Car hire prices at Zurich Airport

A Compact car like a Volkswagen Golf costs around £35 a day at Zurich Airport when you book about a month ahead for October 2026. An Economy car such as a Volkswagen Polo averages £31 a day, while an Intermediate like a Skoda Octavia is about £44. Leaving your booking to the last 2 weeks pushes the Compact to £47 a day. Across the year, prices swing from £38 a day for a Mini in November 2026 to £183 for a luxury class car in July 2027, so check your exact dates with the price checker.

For Zurich Airport, booking late saves money across the year, dropping from £77 a day 9 months before your trip to £45 in the last 2 weeks for a Compact car. For October 2026 specifically, booking about a month ahead averages £35 a day, while waiting for the final 2 weeks rises to £47. Booking 9 months ahead offers no reward, so anyone who has left it late has not missed out. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for on our sites, 48% of people book within 2 weeks of travel.

Budget is the cheapest company at Zurich Airport for a Compact car, averaging £46 a day over the last 12 months from 554 prices. Budget operates directly at the terminal, accepts debit cards, and holds an average customer score of 90/100 from 38 reviews. Hertz charges £51 a day across 1,055 prices and scores 84/100, while Europcar averages £56 with a score of 91/100. All 13 suppliers have counters at the airport, so you never need to factor in a shuttle bus.

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.

Europcar and Unirent are the best-reviewed companies at Zurich Airport, each scoring 91/100 from 116 and 42 reviews respectively. Europcar's counter wait averages 26 minutes with a Compact price of £56 a day, while Unirent averages 18 minutes at £48 a day. Budget is the cheapest supplier at £46 a day and also rates well, scoring 90/100 from 38 reviews with a 19-minute desk wait. Alamo follows closely with an 83/100 score across 86 reviews, though its desk wait averages 21 minutes.

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 Zurich Airport, security deposits range from £274 with Avis, Budget, and Flizzr up to £1,824 with Alamo, Enterprise, and National. Payment rules are strict: 8 of the 13 desks refuse debit cards entirely, 4 take them, and 1 accepts a debit card for selected cars only. Because most desks require a credit card in the lead driver's name, filter for debit cards on the price checker before comparing offers. Any compulsory desk extras or equipment charges are listed clearly alongside each quote.

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

At Zurich Airport, Enterprise's desk averages a 32-minute wait at pickup, making it the slowest queue among all 13 terminal counters. Payment rules catch out unprepared arrivals, as 8 of the 13 companies demand a credit card and reject debit cards for the deposit. Desks like Alamo, Enterprise, and National also freeze a hefty £1,824 on arrival, which will tie up your credit limit on mountain excursions. Booking without checking card criteria is an easy way to start your Swiss holiday watching someone else drive away in your car.

Only 89% of prices at Zurich Airport are full tank out, full tank back, so read the fuel line under the car before you book.

An Intermediate car like a Skoda Octavia typically costs £44 a day at Zurich Airport for October 2026, giving you enough boot space and pulling power for mountain driving. An Intermediate seats 5 and takes 4 bags, whereas a £35 Compact seats 5 but fits only 3 bags. Automatics account for 81% of cars offered and cost £3 more a day than manuals over the year, making hill climbs simpler. Electric and hybrid cars are 7% of what is offered, so petrol and diesel vehicles remain the standard pick.