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Charleston Car Hire

Charleston Car Hire

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Charleston car hire information

Pick-up location Charleston
Rental locations 19
Airport locations 8

Charleston car hire reviews and directory

Rated no. 1
National
national
Best rated
8.0 Excellent (897 reviews)
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1 location in Charleston
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National reviews
Car hire locations
National
Locations in Charleston
5500 International Blvd
+1 843 767 3078
All National reviews
National reviews in Charleston

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Rated no. 2
Hertz
hertz
7.2 Good (155 reviews)
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2 locations in Charleston
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Hertz reviews
Car hire locations
Hertz
Locations in Charleston
3025 Ashley Town Center Drive
+1 843 573 2147
5500 International Blvd
+1 843 767 4554
  • 7.0
  • 7.5
  • 7.5
  • 6.9
  • 7.2
Recent reviews
10.0 Excellent
5 Apr 2017
Staff was exceedingly helpful, gave me a very good deal
Pros: Hertz staff on Ashley Town Center road
7.2 Good
28 Apr 2017
Had to wait for car to be cleaned
Pros: Car was spacious and comfortable. Rep did help add me as additional driver with no charge since my mother broke her glasses and couldn't drive.
Cons: The office was short staffed so they didn't clean our car until we were there to pick it up.
6.4 Good
4 Jul 2018
Overbooked
Pros: The staff was friendly and as accommodating as possible. They took my credit card without a flight itinerary.
Cons: I called the day before and asked if I can pick my car early (around 8) and the man on the phone said I could. My original pick up was at 12 and I came in at 8 am. When I got there the place was crowded. Once I got up to the front of the line the staff member said that was impossible and come back at 12. So I was there at noon. There were 5-6 other people in the waiting room all waiting on cars. I was told my car was getting an oil change and I would have to wait. Finally I got my car at 230. I was told the system thought there were more cars then there was so that's why the staff was trying to find cars from other sister stores. If it wasn't for the courteous staff, I would never go back to Hertz.
2.4 Mediocre
30 Oct 2015
Cons: I had rented that car Toyota.they give hyundai.
5.2 Okay
9 Aug 2016
Frustrated but at peace
Pros: The people at the Hertz rental office were really nice and helpful.
Cons: Kayak should specify that this rental location is NOT at the airport. We had to pay over $20 for a taxi to this Hertz location. There is a Hertz counter at the airport and we weren't able to utilize them. It was a little frustrating.
10.0 Excellent
4 Oct 2016
Great experience friendly staff and clean cars
Pros: Staff was friendly and helpful Car was new with no issues Right at the airport. No buses or transfers
Cons: No issues
2.0 Mediocre
17 Oct 2016
Pros: The Hurricane hit I cancelled trip
4.4 Okay
30 Dec 2016
Smokers only
Cons: The car was clearly not cleaned when I received it, but I was in a hurry and did not have time to remedy this issue. It smelled like cigarette smoke, had ashes ok over the dashboard and even burn marks on the roof of the interior!
6.8 Good
3 Jan 2017
Misleading location by Kayak/Rentalcars.com
Pros: The car provided by Hertz was good. It was ready, clean and a good value.
Cons: The pickup location that was advertised as "at the airport" was in fact 8 miles away. This cost us a $40 cab ride to the location which was almost half of the cost of the rental car. We were able to use Uber on the way back which was only $15, however the unexpected cost was more than half of the rental cost.
2.0 Mediocre
20 Jan 2017
Hertz, Scam Alert!
Pros: Hertz changed reservation to an off airport location without transportation from airport and then charged $50.00 for reservation cancellation! Total scam , never Hertz again!
Cons: Hertz changed reservation to an off airport location without transportation from airport and then charged $50.00 for reservation cancellation! Total scam , never Hertz again!
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Rated no. 3
Alamo
alamo
8.6 Excellent (59 reviews)
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2 locations in Charleston
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Alamo reviews
Car hire locations
Alamo
Locations in Charleston
2039 Savannah Hwy
+1 843 556 1255
5500 International Blvd
+1 843 556 1255
  • 8.6
  • 8.7
  • 8.9
  • 8.5
  • 8.5
Recent reviews
2.0 Mediocre
30 Sep 2016
They never showed up! Left us on the curb! Will n
Cons: Very poor customer service.
9.2 Excellent
2 Mar 2017
Pros: Friendly service.
Cons: Unclear as to where I was supposed to wait for pick up at the airport. I waited in the wrong spot and had to run after the van to be picked up.
10.0 Excellent
13 Sep 2019
Pros: Staff was good. Car was good. Overall impression is very good.
Cons: Don't know what to add.
2.0 Mediocre
12 Sep 2016
charleston alamo closes at 2pm
Cons: The Charleston Alamo closes at 2pm but this was not indicated anywhere on the reservation, so I wasn't able to get my car. It never occurred to me to check the hours of a business on a weekday afternoon.
10.0 Excellent
19 Sep 2016
Quick and easy!
Pros: First place I've ever rented from where it didn't take me 15+ minutes to get a car. Very quick process to get the car and it was so much more affordable than everywhere else. Car was clean and ready to go. No wating.
8.4 Excellent
11 Oct 2016
Pros: Reasonable rate for one way rental
Cons: Inside of windshield needed to be cleaned and took a while to get checked in. The reservation was cancelled or lost but quoted rate was honored.
10.0 Excellent
25 Nov 2016
Great Experience
Pros: Received a hybrid Ford Fision virtually brand new. Very clean and fuel efficient for my trip to PA from SC. Customer service was great, very friendly employees. The price for the rental was unbeatable.
9.2 Excellent
27 Dec 2016
Pros: Liked the ease of pick up and price. The car was in good shape and very good on gas.
Cons: The cars all smelled too strongly of cleaning fluid. I wiped mine down and was able to open the windows while driving for several days, but perhaps, this rental place could use something less powerful.
10.0 Excellent
3 Jan 2017
Pros: Very fast service and I received an upgrade when my original car size was not available.
6.0 Good
7 Jan 2017
Pros: They got me into the shuttle to the agent and then told me they had no cars for me. Sent me to Enterprise
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Rated no. 4
Enterprise
enterprise
7.2 Good (49 reviews)
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5 locations in Charleston
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Enterprise reviews
Car hire locations
Enterprise
Locations in Charleston
2004 Savannah Hwy
+1 843 556 7889
2440 Savannah Hwy
+1 843 766 5160
398 Meeting Street
+1 843 723 6215
5500 International Blvd # 114
+1 843 767 1109
619 Marina Dr
+1 843 800 3074
  • 7.0
  • 7.6
  • 7.5
  • 6.8
  • 6.9
Recent reviews
10.0 Excellent
26 Aug 2016
Pros: I messed up my reservation and they were so helpful, got me a car and a free upgrade. Thank you Jim!!!
8.0 Excellent
23 Oct 2016
Hard to Find Rental Place
Pros: The Enterprise office is located in a auto body repair shop. There is a regular Enterprise rental office much closer on Savannah Highway.
Cons: The return location at Charleston Airport lost computer power and had a or lem getting my receipt.
10.0 Excellent
25 Oct 2016
Pros: Beautiful van. Had plenty of passenger room and cargo room. Good on gas. Perfect for what we needed.
10.0 Excellent
28 Feb 2017
The man at the desk was very accommodating.
Pros: I didn't know that I had to pick up my car at a different location than the airport. There was no shuttle service to the off site lot. He was extremely helpful and he found me a car at the airport location.
9.2 Excellent
2 Jan 2019
Charleston
Pros: Bluetooth and great mileage.
8.4 Excellent
19 Oct 2016
Pros: Carson was a gem! Thank you!! With Hurricane Matthew having just rolled through, the entire reservation process seemed to be a challenge. There were no cars anywhere! Her professional demeanor and pleasant disposition remained "in tact" throughout. Bravo!!
Cons: I had to wait 35 minutes past my appointed pick up time to grab a car. Again, Hurricane Matthew had just rolled through so it was to be expected.
10.0 Excellent
1 May 2016
Pros: Staff was very helpful and friendly.
2.0 Mediocre
10 May 2016
Canceled at last minute
Cons: Last minute trip. last minute res. As I was waiting on UBER to take me to the rental car location, I got a call saying they didn't have any cars. Not sure what happened. Ended up renting elsewhere and had a fine experience with another company that is in a more convenient location just my trip was delayed about 2 hours.
10.0 Excellent
28 Nov 2016
What I expected
Pros: All good here. Friendly checkin.
Cons: Strange pricing on day ranges.
2.0 Mediocre
1 Jan 2017
Enterprise Rental Had No Cars To Fulfill Reservati
Cons: I didn't like taking the time weeks in advance to reserve a car and at the reservation time being told there were no cars available to rent and no idea of when there would be cars to rent. The service was abysmal at best. The manager had no preplanning capabilities and only offered excuses as to why my reservation could not be fulfilled. I will NEVER rent from this Enterprise location EVER again.
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Rated no. 5
Budget
budget
6.7 Good (73 reviews)
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3 locations in Charleston
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Budget reviews
Car hire locations
Budget
Locations in Charleston
2070 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard
+1 843 573 9144
390 Meeting Street
+1 843 577 5195
5500 International Blvd
+1 843 552 1771
  • 6.4
  • 7.1
  • 7.2
  • 6.4
  • 6.6
Recent reviews
8.4 Excellent
29 Aug 2016
Cons: Thought I was booking a Ford but got a Kia. Ugliest color in their fleet.
8.4 Excellent
29 Oct 2016
Cons: price
10.0 Excellent
30 Oct 2016
Budget saved the day!!
Pros: Needed a car quickly when stranded in Chicago. Called Budget and a car was available and ready within 15 minutes. Life savers!
Cons: Nothing. We were totally pleased, and will use your service again!
2.0 Mediocre
9 Feb 2017
Pros: Can't comment, never made it this far.
8.4 Excellent
1 Mar 2017
Pros: Price. Ease of pick-up/drop-off.
Cons: Older model. 35k plus miles. No power ports in car to charge cell phones.
2.0 Mediocre
9 Mar 2017
Poor Service
Pros: They were open until 10:00pm.
Cons: I drove from Myrtle Beach SC to Pittsburgh and then to Charleston SC 3 days later. The "bad" experience was with the return in Charleston SC. The rental company is at the airport. It was close to 9:00PM, the lot was dark and lacked directions on where to leave/park returned cars. I pulled along the side of the parking lot, went inside and the young man behind the counter told me I had to move it to a open spot. I went back out, there were one-way arrows on the pavement so I pulled into a spot that had a sign for Hertz Rentals (they share the same lot). I parked there, figuring the service rep would need to come out, inspect it and move it anyway. I didn't want to drive all the way around the airport again to come in on the one-way lane for Budget/Avis. When I told him that is what I did he actually expected me to walk back out and move it again! I was exhausted, irritated and now asked to re-park twice? I said, seriously? He said sarcastically, "Well, I really didn't think it was that hard to figure out." He proceeded to ask if the tank was full; I said please read the notes. No it is not and it has 1/2 a tank of gas, more than when I picked it up. The notes were entered, thanks to the service in Myrtle Beach. This service agent in Charleston SC airport made the end of a very long day extremely frustrating and miserable. I rent when I travel, which I will continue to do however, I'll avoid renting from the Charleston SC airport any time I can.
10.0 Excellent
12 Mar 2017
Easiest car rental process ever
Pros: Pickup and drop-off was very efficient and car was clean and comfortable.e
8.0 Excellent
3 Apr 2017
Easy to rent, horrible color car
Pros: Staff nice, rental process was easy.
Cons: The car was a burnt orange color. Ugly!
6.0 Good
13 Apr 2017
Douglas is a terrible Budget customer representative
Cons: Douglas is a terrible customer rep. that I met when I initially approached Budget. He tied to overcharge me for a rental and denied having other cars available. Fortunately, I booked a car through Kayak and found a less expensive car available right at that same Budget. Though, it still could have been cheaper. Another customer rep. helped me with this car rental and I was on my way.
4.0 Okay
19 Apr 2017
No vehicle as requested.
Pros: Douglas at the counter in Charleston Airport try his hardest to accommodate us with the proper vehicle.
Cons: I had ordered a 12 passenger van for our golf team and when we got to the airport they didn't have any. I had called from Dallas-Fort Worth two confirm that all is well and they said everything was ready. We ended up with a smaller vehicle but we did get a discount. It was very tight with all of our luggage and golf clubs in the smaller vehicle.
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Rated no. 6
Avis
avis
6.9 Good (27 reviews)
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3 locations in Charleston
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Avis reviews
Car hire locations
Avis
Locations in Charleston
2070 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard, Space 804
+1 843 402 9626
390 Meeting Street
+1 843 577 9705
5500 International Blvd
+1 843 767 7030
  • 6.7
  • 7.0
  • 6.9
  • 7.0
  • 6.8
Recent reviews
8.0 Excellent
12 May 2018
Pros: Good basic transportation
Cons: Long wait at counter. Unclear directions on where to get car.
8.0 Excellent
24 Jul 2016
Cons: The woman at the counter was rude.
7.2 Good
23 Jan 2017
Pros: car was in mechanically good shape
Cons: seats were dirty and stained, and there were many large scrapes and a dent on the body
10.0 Excellent
1 Sep 2017
Pros: Pickup and turning was easy and the price was far better than I could find on major renter sites
2.0 Mediocre
2 Sep 2017
Wanted Fusion got Kia.
Pros: I thought I was getting a Ford Fusing and instead got a Kia. Really? When I got to the car there was door poop all down the driver side door/ handle. When I called they couldn't care less. They said I could come back and return it if I wasn't happy. Also, gas tank wasn't completely full but I didn't complain.
10.0 Excellent
14 Sep 2017
Pros: Everything
Cons: Nothing
8.0 Excellent
23 Sep 2017
Pros: Car was just what we needed.
Cons: Car was a little dirty. Windshield wiper fluid was empty. And the associate at check out didn't inform us of a couple of additional options that would have been nice to have.
5.2 Okay
22 Feb 2018
Doesn't hold to the Avis Name
Pros: The woman who helped me at the front desk at pick-up was very nice and very professional.
Cons: The Car's Side Mirror was damaged They didn't have the type of car we booked The drop off process was a disorganized mess
6.4 Good
27 Feb 2018
Good car, upgrade
Pros: The car was zippy, easy controls. I got upgraded when they ran out of the economy cars, but it didn't feel so great after the long wait, see below.
Cons: Check in was 45 minutes!!! Slowest line and agents. Car pick up location was convenient but the drop off was so far away. I actually had an A-fib episode from dragging my suitcase so far! It lasted for five hours.
2.0 Mediocre
15 Apr 2018
Pros: read above!!!!
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Sunnycars
sunnycars
2 locations in Charleston
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Car hire locations
Sunnycars
Locations in Charleston
2039 Savannah Highway
5500 Interbnational Boulevard
363 travellers who rented a car in Charleston gave the car agency they used an average rating of 7.3

Car hire locations in Charleston

When to book a hire car in Charleston

Average daily price per month
Car hire prices as pick-up date approaches
-1 day
-2 days

Top tips for renting a car in Charleston

  • Charleston, like many cities in the US, is truly designed for cars over public transportation. Whether you are visiting Fort Sumter or checking out Magnolia Plantation & Gardens and Middleton Place, you simply would struggle to get around Charleston without a car. If you would like to visit Middleton Place, for instance, you would have no choice but to join a tour if you don’t have a car, as public transport doesn’t serve it.
  • Need to pick up a hire car after landing at Charleston International Airport? In that case, head on over to the hire Car Pavilion located by Baggage Claim at the end of the airport’s main terminal, where you will find all of the airport’s hire agencies conveniently located together.
  • Jaywalking is very common in the historic part of Charleston so drivers should beware. This is partly because much of the pedestrian traffic in downtown Charleston is made up of tourists visiting the city. Another road hazard to look out for in the downtown area is the bikers -- particularly the distracted college students biking with their phones out.
  • Drivers will be happy to hear that while Charleston does experience its share of rush hour traffic, it is by no means severe. Drivers can expect the morning rush hour to start up at around 7:00 a.m. and to last until 9:00 a.m., while the afternoon rush hour starts at 4:00 p.m. and finishes up at about 6:30 p.m. I-26 is the main road to avoid during rush hour as it is one of the top highways used by commuters heading to and from work.
  • Book your rental car in Charleston at least 1 day before your trip in order to get a below-average price

FAQs about hiring a car in Charleston

What is the cheapest car rental company in Charleston?

In the past 72 hours, the cheapest rental cars were found at Hertz ($58/day), Avis ($69/day) and Alamo ($78/day).

What is the best rental car company in Charleston?

Based on ratings and reviews from real users on KAYAK, the best car rental companies in Charleston are Alamo (8.7, 6630 reviews), Enterprise (8.5, 13020 reviews), and Avis (7.6, 2291 reviews).

What is the cheapest car hire location in Charleston?

In the last 72 hours the cheapest hire car price was found at Hertz 3025 Ashley Town Center Drive 29414-5661 (10 kilometres from the city centre).

How can I find car rentals near me in Charleston?

Take a look at our extensive car rental location map to find the best rental cars near you.

What type of car is recommended for driving in Charleston?

Charleston’s streets are well-suited for a wide range of vehicles. Sedans, coupes, SUVs, and large trucks will all be perfectly comfortable on the road, so all vehicle options are a good choice. Additionally, streetside parking spaces are large enough for even the biggest of hire vehicles, making parking a non-issue.

What's the speed limit in Charleston?

In the center of downtown, drivers can expect speeds of 25 mph and 30 mph while the main roads and avenues features speed limits of 40 mph. On two-lane county roads and streets leading to the peripheral areas of the city, speed limits will get up to 55 mph. Interstates throughout the state of South Carolina have a speed limit of 70 mph.

How are gas prices in Charleston?

Drivers will rejoice to hear that petrol prices in Charleston are fairly cheap, especially in comparison to some of the more expensive cities in the U.S. for gas, such as San Diego and Seattle. On average, petrol prices in Charleston are around $2.20 per gallon of gas.

Where are the best places to park in Charleston?

Planning on visiting downtown? Parking garages and streetside parallel parking are your best options. Both are widely available and, fortunately, even the private parking options are fairly cheap. However, when a big event is going on downtown, parking spaces can sometimes become hard to come by; in those instances, you may have to park an extra block or two away.

Airports serving Charleston