Tips for Your SFO or San Francisco Rental Car

Find tips for a car rental at SFO or options for a San Francisco rental car. This page gives you some tips and other information for renting a car at SFO. It also gives more information on a second option which is renting a car in San Francisco.

If you are spending some time out side of the city during your visit, it’s a great idea to look at your car rental options. You can either get a San Francisco airport car rental when you arrive or wait a few days and rent a car in the city when you are ready to leave for a few days.

Car Rental SFO

You can rent a car and pick it up directly at the San Francisco International Airport. SFO offers car rentals from many of the major car rental companies including Alamo, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, Thrifty and several others.

The SFO Rental Car Center is where you will pick up your car when you arrive. It is open 24 hours a day, so you can pick up your car at anytime.

You can also rent from ACE Rent a Car and Payless. You’ll just want to be aware that these two companies have rental centers that are at a different location than the others. However, you should head to the SFO Rental Car Center where you can pick up a free shuttle to their off site location.

The SFO Car Rental Center is easily accessible from the terminals by taking the AirTrain Blue Line in the airport. Domestic flights are located in terminals 1, 2 and 3. The AirTrain station for these terminals is located on Level 5 of the domestic parking garage. You get there by taking the passenger sky bridge from the terminal over to the garage. There are also plenty of signs along the way to keep you on track.

The international terminal has two train stops. They are both located one level above the ticketing area. The stops are both located in the main hall, with one stop on each end of the terminal.

The train is also available to bring you back to your terminal for your flight home. The train runs 24 hours a day, so you don’t have to worry about getting to and from the terminal during the late night or early morning hours.

If you are planning on only staying in the city, I’d wouldn't recommend a San Francisco rental car for your visit. Parking is expensive and it’s difficult to find a spot to park at many of the key attractions. If you do decide on picking up a San Francisco rental car from SFO, visit the San Francisco parking garages page to get some ideas on where to park, how much it will cost and other tips on San Francisco parking.

Car Rental in San Francisco

The other San Francisco rental car option is to rent a car once you are in the city. This is a great option for those spending most of their time in the city, but wanting to head to wine country or another destination outside of the city for a few days.

With this option you will save some money on parking while you are visiting the city. It also gives you the freedom to check out some other locations while you are here.

There are a number of San Francisco rental car options including both national chains and smaller, more local companies. The national car rental options in the city include Alamo, Avis, Budget, National and many more. The smaller local agencies such as City Rent a Car are all located near the tourist attractions such as Union Square San Francisco.

Most rental agencies do not accept debit cards, so make sure you have your credit card and driver’s license. Most also only allow you to book your rental car if you are above a certain age, so double check their guidelines before booking.

If you plan on driving outside of California, check with the agency before booking. Most small car rental agencies will only allow you to drive your rental car in the state of California. This shouldn’t be a problem with the larger, well known companies such as Alamo, National, etc., but double check just in case.

Another tip for San Francisco rental car is that most car rental agencies in the city close earlier in the day, specifically on Sundays. You’ll want to check the closing time for your car rental agency before booking to make sure it lines up with your travel plans.

Most rental car agencies in the city close at around 3 or 4 on Sunday afternoons. During the week, they are usually open until around 6 or 7.

Overall, I’d recommend a San Francisco rental car for those visiting attractions outside the city of San Francisco. If you are just visiting the city, there are several other transportation options that will be cheaper and less of a hassle.

One option is to take public transportation such as BART or one of the Muni trains. You can also take one of the San Francisco taxis.