Raleigh car hire information
| Pick-up location | Raleigh |
|---|---|
| Rental locations | 25 |
| Airport locations | 8 |
Raleigh car hire reviews and directory
Rated no. 1
Dollar
Best rated
7.1 Good (104 reviews)
1 location in Raleigh
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Dollar reviews
Car hire locations
Dollar
Locations in Raleigh
1009 Rental Car Drive
+1 866 434 2226
- 6.8
- 7.6
- 7.2
- 6.7
- 7.0
Recent reviews
2.0 Mediocre
21 Oct 2015
Didn't have the car I reserved
Cons: I reserved a truck, when I got to the rental place the man behind the counter said they don't have trucks and never have had them. I asked why the said they had them on the website and he said it wasn't his problem. He offered me a Chevrolet Equinox and I said that wouldn't be large enough he said " if you're not going to take the equinox then I can't help you so you need to leave." I left and called Dollar cust service, and all they said I could do is file a formal complaint on their website. Luckily National was next door and they were able to get me set up with a truck and helped out with the price of a last minute booking.
4.4 Okay
4 Nov 2015
Really small car, not very safe
Pros: Nice people
Cons: Too few attendants
Tiny car; my wheels spun on the rainy road.
No choice for the money
I did not rent a compact, but that is what I got!
3.2 Mediocre
27 Oct 2016
Received smaller than booked car category
Pros: The (wrong) car was immediately available
Cons: Unfriendly, lying staff
Wrong car category
Poor service
Dirty rental car station
10.0 Excellent
14 Nov 2016
Cheap and easy.
Pros: Car came with navigation system, which was an unexpected surprise. Shuttle to and from the airport was frequent and convenient.
8.0 Excellent
25 Jan 2017
Pros: Friendly and efficient staff at the desk.
Cons: Shuttle pick up was slow. Every car rental shuttle came by at least 3 times before Dollar came. Had to call them.
6.0 Good
2 Feb 2017
Pros: The service we received when picking up the vehicle was fantastic.
Cons: The agent servicing our return was rude and dismissive and dragged her feet. It was one of the worst customer service experiences with a car rental ever.
7.6 Good
8 Feb 2017
Dollar ar rental
Pros: The Express check out was extremely easy; the car was clean and in good condition.
Cons: Dollar did not honor its advertised AAA benefit of having another AAA driver added for free and when I told them I did not want the extra driver if there was a cost, Dollar was unable to remove the charge.
9.2 Excellent
6 Apr 2017
Pros: I wanted and got a brand new pickup truck. It was very nice and what I needed.
Cons: I didn't like that they told me I was getting a full size truck, then they told me I was getting a mid size, and then they gave me a full size. I went through a toll and there was a $15.00 fee.
7.6 Good
24 Aug 2017
no vehicle b/c of credit check issue
Cons: I wasn't able to rent the vehicle from Dollar rental as I dint have a credit card and had no credit ( no good and no bad).
This fact was not highlighted during my booking and caused considerable problems having to scramble for a vehicle at the last minute while stranded at the airport.
I'd suggest to have this fact highlighted to prevent further complications.
10.0 Excellent
11 Oct 2015
Pros: Clean, nice car. Great gas mileage.
Cons: not much power
Rated no. 2
Enterprise
8.7 Excellent (51 reviews)
10 locations in Raleigh
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Enterprise reviews
Car hire locations
Enterprise
Locations in Raleigh
1008 Rental Car Dr
+1 844 942 0329
2901 Spring Forest Rd
+1 919 954 7330
2911 Capital Blvd
+1 919 872 0765
3600 S Wilmington St
+1 919 771 1300
431 S Mcdowell St
+1 919 833 8788
5105 Capital Blvd
+1 919 790 1900
5401 Hillsborough St
+1 919 851 2555
6300 Creedmoor Rd Ste 178
+1 919 844 3393
651 E Six Forks Rd
+1 919 431 1300
9005 Glenwood Ave
+1 919 787 8600
- 8.8
- 8.4
- 8.6
- 8.9
- 8.7
Recent reviews
8.0 Excellent
24 Jul 2016
Good
Pros: Everything was quick and service was good
Cons: They debated about which suv to give us and then the one they gave us had not been cleaned on the inside from the looks of things
10.0 Excellent
20 Feb 2017
Rental Review
Pros: Attentiveness of front desk worker, easy in easy out
Cons: 200.00 holding fee regeadless if you use credit card or debit card
10.0 Excellent
21 Sep 2019
Pros: Pick up. And drop off. Great car
2.0 Mediocre
22 Oct 2018
Total fail
Pros: Honestly, only for customer service guy on the phone when I called to complain
Cons: Our location for pick up was not at airport as ordered & they were closed!!
9.2 Excellent
2 Jun 2019
Pros: Friendly. Helpful. Upgrade for economy price. Reminders prior. Pick up information helpful.
Cons: Nothing.
10.0 Excellent
14 Oct 2016
Saved $100's using Kayak!
Pros: It was quick, easy, and basically effortless to rent a car with Enterprise through Kayak. The best part was that it saved me over $200 for the 4 day rental!!!I would definitely use Kayak again!
Cons: Nothing.
9.6 Excellent
31 Jul 2019
Pros: Staff was extremely friendly and helpful.
Cons: Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better experience.
10.0 Excellent
12 Sep 2016
Great service at RDU
Pros: Quick friendly service. 15 mins from arrival gate to airport exit. Just as quick on the return.
10.0 Excellent
18 Sep 2016
Overall a really good experience with Enterprise
Pros: The vehicle was there and ready when I arrived. It was clean and in good working order. The booking was simple and a good deal.
8.0 Excellent
1 Oct 2016
Pros: Excellent customer service
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Thrifty reviews
Car hire locations
Thrifty
Locations in Raleigh
1009 Rental Car Drive
+1 877 283 0898
- 7.4
- 7.9
- 8.0
- 7.2
- 7.1
Recent reviews
7.6 Good
26 Oct 2015
Pros: good car
Cons: expensive insurance
2.0 Mediocre
8 Apr 2017
counter was totally out of cars and the staff were unprepared
Cons: waited almsot an hour and the car provided was mechanically unsound- returned it and went to Avis
8.0 Excellent
13 Sep 2017
Cons: I've already informed them that there was a bad smell when running air through the vents.
10.0 Excellent
12 May 2018
Pros: Gave me a better car than I expected.
10.0 Excellent
15 Jul 2018
Great rental
Pros: Upgraded car. Fast in/out. Great price!
10.0 Excellent
31 Aug 2018
Pros: Clean with fast check in and out
4.4 Okay
17 Nov 2016
No trucks at this location
Cons: I reserved a Silverado or comparable. Thrifty had my reservation and knew I was coming to pick up a truck. After driving an hour to pick it up the manager told me they don't have trucks at that location. I don't understand how Kayak can rent a vehicle that doesn't exist.
3.2 Mediocre
2 Jan 2017
Much needed at a price undiscussed.
Pros: Car drove, and had space to keep cargo.
Cons: Was not cleaned, had dog hair covering the backseat.
Brake issues had a lot of grinding
Was charged more than twice after the the attendant said they would upgrade me at 'no extra cost' due to lack of inventory. They charged me an extra 20 dollars per day on a car that should have only been 14 dollars per day not including tax and fees.
10.0 Excellent
12 Feb 2017
Exactly what I asked for
Pros: I got the size car I asked for, it ran well, easy to turn in. A short bus ride from the terminal to the car lot on airport property.
Cons: Nothing.
6.8 Good
13 Feb 2017
Cons: I dropped off my car at 9:30pm, and there was no one in the office. This was frustrating and made the drop off difficult.
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Hertz reviews
Car hire locations
Hertz
Locations in Raleigh
1017 Rental Car Dr
+1 919 840 4875
2919 Capitol Boulevard
+1 919 784 9545
6215 Hillsborough Street
+1 919 852 5772
- 5.7
- 6.5
- 6.3
- 5.6
- 6.1
Recent reviews
10.0 Excellent
14 Mar 2017
Pros: The car performed perfectly and it was the right size for a few friends and me.
Cons: Nothing
9.2 Excellent
22 Apr 2017
Easy, fast, efficient
Pros: Smooth process. Good price.
Cons: The car smelled like smoke. That was the only negative thing we experienced.
8.0 Excellent
4 May 2017
Cons: $50 for prefilled gas is rediculus when the rental filled up with $15.
6.0 Good
5 May 2017
almost double charged for insurance
Cons: after checking in to the car the desk lady tried to charge me 200 dollars for insurance. i had previously bought insurance on kayak. the desk lady said that they cannot see third party insurances. good thing i was paying attention after flying all day.
also i forgot to fill the gas before drop off and they changed me 50 dollars for 1/4 tank of gas. that was my own fault but still not a pleasant experience.
3.6 Mediocre
12 Jul 2016
Gas, dirty and late
Pros: Nothing.
Cons: They tried to charge me for gas, even though the needle was past the full mark, because I didn't have a receipt, which I was never told I needed. Guess it was on the 5 page contract.
The car was dirty
The car was not ready when I left the counter to go pick it up. Had to wait in line to be told they hadn't washed it yet.
4.0 Okay
29 Aug 2016
wrong car, replacement had to be brought back and
Cons: they did not have our car and the replacement was so bad we had after a couple of day trade in on a cargo mini van
6.0 Good
30 Aug 2016
No gas
Pros: Rental process was fairly quick.
Cons: I failed to check the gas gauge before leaving and got 34 miles down the road and had to stop and fill up the car which had only a quarter of a tank in it. Spent a half an hour on the phone going through 9 different people before the last one told me she would put in the file that I was returning the car with half a tank as we agreed. Was going to return the car 8 hours early but was running behind and called to let them know I would be about an hour late and asked if my records show the gas agreement and was told no information was in the system about this. He said he would do it. Returned the car and was told again no information was in the system. Showed my gas receipt and the manager finally fixed the problem. Will never rent from Hertz again because of this.
10.0 Excellent
21 Oct 2016
Pros: This whole process was very easy. I even got the vehicle I ask for, I received a brand new Honda Santa Fe. The service with Hertz was perfect. Kayak made my trip memorable.
9.6 Excellent
22 Oct 2016
Got our Kicks on Route 66!
Pros: The car ( Toyota Corolla ) was comfortable, clean and got excellent gas mileage. We had the car for a month ( Drove from North Carolina to California and back) and had no problems at all.
Cons: Taking it back (I wanted to keep it!) lol Otherwise, I really have nothing negative to say.
10.0 Excellent
24 Oct 2016
Courteous, friendly staff!
Pros: Nice, friendly drivers and staff. Thank you for making it a great experience for us!
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Budget reviews
Car hire locations
Budget
Locations in Raleigh
421 South Salisbury Street
+1 919 856 4912
4325 Glenwood Avenue
+1 919 788 0141
7320 Old Wake Forest Road
+1 919 792 2823
- 7.3
- 6.5
- 7.5
- 7.1
- 6.9
Recent reviews
10.0 Excellent
9 Apr 2018
Pros: Easy and quick service for pick up and drop off. Also, very good condition of the car. I drove 1420 miles without any issue at all.
2.0 Mediocre
20 Oct 2016
They didn't have a car
Cons: I had a reservation for pickup at 8am (I planned on getting there at 8:30am). I got a call at 8:04 saying they wouldn't have a car till 11:00am, but I could call other Budget locations around Raleigh and have my reservation moved. I asked them to do this calling, which they made clear they wouldn't do.
I called around and couldn't find anything. I called back to ensure they would have a car at 11am. They didn't. I cancelled the reservation.
10.0 Excellent
28 Oct 2016
What a deal!
Pros: One way trip across the stage for a great price.
2.0 Mediocre
16 Mar 2017
Pros: Substitute car was good, though more expensive than was supposed to be.
Cons: Car that was rented was not available even with advanced notice, staff was extremely unprofessional and actually rude, long wait, just a very poor experience,Ii apologize in advance for being so blunt but if this is typical business practice i would say this company is spiraling toward closure which is a shame for all those who would be affected. I pray that a positive change would happen within this company, thank you for the chance to express my concern.
7.6 Good
25 Jun 2017
Cons: Pick in downtown Raleigh wasn't ideal. It would have been easier at the airport.
10.0 Excellent
21 Oct 2017
Pros: No small cars available so I was upgraded to a small SUV at no cost to me. It was great
Cons: Nothing
10.0 Excellent
6 Nov 2017
Pros: The desk attendant was extremely nice and helpful. He was very polite and made the process as easy as possible.
Cons: This wasn't budget's fault necessarily but the location in downtown Raleigh, NC is located inside of a hotel (which is fine), and there were not clear indicators on the outside of the building that the rental car desks were located inside.
10.0 Excellent
31 Oct 2018
Lisa S
Pros: Although the location was hard to find, the pick up process was painless, it was like a scavenger hunt.
Cons: That the location was hard to b yind
6.8 Good
7 Jul 2019
Pros: Staff was friendly and helpful and the process was simple
Cons: More locations with slightly later drop off hours
8.0 Excellent
17 Oct 2016
Pros: I liked the person working with us at the pick up location. He was very accommodating. The car was a nice upgrade.
Cons: The car had some trash in it and was an upgrade that we had to pay for even though there was not a car waiting for us at our designated pick up time.
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Avis reviews
Car hire locations
Avis
Locations in Raleigh
421 South Salisbury Street
+1 919 839 5667
4325 Glenwood Avenue
+1 919 788 9948
7320 Old Wake Forest Road
+1 919 792 2821
- 4.0
- 4.0
- 5.2
- 3.2
- 3.6
Recent reviews
2.0 Mediocre
21 Oct 2016
No Cars!!!
Pros: Received a text when I landed at RDU that they had no cars for my reservation!!!
I was left to find another car on my own!!!!
Never again would I consider Avis!
2.4 Mediocre
3 Sep 2017
Least attentative desk personnel
Cons: The Avis representative in Raleigh was one of the worst experiences I've had. He literally left the desk and I didn't know what to do with the keys or car or exactly where to leave them. They were not helpful at all on where to park the car. They really did not do anything at all and I did not get any confirmation that the car with properly taken care of from the Avis Staff in Raleigh
3.6 Mediocre
9 Jan 2018
Filthy Car
Cons: Dirtiest rental car I've ever seen. Interior and exterior were dirty.
5.6 Okay
26 Mar 2018
Dirty inside & out
Pros: No-hassel renting. Quick rental process, pickup, & dropoff.
Cons: Car was filthy. Didn't have time to request a different car so I eventually vacuumed car out myself. Outside was dirty as if it had been driven in a little bit of snow. Called avis 800 # to complained and only offered $20 off future rental.
6.4 Good
22 Jul 2019
Pros: I like how Avis stretched the definition of a "midsize" booking to include a Nissan Sentra. That's very creative.
Cons: Leave lots of extra time to drop a car at the Wilmington (NC) airport. You have to find a parking space, unload your belongings, walk into the airport, and wait at the rental counter. And all of that counts against your return time. If that makes you "late" to return your car, it's an extra $30-50.
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Car hire locations
Advance Car And Truck Rental
Locations in Raleigh
1015 Trade Dr A, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina
+1 919 787 7262
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Car hire locations
Easirent
Locations in Raleigh
Raleigh-Durham International Airport
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Car hire locations
Europcar
Locations in Raleigh
Please Go To The Advantage Counter
+1 919 787 7262
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Car hire locations
Sunnycars
Locations in Raleigh
1001 Rental Car Drive
312 travellers who rented a car in Raleigh gave the car agency they used an average rating of 7.1
Car hire locations in Raleigh
When to book a hire car in Raleigh
Average daily price per month
Car hire prices as pick-up date approaches
-1 day
-2 days
Top tips for renting a car in Raleigh
- Need to rent a car for your trip to Raleigh? Visitors with flights landing at Raleigh-Durham International Airport can reach the airport’s hire car center via shuttle buses leaving from Zone 5 outside of Terminal 1 and from Zone 18 outside of Terminal 2.
- Fog is quite common in Raleigh so drivers should be careful, especially in the early morning hours. Drivers not used to fog should remember that, while headlights should be used to illuminate the road, drivers should only use low beams rather than their high beams. The reason for this is that fog actually reflects light, thus, the brighter the light used, the more it reflects. So if you use your high beams, you may actually reduce road visibility rather than improve it.
- Rush hour traffic is no fun no matter what city you are in. However, drivers will be happy to hear that rush hour isn’t too fierce in Raleigh. The morning rush hour tends to pick up around 7:30 a.m. and lasts till 9:00 a.m., while the afternoon and evening rush hour starts around 4:00 p.m. and finishes up around 6:00 p.m. The main areas to avoid during rush hour are the highways leading in and out of the city, in particular I-40.
- In many ways, renting a car is imperative if you plan on getting the most out of your time in Raleigh. Like many cities in the U.S., Raleigh is a car town and many of its attractions are most accessible via personal vehicle. For instance, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and North Carolina Museum of Art are just 15 minutes away from each other by car, but are close to 45 minutes away from each other via public transportation.
- Book your rental car in Raleigh at least 5 weeks before your trip in order to get a below-average price
- Economy rental cars in Raleigh are around 12% cheaper than other car types, on average
FAQs about hiring a car in Raleigh
What is the best rental car company in Raleigh?
Based on ratings and reviews from real users on KAYAK, the best car rental companies in Raleigh are Alamo (8.7, 6472 reviews), Enterprise (8.5, 13000 reviews), and Avis (7.6, 2254 reviews).
How can I find car rentals near me in Raleigh?
Take a look at our extensive car rental location map to find the best rental cars near you.
How much does a Full-size car rental cost in Raleigh?
A Full-size car rental in Raleigh costs $77 per day, on average.
How much does a Economy car rental cost in Raleigh?
A Economy car rental in Raleigh costs $63 per day, on average.
What type of car is recommended for driving in Raleigh?
All sizes of vehicles will have an easy time driving in Raleigh. The streets are fairly wide and streetside parking spaces are large enough for a range of vehicles. However, if you plan on visiting the mountains in North Carolina, it may be worth it to consider a mid-sized vehicle just to make sure you have enough torque for mountainous terrain.
What's the speed limit in Raleigh?
City roads in Raleigh and throughout North Carolina normally stick to a base speed limit of 35 mph except in cases when signage specifies otherwise. In rural areas the speed limit jumps up to 55 mph and on highways it goes up again to 70 mph.
How are gas prices in Raleigh?
Hopeful car renters will be happy to hear that petrol prices are quite cheap in Raleigh. The average price per gallon is about $2.20, which is significantly cheaper than the average price in Salt Lake City, at $2.75 per gallon, and is only slightly more expensive than Dallas’ average price of $2.00 per gallon.
Where are the best places to park in Raleigh?
Parking is an absolute cinch in Raleigh. Both streetside and garage parking are widely available throughout the city. For the downtown areas, parking can fill up during peak times, but for the most part it shouldn’t be an issue for drivers. At worst, you will have to park a block or two away from your final destination.