Car hire prices at Houston Airport

Houston Airport car hire starts at around £52 a day for an Intermediate car such as a Volkswagen Jetta booked about a month ahead for October 2026. An Economy car like the Mitsubishi Mirage averages £45 a day, while a Fullsize Chevrolet Malibu runs to £61. In the last 2 weeks before travel, that Intermediate rises slightly to £54 a day. Across the year, prices swing between £53 a day for an Economy car in November 2026 and £89 for an executive car in May 2027, so check your exact dates with the price checker.

For October 2026 at Houston Airport, booking around a month before your trip averages £52 a day for an Intermediate car, compared to £54 in the last 2 weeks. Booking 9 months before your trip averages £75 a day across the year, so holding off has saved money rather than cost it. Across the 395 airports we track car hire prices for, 48% of our customers book within 2 weeks of travel. If you have not booked yet, you have missed nothing.

Budget is the cheapest company at Houston Airport for an Intermediate car, averaging £44 a day over the last 12 months from 1,872 prices. The trade-off is card acceptance: Budget requires a credit card and refuses debit cards for the £148 deposit, though it scores 79/100 from 37 reviews. National scores higher at 92/100 from 279 reviews and accepts debit cards, but its Intermediate cars average £77 a day. All 9 suppliers have counters on the airport site, so you never need 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.

National is the best-reviewed company at Houston Airport, scoring 92/100 from 279 customer reviews with an average desk wait of 24 minutes. It sits toward the dearer end, averaging £77 a day for an Intermediate car over the last 12 months. Budget is the cheapest supplier at £44 a day and scores 79/100 from 37 reviews with a shorter 9-minute wait. Alamo had 24 reviews and Enterprise had 10, so neither has the 30 reviews needed 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.

Budget and Sixt hold the lowest deposit at Houston Airport at £148, rising to £222 with Avis, and 4 of the 9 desks accept a debit card. Another 3 companies accept debit cards for some car classes but require a credit card for others, while 2 counters refuse debit cards entirely. The deposit amount and card rules appear beside each vehicle in the results, so filter for a debit card before comparing prices. Any extras you select at the desk will be listed separately with their cost.

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

The main catches at Houston Airport are strict card policies at the counter and long desk waits before you can get on the road. Budget and Avis refuse debit cards entirely for their deposits, while 3 other suppliers only take them on certain models, making a credit card in the lead driver's name essential. Counter queues also vary wildly, stretching up to 24 minutes at National compared to 5 minutes at Thrifty.

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

For most trips, choose an Intermediate car such as the Volkswagen Jetta at Houston Airport, which costs around £52 a day in October 2026. It seats 5 people and holds 4 bags, which gives comfortable highway cruising and trunk room across long city distances. Stepping down to an Economy car like the Mitsubishi Mirage drops the luggage space to 2 bags for £45 a day, while a Fullsize Chevrolet Malibu adds an extra seat for £61. Every car offered is an automatic, while electric and hybrid options are currently absent from the fleet.