Clark Howard

Report: 10 Most Expensive U.S. Cities for Car Rentals

If you’ve checked rental car rates over the past several months, you know that prices have risen in many places.

A recent survey from CheapCarRental.net shows the U.S. cities with the highest-priced car rentals.

Report: Car Rental Rates Are on the Rise

The website compared rental car rates at the 100 busiest U.S. airports. Prices reflect average weekly rates (Sunday to Saturday) for cars available for rent from August 1-31, 2021.

According to the survey, rates around the country have jumped 50% since the same period last year.

Here are some other key findings from the survey:

  • Anchorage, Alaska, and Lihue, Hawaii, lead the ranking as the most expensive destinations to rent a vehicle.
  • Compared to August 2020, average rental car rates have doubled in some cities including Boston, Minneapolis and Seattle.
  • Car rental rates have surged more than 200% in several Hawaiian cities as well as Portland, Oregon, compared to the same period last year.

Car Rental Rates Are Highest in These U.S. Cities

Let’s take a look at the most expensive car rental rates in America. Below, we’ve listed them by city and airport code.

U.S. CitiesAverage Rental Rates
Anchorage (ANC)$1,451
Lihue (LIH)$1,065
Portland, Oregon (PDX)$965
Kona (KOA)$948
Honolulu (HNL)$937
Kahului (OGG)$895
Portland, Maine (PWM)$840
Seattle (SEA)$746
Boise (BOI)$701
Minneapolis (MSP)$690

How To Get the Best Rental Car Rate

Team Clark is a fan of AutoSlash, an online tool that sends car rental rates to your email.

AutoSlash shops the car rental marketplace and applies any applicable discount codes, coupons, and membership perks it can find to get you the best deal.

Want to learn more about AutoSlash? Read the Team Clark review.

Final Tip: Money expert Clark Howard says don't forget to document the condition of the vehicle before you drive off in it.

More Car Resources From Clark.com:

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