Car hire prices at Riga Airport

Riga Airport car hire starts around £31 a day for an Intermediate, a Volkswagen Passat-sized car, when you book about a month before an October 2026 trip. A Compact like a Volkswagen Golf is about £21 a day, while an Economy car like a Volkswagen Polo is around £17. Waiting until the last 2 weeks drops the Intermediate to £24 a day. Across the year, prices swing from £24 a day for a Mini in November 2026 to £111 for an executive car in June 2027. If your quote is higher, check our price checker for your exact dates.

At Riga Airport, booking late saves about 50%, with prices dropping from £47 a day 9 months before your trip to £33 2 weeks before. For October 2026, an Intermediate costs £31 a day booked a month before travel, falling to £24 in the last 2 weeks. If you have not booked yet, you have missed nothing. Across the 395 airports we track on our sites, 48% of people book within 2 weeks of pickup.

Surprice is the cheapest company at Riga Airport for an Intermediate car, averaging £18 a day, but it requires a credit card for its deposit. Addcar averages £34 a day over the last 12 months from 728 prices and takes debit cards. Top Rent costs £42 a day over the same period from 2,265 prices and scores 85/100 from 32 reviews, whereas Surprice does not yet have enough reviews for a score. All 15 rental counters are located directly at the airport.

The cheapest company can cost you a longer queue or a bigger deposit, so check the review score and desk wait beside each car in the results before you book.

Top Rent is the best-reviewed company at Riga Airport, scoring 85 out of 100 from 32 reviews, with desk waits averaging 7 minutes. Green Motion scores 83 out of 100 from 46 reviews, with an 18-minute wait, and averages £50 a day for an Intermediate car. Top Rent costs £42 a day, so strong service does not require the highest price. Surprice is the cheapest at £18 a day, but it does not yet have enough reviews for a score.

Review scores are CarTrawler customers' own, from the last five months; the score and the desk wait sit beside each car in the results.

At Riga Airport, deposits held on your card range from £171 with Green Motion to £1,027 with Carwiz and Top Rent, and only 1 of 15 desks takes a debit card. Addcar is the only counter accepting debit cards outright, while Sixt accepts debit cards for some cars only. The other 13 companies require a credit card in the driver's name. Filter for debit card payments before comparing quotes, and note that extras such as child seats are priced separately under each car.

If you bring your own child seat, check your airline's rules first: most carry one free, some charge.

Two traps catch drivers out at Riga Airport: deposits that demand a credit card, and slow desk lines that keep you waiting over half an hour. Thirteen of the 15 desks refuse debit cards entirely, so turning up without a credit card leaves you stranded. While Carwiz serves renters in 6 minutes, Hertz averages 39 minutes and U-Save takes 33 minutes. You might find Riga's traffic easy, but queueing at the counter can take longer than the flight over.

Only 51% of prices at Riga Airport are full tank out, full tank back, so read the fuel line under the car before you book.

For exploring outside the city, choose an Intermediate estate car like the Volkswagen Passat at Riga Airport, which costs around £31 a day for October 2026. It seats 5 people and takes 4 bags, giving you the boot space and comfort needed once you leave town. A couple travelling light can step down to a Compact like a Volkswagen Golf for £21 a day, which seats 5 but holds 3 bags. Automatics make up 51% of cars offered and cost £3 more a day than manuals over the year. Hybrid cars are only 6% of what is offered, so book one early if you want petrol-electric power.