For many travelers, nothing beats a great deal on a rental car. But to avoid the worst rental car fees, you'll need to do a bit of homework and practice saying "no."
The average daily rental car rate was $62.25 across 100 U.S. airports, according to a report from Cheap Car Rental released in December 2025. However, rental car costs vary widely depending on the type of vehicle, rental company, time of year and where you are picking up or dropping off the car. For example, if you rented over the week of Christmas, average rates jumped up to $84 per day.
