Car rental in Sacramento

Car Rental in Sacramento: an eminently drivable California’s city

As the home of the 1849 Gold Rush, Sacramento is the oldest incorporated city in California. Nestled almost equidistantly between the Bay Area and the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Sacramento is a great place to visit for lovers of the outdoors and tourists looking for a slower pace than you’ll find in California’s coastal cities. Sacramento is also an eminently drivable city, so make the most of your visit by booking your rental car today!

Unlike cities in southwestern California, Sacramento typically observes four distinct seasons, with cool winters and blistering hot summers, making the shoulder seasons the best time of year to visit the area.

The de facto national language of the United States is English, which is the language that most residents of Sacramento also speak, though about 17% of the population speaks Spanish as a first language. Most of the original indigenous inhabitants of the area spoke one of the languages in the Penutian family, such as Maiduan or Miwokan languages.

The currency throughout the United States is the dollar. Currency exchange is highly available at airports and popular tourist destinations, and credit cards are accepted at the vast majority of businesses.

Sacramento is in the Pacific Time Zone, UTC-8.

Automobile hire is available in over 20 locations throughout Sacramento, though the most popular location to book a car is the Sacramento International Airport (SMF).

Sacramento is ideally located as a base for some great day-trips. Consider travelling, for example, to:

• Napa Valley, located about an hour west of Sacramento.
• Tahoe City, located about two hours east of Sacramento on Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
• San Francisco, located between one and a half and two hours southeast of Sacramento, depending on traffic conditions.
• Or Calistoga and its resident geyser, located about one and a half hours east of the city.

Visa Regulations

38 nationalities can enter the United States as tourists without applying for a visa, though if you are among these nationalities, you are still required to fill out the ESTA in advance. Visit esta.us for more information. Visitors to the United States will be fingerprinted and biometrically photographed upon entry. If your nationality is not included in the visa-waiver program, you will be required to apply for a B-1 or B-2 visa in advance of your arrival.

Driving in Sacramento

Built on a grid, Sacramento is typically an easy city to navigate—with the exception of sometimes un-marked one-way streets. Have a look in which direction cars are parked if you come across an otherwise confusing intersection. Though the city is served by some public transportation, a rental car is truly the best way to navigate Sacramento and its surroundings.

Right-Hand Driving

• Traffic drives on the right-hand side of the road throughout the United States.

Speed Limits

• In the city: 25 mph (40 km/h)
• On urban highways: 55 mph (88 km/h)
• On rural highways: 65 to 70 mph (104 to 112 km/h)
• Rush hour has gotten quite congested in recent years in the Sacramento area, so avoid driving between 7 and 9 am and 3:30 and 6 pm to make the most of your travel time.

Other Regulations

1. There are numerous options for parking in downtown Sacramento that typically make finding a spot pretty easy. Street parking typically costs $1.75 an hour and is free after 4:30 pm on the weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays.
2. Your domestic driver’s license is sufficient for driving in California.
3. While there are a number of toll roads and bridges near the major cities of California, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, there aren’t any in the direct vicinity of Sacramento. If you’re planning a cross-California road trip, ask your rental company if your car has been outfitted with a FasTrak transponder to ease your navigation of these tolled areas.
4. Californians can legally drive as young as 16 with driver’s education, but most rental agencies will require you to be at least 21, and you can expect to pay young driver surcharges until the age of 25.

Cheap Car Rental in Sacramento

Automobile hire in Sacramento typically starts at around $26 a day. Here are some of the best deals in Sacramento:

• Kia Rio or similar (economy class) – $26/day
• Nissan Note or similar (compact class) – $27/day
• Hyundai Elantra or similar (intermediate class) – $28/day
• Volkswagen Jetta or similar (standard class) – $29/day
• Ford Fusion or similar (fullsize class) – $29/day

Note that prices vary depending on the availability of each specific car and the season in which you rent. For the most accurate offers, use the search bar above.

Tips for Renting a Car Inexpensively in Sacramento

There is no seasonal variation in rental car price in Sacramento, and while rental cars are available throughout the city, book from the numerous rental agencies located at the Sacramento International Airport for the most availability and the cheapest prices. EuropCar, Dollar, and Thrifty routinely offer the cheapest prices in the city.

You can also save more than $15 a day by extending your rental period to over a week!