Car hire prices at Des Moines Airport

Des Moines Airport quotes around £43 a day for an Intermediate car, like a Volkswagen Jetta, when you book about a month ahead for October 2026. A Compact car such as a Nissan Versa costs £41 a day, and an Economy Mitsubishi Mirage runs to £38. Booking in the last 2 weeks keeps an Intermediate at £43 while trimming a Compact to £40. Across the year, daily rates run from £47 in November 2026 up to £83 in August 2027. Use the price checker if your quote is higher.

At Des Moines Airport, booking late saves about 42%: an Intermediate costs £52 a day 2 weeks before your trip compared to £72 9 months before. For October 2026, an Intermediate is £43 a day booked about a month before travel, and remains £43 in the final 2 weeks. Booking 9 months before your trip averages £72 across the year, so waiting does not penalise you. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, 48% of our customers book within 2 weeks of travel.

Budget is the cheapest company at Des Moines Airport for an Intermediate car, averaging £45 a day over the last 12 months across 1,872 prices. Budget sits directly in the terminal, takes 15 minutes at the desk on average and holds a £148 deposit. It scores 82/100 from 2,309 customer reviews, whereas National averages £66 a day and scores 92/100 from 279 reviews. Avis is the closest alternative on price at £48 a day, but requires a £222 deposit.

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 Des Moines Airport, scoring 92/100 from 84 reviews with an average desk wait of 24 minutes. National sits at the top of the price range, averaging £66 a day for an Intermediate car over the last 12 months. Alamo is close behind with a score of 91/100 from 76 reviews at £61 a day. Budget is the cheapest supplier at £45 a day and scores 82/100 from 39 reviews.

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 Des Moines Airport, deposits held on your card range from £148 with Budget to £222 with Avis, and 5 of the 6 counters accept credit cards only. Hertz takes a debit card for some cars, but none of the 6 desks accept debit cards across their whole fleet. Filter for a debit card before comparing prices to see which models qualify. Extras charged at the desk appear under each car with their price.

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

The biggest trap at Des Moines Airport is turning up with only a debit card, as 5 of the 6 desks refuse debit cards for deposits. Every supplier is based in the terminal, so there are no shuttle buses to catch. However, desk wait times can reach 24 minutes at National and 23 minutes at Alamo after flights arrive. Bring a credit card in the lead driver's name to avoid being stranded at the counter with an uncollectable car.

Only 50% of prices at Des Moines Airport are full tank out, full tank back, so read the fuel line under the car before you book.

For most trips from Des Moines Airport, pick an Intermediate car like a Volkswagen Jetta at about £43 a day in October 2026. It seats 5 people and holds 4 bags, which gives enough trunk space for luggage and work bags on longer highway drives. Stepping down to a Compact Nissan Versa saves £2 a day at £41, but drops luggage space to 3 bags. Every car offered is an automatic, so you will not pay extra to avoid shifting gears.