Best Rental Car Company at Las Vegas Airport
With nearly 50 million passengers annually, Las Vegas Harry Reid Airport (LAS), formerly known as McCarran International, is one of the busiest travel hubs on the West Coast. And if you’re looking to rent a car at this airport, you’ll quickly realize there are plenty of options. Maybe even too many.
Thankfully, the process itself is easy since you can grab a vehicle right through the airport by visiting the Rent-A-Car Center, located on 7135 Gilespie Street, a mere 3 miles south of the airport. Harry Reid also provides free shuttles to take you there from Terminal 1 or Terminal 3.
At the Rent-A-Car Center, you’ll find the many companies with which the airport has established a partnership to better serve customers. These Vegas branches include Alamo, Budget, AVIS, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, SIXT, Payless, and Thrifty. And you can have a car ready to hit the streets within 30 minutes of getting there and roll in no time.
That said, this post will cover the best of these companies ranked based on their customer service, prices, vehicles, and policies since it’s pretty challenging to narrow them down otherwise. We’ll also cover a few industry tips to help reduce added fees and unnecessary costs.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- Best Rental Car Company at Las Vegas Airport
- Las Vegas Rental Car Company Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
Alamo
Open 24/7, Alamo, an Enterprise subsidiary, is the largest rental provider to international travelers coming to North America. And it makes sense since they offer more benefits than average, exceptionally high customer satisfaction, and fair pricing.
Alamo never overbooks vehicles, and their reservations are valid for 24 hours. So you can rest assured that your reservation will be honored, even if your flight is delayed. And this is not the case with other providers.
But if you need to cancel, they’re free if canceled more than 24 hours before pickup.
Alamo also offers a Pre-Pay Discount of 5% if you reserve and pre-pay beforehand, saving you time at the counter and money. Additionally, they also have a rewards program offering a 5% discount for members and special Military and U.S. federal government rates.
And considering their easy-to-use website and excellent customer support, the process is entirely hassle-free, so these savings are worth it.
That said, Alamo has a large fleet of 300+ makes and models, ranging from compact cars to convertibles, hybrids, pickups, and full-size passenger vans. So you can easily find the right vehicle for your traveling needs.
National
Open 24/7, National, another Enterprise subsidiary, is also a top rental company in Vegas with over 1,500 locations worldwide.
Being a part of the same family, National also provides many of the same benefits as Alamo. That means they never overbook vehicles and their reservations are valid for 24 hours, so you can reschedule if your flight is delayed. But National does provide more flexible one-way rentals, letting you rent vehicles in Vegas to return them elsewhere.
Unlike Alamo, though, National has The Emerald Club, a rewards program designed to make the rental experience for frequent renters faster and more convenient. With The Emerald Club, you’ll get many special privileges. Namely, you’ll earn 1 rental credit for every rental. And at 7 credits, you get a free rental day of a midsize or smaller vehicle. Club members also only pay the Midsize rate on larger cars, plus you get priority service, no second driver fees, and members-only discounts.
Otherwise, National too has a large fleet with hundreds of makes and models, ranging from compact cars to convertibles, pickups, and full-size passenger vans. And you can easily find the right vehicle here as well.
Las Vegas Rental Car Company Tips
Here are a few insider tips to make your Vegas car rental easier.
- Reserve online: We recommend making an online reservation through the rental company’s website or a 3rd party comparison site. We don’t suggest picking up your rental car at Harry Reid Airport upon arrival. Doing it this way is a problem because you’ll spend more time at the car company’s counter, sometimes waiting hours in line. You also risk being overcharged or not getting the car you want. Vegas is currently facing a shortage of rental cars and now is the busy season, making the issue worse. So if you can take the time to reserve beforehand, it’ll make your experience and life a lot easier.
- Credit card required: You’ll need a credit card to make an online reservation since they use this as a form of security deposit. It’s also important to note that most rental companies require that the cardholder and person picking up the vehicle are the same. So make sure you use the right credit card here.
- Fuel options: You have two fuel options for most rentals: fuel full-to-full or pre-paid. But the full-to-full option is best. Full-to-full means you bring back the rental with a full gas tank. But, doing it this way will save you from the company charging you a much higher fuel price than regular gasoline to fill it up themselves, saving you quite a bit of money. While gas prices are still somewhat high in Vegas, the current price is much, much lower than what these companies will charge you. They can easily charge twice as much as the going rate for 87 Octane.
- Plan your pickup/drop-off time: Car rentals are calculated on a 24-hour cycle. And it’s easy to use this to your advantage. So if your trip is flexible, the company will only charge you for a one day rental if you book from 11 AM to 10 AM the next day (23 hours). But if you book from 11 AM to 11 AM (2 days), you’ll be charged both days. With that said, take the time to plan your pickup and return since you can save quite a bit of money.
- Costs: It’s important to remember renting a car from the airport is generally more expensive than renting from other locations because of the extra 10% airport business fees these companies take on. And on average, getting a car from an airport can be as much as 20% more expensive. But since Vegas has so many competing rental companies, it’s actually one of the cheapest cities. Still, if you’re looking to save money, going to a branch on The Strip would be a great way to find the cheapest rental car. That said, the convenience and safety offered by the airport rental center definitely make it worthwhile. And their booking process is also easier since you can drive away from the airport rather than battling taxis.
Conclusion
And there you have it, there’s a list of the best rental companies at Harry Reid Airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you rent a car from the Las Vegas airport?
Yes. Vegas airport has 11 major rental car providers on site that you can rent with.
Do I need car insurance to rent a car?
Liability insurance is often provided up to a certain coverage when you rent, so there’s no need for your own separate car insurance policy. That said, these policies don’t cover other passengers, so keep that in mind.
What do you need to rent a car?
First, you must be 21 years of age or older. Then you need a valid government-issued driver’s license with your photo and an accepted payment form in your name, either a debit or credit card. But most locations don’t accept cash for security reasons.
How long does it take to return a rental car at McCarran airport?
The drop-off process takes about 10 minutes.