Car hire prices at Charleston Airport

A typical quote at Charleston Airport is around £56 a day for an Intermediate car, like a Volkswagen Jetta, when booking about a month ahead for October 2026. A Compact car such as a Nissan Versa is about £49 a day, while a Fullsize Chevrolet Malibu averages £59. Leaving your booking to the last 2 weeks drops the Intermediate to around £50 a day. Across the year, prices run from £52 in November 2026 for an Economy up to £81 in July 2027 for a larger car class. Check our price checker for your exact dates.

For October 2026 at Charleston Airport, wait until 2 weeks before your trip, when an Intermediate averages £50 a day compared to £56 booked a month out. Across the year, booking 9 months ahead averages £70 a day while booking 2 weeks ahead is £54, saving about 33%. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, 48% of our customers book within 14 days of travel. If you have not booked yet, you have not missed anything.

Budget is the cheapest company at Charleston Airport for an Intermediate car, averaging £43 a day from 1,872 prices over the last 12 months. Avis is the closest alternative at £45 a day, scoring 83/100 from 1,249 reviews. Budget does not yet have enough reviews for a score, though its desk wait averages 8 minutes. All 5 rental companies operate directly at the airport, but every desk requires a credit card.

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.

National is the best-reviewed company at Charleston Airport, scoring 92/100 from 279 reviews, with an average desk wait of 24 minutes. For an Intermediate car, National averages £71 a day over the last 12 months, from 4,649 prices. Budget is the cheapest company at £43 a day, but does not yet have enough reviews for a score. Enterprise also rates highly, scoring 90/100 from 786 reviews with a 21-minute desk wait.

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

Budget holds £148 while Avis holds £222 on your card at Charleston Airport, and all 5 desks take credit cards only. None of the 5 rental companies accept a debit card at pickup. Extras charged at the desk are listed under each vehicle with their prices. Check the card rules beside each car before confirming to make sure your credit card limit covers the block.

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

The biggest trap at Charleston Airport is arriving with only a debit card, because all 5 rental desks refuse them for the security deposit. Every supplier requires a credit card in the lead driver's name, leaving anyone carrying just debit cards stranded at the terminal. All desks are on-site, but wait times vary considerably from 8 minutes at Budget to 24 minutes at National. Arriving without a credit card leaves you unable to collect the car.

Only 49% of prices at Charleston Airport are full tank out, full tank back, so read the fuel line under the car before you book.

A Compact car like a Nissan Versa averages £49 a day at Charleston Airport for October 2026. It seats 5 people but fits 3 bags, so historic street parking is manageable if you travel light. Stepping up to an Intermediate car like a Volkswagen Jetta costs £56 a day and holds 4 bags when you have extra luggage.