Logan, you will have to pay double the regular price.
The following table compares car rental rates at 100 US destinations this summer. Prices shown reflect average rates for the most affordable rental car for the period December 1, 2024- February 28, 2025.
- 1. Kahului (OGG) $101
- 2. Little Rock (LIT) $93
- 3. Palm Springs (PSP) $90
- 4. Charleston (CHS) $88
- 4. Boise (BOI) $88
- 6. San Jose (SJC) $87
- 7. Albuquerque (ABQ) $85
- 8. New Orleans (MSY) $83
- 8. Ontario (ONT) $83
- 10. Santa Ana (SNA) $79
- 11. Lihue (LIH) $78
- 11. Burbank (BUR) $78
- 13. Tucson (TUS) $77
- 13. Reno (RNO) $77
- 15. Pittsburgh (PIT) $75
- 15. Detroit (DTW) $75
- 17. Memphis (MEM) $74
- 18. Savannah (SAV) $73
- 18. Grand Rapids (GRR) $73
- 20. Spokane (GEG) $72
- 20. Greenville (GSP) $72
- 20. Houston (IAH) $72
- 20. Los Angeles (LAX) $72
- 24. Denver (DEN) $70
- 25. Des Moines (DSM) $69
- 26. Oklahoma City (OKC) $68
- 27. Honolulu (HNL) $67
- 27. Long Beach (LGB) $67
- 27. Fayetteville (FAY) $67
- 27. Knoxville (TYS) $67
- 27. Salt Lake City (SLC) $66
- 32. Chicago (MDW) $65
- 32. Norfolk (ORF) $65
- 32. Richmond (RIC) $65
- 35. Kona (KOA) $64
- 35. St.Petersburg (PIE) $64
- 35. Indianapolis (IND) $64
- 35. St Louis (STL) $64
- 39. Wichita (ICT) $63
- 39. Colorado Springs (COS) $63
- 39. Louisville (SDF) $63
- 42. Omaha (OMA) $62
- 42. Tampa (TPA) $62
- 42. Dallas (DFW) $62
- 42. Minneapolis (MSP) $62
- 46. Baltimore (BWI) $61
- 47. Madison (MAD) $60
- 47. San Juan (SJU) $60
- 49. Houston (HOU) $60
- 50. El Paso (ELP) $59
- 50. Columbus (CMH) $59
- 50. Sanford (SFB) $59
- 50. Portland (PWM) $59
- 50. Phoenix (PHX) $59
- 55. Nashville (BNA) $58
- 55. Newark (EWR) $58
- 55. Cincinnati (CVG) $58
- 55. Providence (PVD) $58
- 55. Albany (ALB) $58
- 55. Birmingham (BHM) $58
- 61. Myrtle Beach (MYR) $57
- 61. Syracuse (SYR) $57
- 61. Atlanta (ATL) $57
- 64. Cleveland (CLE) $56
- 64. Philadelphia (PHL) $56
- 66. Raleigh (RDU) $55
- 66. Austin (AUS) $55
- 66. Tulsa (TUL) $55
- 66. Boston (BOS) $55
- 66. Hartford (BDL) $55
- 66. Oakland (OAK) $55
- 72. New York City (JFK) $54
- 73. Chicago (ORD) $53
- 73. Rochester (ROC) $53
- 73. Buffalo (BUF) $53
- 76. Milwaukee (MKE) $52
- 76. Charlotte (CLT) $52
- 78. Miami (MIA) $51
- 78. Jacksonville (JAX) $51
- 80. Washington (DCA) $50
- 80. Orlando (MCO) $50
- 82. Pensacola (PWS) $49
- 82. San Francisco (SFO) $49
- 82. New York City (LGA) $49
- 85. Kansas City (MCI) $48
- 86. Las Vegas (LAS) $48
- 87. Sacramento (SMF) $47
- 88. Dallas (DAL) $47
- 88. F. Lauderdale (FLL) $47
- 90. Sarasota (SRQ) $46
- 90. Fresno (FAT) $46
- 92. San Antonio (SAT) $45
- 93. Fort Myers (RSW) $44
- 94. Seattle (SEA) $43
- 94. Palm Beach (PBI) $43
- 96. Anchorage (ANC) $42
- 96. Bozeman (BZN) $42
- 98. Porland (PDX) $41
- 99. Washington (IAD) $39
- 100. San Diego (SAN) $36
About the Methodology
Rates were established in late November, based on CarTrawler.com comparison technology. For each destination, the leading 10 car rental companies located at the airport terminal or the airport’s official rental center were identified. Rates include all taxes and fees.
Press Contact:
Michelle Walters: press@cheapcarrental.com