Car rental in Austin

Car Rental in Austin, TX

Austin is not only the capital of Texas, but is also one of the most unique cities in the United States. With beautiful natural surroundings, a thriving community of students, and a diverse population, Austin is great fun to visit—whether or not live music is your reason for travelling. Austin is also a great city to drive in, with fairly navigable streets and minimal traffic for a city of its size. Stay mobile and comfortable during your visit to Austin by renting a car. Here is brief guide to finding cheap car rentals in Austin, TX.

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Austin rental cars are available in over 30 locations throughout the city, including at the Austin Airport, downtown, in Austin Northwest, and at Austin Walmart. Short-term car hire in Austin starts at around $60 a day. Longer-term car rental in Austin is well worth it, typically starting at around $30 when you extend your rental period to over a week.

Tips for Finding Cheap Car Rental in Austin

The best way to get great deals on car rental in Austin is by renting your car for over a week. Particularly if you have booked a hotel that offers complementary off-street parking, this is a great way to stay mobile for the entirety of your stay at almost half the price of shorter-term car rental rates.

The cheapest location from which to book your Austin rental car is the Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), where over 5 rental car companies compete to offer you the best prices on your Austin rental car. Austin-Bergstrom Airport is located just ten miles southwest of central Austin, making it a convenient location to pick up your cheap rental car, even if you are not arriving to Austin via airplane.

Still, you can often pick up a rental car for just $3 to $5 more than the airport rates at locations throughout the city, particularly downtown, northwest, and at Avis’s Walmart location.

Key Things to Remember: Tips for Driving in Austin with Your Rental Car

Rush hour in Austin:

• While traffic is fairly well managed in Austin during normal business hours, it can get pretty bad during rush hour. In order to avoid adding half an hour to your normal travel time, avoid driving your rental car into, out of, or around Austin between 7 and 9 in the morning and between 3:30 and 7 in the evenings.

Parking in Austin:

1. While driving through Austin is typically effortless, parking in downtown Austin can become a challenge during the busiest hours of the business day and whenever major events are taking place. If you’re planning on arriving for an event, research the best parking garage to park in before you arrive. You can often save money by booking a parking spot in advance.
2. At all other times, finding a parking spot on the street or in garages is not too difficult. Parking your rental car in garages in central Austin typically costs around $5 to $6 an hour, with daily rates of around $18 an hour.
3. Street parking is significantly cheaper when you can find it, with rates of $1.25 an hour throughout the downtown area. Meters in busier areas of Austin will have time limits, however, and you are not permitted to simply add money to the meter in order to extend your parking period; you do have to move your rental car after the metered limit runs out.
4. Street parking and parking in the parking garage at the Texas State History Museum is free in the evenings, typically starting at around 6 pm depending on the area, and on the weekends.

Toll roads in and near Austin:

• Portions of the Loop 1 (including, but not limited to the Loop 1 Express), as well as Highway 290 are tolled in the Austin area. Most toll roads throughout the state of Texas are now automated and electronically collected, which means you will receive the bill for your use of toll roads by mail in the months after you traverse them. Be sure to ask your rental car company if any surcharges apply to your use of toll roads.