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California

Cheap Car Hire in California from $20

Driver's age: 25-65
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California car hires in 2026

Most popular company

Ace

Most common car type

Standard

Average price per day

$58

Cheapest price per day

$20
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Popular car types in California

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In California, there are 18,118 active hire locations from 396 car hire companies. small car is the cheapest car type to hire in California in the past week - currently priced from $20/day. View deals for 7 car types available to hire in this destination:

Economy

Economy

$20+

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Compact

Compact

$20+

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Intermediate

Intermediate

$20+

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Standard

Standard

$23+

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Full-size

Full-size

$30+

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People mover

People mover

$58+

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Full-size SUV

Full-size SUV

$51+

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Premium

Premium

$52+

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Passenger van

Passenger van

$76+

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Luxury

Luxury

$53+

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Pick-up truck

Pick-up truck

$53+

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Premium SUV

Premium SUV

$63+

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Supplier choice

Supplier choice

$26+

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Standard SUV

Standard SUV

$28+

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Intermediate SUV

Intermediate SUV

$29+

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Compact SUV

Compact SUV

$35+

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Luxury SUV

Luxury SUV

$59+

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Supplier choice SUV

Supplier choice SUV

$88+

View Deal
Open-air all-terrain

Open-air all-terrain

$88+

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Supplier choice saloon

Supplier choice saloon

$160+

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Intermediate estate car

Intermediate estate car

$183+

View Deal

Best car hire deals found in California

Hyundai i20$20/day
Hyundai i20
Found 09/08/26
Tesla Model 3$20/day
Tesla Model 3
Found 09/08/26
Volkswagen Jetta$20/day
Volkswagen Jetta
Found 09/08/26

Cheapflights insights for California car hires

Get relevant, data-driven information to help you hire a car in California, including pricing trends, ideal booking times, and more.

How far in advance should I hire a car in California?

For the best savings on car hire in California, make your reservation 7 days before pickup. The average price then is just $65/day – about 19% less than the yearly average.

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What is the cheapest car hire company in California?

In California, the most affordable car hire company right now is Dollar, offering prices from just $27.19/day over the past two weeks. Another budget-friendly choice is Enterprise Rent-A-Car, with rates starting at $29.32/day.

What is the best car rental company in California?

Based on Cheapflights user feedback, the highest-rated car hire company in California is Avis (rated 6.4/10). Budget (rated 6.1/10) is also highly rated by our users.

Avis
Avis
6.4
Budget
Budget
6.1
NextCar
NextCar
0.0
National
National
0.0

What is the cheapest month to hire a car in California?

At California, the best time to hire a car is in January, with an average daily rate of just $65. Conversely, June is the priciest month, averaging $84 per day. Below youll find the monthly average car hire prices. Note that costs can fluctuate depending on availability, booking time, and vehicle type.|1#In California, the best time to hire a car is in January, with an average daily rate of just $65. Conversely, June is the priciest month, averaging $84 per day. Below youll find the monthly average car hire prices. Note that costs can fluctuate depending on availability, booking time, and vehicle type.

January

$65

February

$73

March

$81

April

$77

May

$75

June

$84

July

$83

August

$77

September

$68

October

$76

November

$69

December

$77

What car do most people hire in California?

SUV cars (Chevrolet Equinox or similar) are the most popular option for those visiting California. Full-size cars (Chevrolet Malibu or similar) are also a popular choice, followed by Passenger van cars (Chrysler Pacifica or similar).

Which car hire company has the most locations in California?

Avis has 57 locations throughout the area, more than any other company. NextCar has the second-highest number of locations in California at 2.

What are the car hire prices for popular cities in California?

If you're looking for the best car hire deals in California, start with San Diego, where rates average $25/day. You can also find good prices in Los Angeles ($33/day), San Francisco ($43/day), and Santa Rosa ($44/day).

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Top hire agencies in California

Avis

57 locations
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Budget

56 locations
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NextCar

2 locations
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National

17 locations
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Rhodium

7 locations
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Bandago

2 locations
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Los Angeles Van Rentals

3 locations
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UFODRIVE

2 locations
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Car hire FAQs

  • What is the cheapest hire car found in California?

    In the past two weeks, Cheapflights users have found many deals under $53/day when booking a car hire in California. The absolute best deal a user found was for $23/day from Economy Rent a Car, booked on Sep. 5.

  • How much does it cost to hire a car in California for a week from Ace?

    Ace is one of the most popular car hire companies in California, offering car hire for around $369 per week on average.

  • Can I rent a car for a month in California?

    Typically, how long you can hire a car for depends on the inventory of the supplier. For California however, it is certainly possible to rent a car for an entire month.

  • How much does it cost to rent a car in California for a month?

    Typically, a monthly car hire in California can be found for $1,581. You can find car hire deals to be on average $53 a day.

Car hires by fuel type in California

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Browse through car hire deals by fuel type in California. There are currently 3 fuel types to choose from with Electric being the cheapest ($19+).

Electric

Electric

$19+

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Hybrid

Hybrid

$19+

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Petrol/Diesel

Petrol/Diesel

$22+

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Plans change – we get it. And that’s why you can search and book car hire on Cheapflights from agencies that offer free cancellation